This Is the Most Affordable Way to Update Your Floors (2024)

In most design circles, painting natural wood is a no-go—we’ve all seen the Instagram discourse on the millennial whitewashing of classic antiques. But there’s one instance where painting wood can infuse your space with character and life: painting your hardwood floors. Whether your original floors are in dire need of a refresh or you’re just itching for a pop of color, painting your hardwood floors can help revive the surface.

“Painted wood flooring is an easy update that extends the life of flooring and transforms older wood in need of a refresh,” Mike Mundwiller, senior manager of end-user product experience at Benjamin Moore, explains. “You’re able to explore other color and design options you normally wouldn’t see with traditional stain and flooring.”

Above: A living room designed by Winsome Interiors. The floors are painted in Blue Nose by Benjamin Moore.

Painting your wood flooring is also great way to add a pattern without installing vinyl or tile. You can achieve perfect painted floors. Below, Mundwiller walks us through the process of how to paint hardwood floors for a long-lasting and timeless finish.

Step One: Clean

As with any paint project, a perfect finish begins with thorough prep work. For hardwood floors, start by sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping. (Any dust or crumbs will result in a lumpy coat of paint.) Allow your floors to dry overnight.

Step Two: Prepare Your Floors

Before you can paint your hardwood floors, you need to sand off any prior stains or finish that may have been applied in the past. Mundwiller recommends using a medium-grit sandpaper (120- to 150-grit) and a sanding sponge to dull and sand the surface. Carefully vacuum up the dust, then tape off any baseboards or areas you don’t want to paint. This is also the time to mark any patterns or geometric designs onto your floors with painter’s tape.

Step Two: Prime Your Floors

Mundwiller recommends using a primer that’s suitable for both interior and exterior use (all-purpose primers are more durable), such as Fresh Start High-Hiding All-Purpose Primer from Benjamin Moore. This primer is also mildew-resistant making it suitable for both kitchens and bathrooms. Apply the primer to the edges of the room first before covering the entire floor. Work toward the entrance of the room to avoid getting trapped in the middle.

Step Three: Paint

It’s time to paint! Begin by working along the boundaries of your space with an angled paintbrush to define the edges. Paint the rest of your floors with a roller—to save your back, put the roller on an extension pole so you’re not hunched over for hours on end. Always work towards the exit, beginning furthest away and painting toward the door, to avoid getting stuck in the middle with nowhere to go.

Allow the first paint coat to dry according to your specific paint can’s directions, then follow up with a second and even third coat of paint to achieve your desired look.

Step Four: Dry

Check the label on your paint can or the Technical Data Sheet to find the full dry time or cure time for your specific paint type. This can be upward of 48 hours for a full cure. Avoid entering the room you’ve painted during that time to allow the paint to set properly.

Step Five: Seal

For the longest-lasting finish, you want to seal painted hardwood floors. The surface will get a lot of wear and tear, especially in high-traffic areas like hallways and kitchens. Some paints, like Benjamin Moore Latex Floor and Patio paint, are epoxy modified and don’t need a sealer, Mundwiller says. For other floor paint, apply a water-based polyurethane to seal it.

What Kind of Paint Do You Use on Hardwood Floors?

“A premium quality, quick-drying, epoxy-modified latex floor enamel, like Benjamin Moore Latex Floor & Patio, works best,” Mundwiller says. “Whatever color you decide on, know that it is difficult to remove paint from a wood floor, so be sure to sample the colors ahead of time. When it comes to the paint finish, a high-gloss finish is more slippery than a low-luster satin finish.”

Is Painting Wood Floors a Good Idea?

If a painted floor aligns with your desired aesthetic and lifestyle, it can be a good idea. Paint is hard to remove from floors (it requires a heavy-duty sander and refinishing process), so keep that in mind. “Paint would be a more economical option than installing laminate, vinyl, or tile, and you can also get the color and the design you want with paint,” Mundwiller says. “I see a lot of black-and-white checkered floors done with our Latex Floor & Patio paint.”

Can I Paint Wood Floors Without Sanding Them?

If your floors are unfinished (no stain, polyurethane, or sealant), you don’t need to sand them before painting. If they’re finished, you definitely need to sand them to achieve the smoothest, longest-lasting finish possible.

How Do You Prepare Hardwood Floors for Painting?

Before applying primer and paint, you want to clean your hardwood floors thoroughly and sand them. First, sweep your floors to remove any larger debris, vacuum, and then mop to ensure the cleanest surface possible. Let the floors dry fully overnight. After that, sand down your floors with a medium-grit sandpaper or sanding sponge. If your hardwood floors are unfinished, you can skip sanding.

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