How and how to paint a wooden floor
How to paint a wooden floor? Such flooring is environmentally friendly, it should maintain an optimal microclimate in the living room.
Despite the high strength and durability, they need high-quality protection. Otherwise, without special treatment, the tree will begin to rot very quickly, become inhabited by harmful microorganisms and deform strongly.
The article suggests getting to know how to properly paint wooden floors in your own house, in an apartment, which will increase the period of its operation and give a greater aesthetic effect.
The content of the article
Features of flooring material
Paintwork materials in appearance are:
- Transparent. These include all kinds of varnishes and impregnations. Pigments are added to some of them, revealing the natural structure of wood.
- Opaque. They are paints on solvents, which can be:
- based on perchlorovinyl;
- polyurethane;
- oily;
- alkyd;
- acrylic;
- water-dispersed acrylic.
The more popular of them: polyurethane, acrylic and alkyd paints, providing a sufficiently high-quality coating and ease of use.
Before painting wood floors, it is necessary to apply impregnation on them, which performs the functions of bio and fire protection and represents the saturation of the tree with substances that can protect it from destruction by pests and fire.
By type of impregnation there are:
- Flame retardants. Designed to reduce fire hazard, protect wood material from fire. Recommended for use in public and industrial buildings.
- Biocides, antiseptics. They protect against harmful insects, the appearance of fungus and mold, blue, increase the life of the wooden floor.
These materials are:
- superficial, used at home. Apply to thoroughly cleaned and dried wood using a spray gun or brush.
- deep. They are used for processing boards in industrial premises using sophisticated technology, which makes it possible to ensure the highest quality processing of all wood laid on the floor.
- Oil impregnation. In their manufacture, wood, linseed oil, and modified natural resins are used. Used for:
- strengthening;
- protection;
- tinting.
Oil is absorbed into the tree much deeper than varnish, which significantly strengthens the surface of the floor, it acquires moisture resistance, a silky sheen.
Tip: Use oils that are solvent free. Preference is given to natural, which does not dry very quickly. It should be applied in the most crowded aisles, for example, in the corridor or living room. Before impregnation, the floor should be cleaned, sanded and dried thoroughly.
What is better paint or varnish
For wooden floors, varnishes are chosen only alkyd, more durable.
But rarely enough, which is associated with reduced reliability from mechanical damage, such as:
- Kicks from heels.
- Traces of furniture.
- Traces of animal claws.
Even in the dry state, the material is sufficiently elastic, which requires movement on the varnished floor exclusively in shoes with soft soles. For residential premises, varnishes are used in which there are no inclusions with caustic solvents.
To use the paint in a residential area, it should be chosen, first of all, environmentally friendly.Ideal are water dispersion coatings that do not contain any organic solvents.
Their features:
- Water resistance.
- Excellent application to the surface.
- Do not lose color over time.
It is good to use acrylic waterproof paint for the kitchen room and bathroom floors. The best option for coating parquet is alkyd paint.
Tip: When choosing paint for a wooden floor, it must be borne in mind that for processing one square meter of area, on average, two coating layers from 180 to 250 grams of paint will be needed. Each can of the substance has a label that indicates its consumption, storage conditions, strength characteristics and shelf life.
How to clean the floor surface from old paint
How to remove old paint from a wooden floor is a very important issue when applying a new coating.
Before removing paint from a wooden floor, you will need to purchase:
- Construction spatula.
- Special hair dryer.
- Solvent.
- Brush with natural bristles.
- Any plywood or cardboard.
Further, the process of how to remove old paint from a wooden floor is as follows:
- In the chemical method of removing old coatings from the floor surface, various washes and solvents are used. In this case:
- are closed with plywood or cardboard with a high density of the surface of walls and doors that are close to the floor;
- carefully studied the instructions on how to use the selected tool to make sure the correct choice of material;
- gently apply the solvent with a brush or spatula to a small area of the floor surface. Left for the time specified in the manufacturer's instructions;
- old paint is removed with a scraper or trowel.
- With the thermal method, in order to remove the paint, it is assumed that a thermal gun is present. With this method:
- the building hair dryer is turned on;
- a stream of hot air is directed to the treated area;
- the hair dryer is kept at a distance from the floor within 35-50 centimeters;
- small areas warm up;
- it is necessary to wait until the paint warms up well and begins to bubble;
- exfoliated paint is removed with a metal spatula.
Tip: Do not hold the hair dryer for a long time in one place. In this case, carbonization of the surface of the wooden floor may occur.
How to remove old paint from a wooden floor, which method is better to use, will tell the video in this article.
How to paint the floor
Before painting the old wooden floor, its surface must be prepared:
- To clear of dust.
- Remove dirty and greasy stains.
- Align all roughnesses, putty (see Do-it-yourself putty on the wooden floor in stages).
- Dry well.
These measures will reduce paint consumption and will achieve a high-quality result. The technology for painting a wooden floor has three methods. But in any case, the number of coating layers with your own hands should be at least two.
Application Methods:
- According to the first method, the floor of the boards:
- first covered with varnish or primed;
- dries for about three days;
- painted with the first layer;
- the paint dries well;
- the floor is painted with a second layer;
- the surface is dried up to seven days.
- According to the second method:
- first covered with varnish or primed;
- dries for about three days;
- cracks are smoothed out, other surface defects are removed with oil putty, which is selected to match the paint;
- the composition dries;
- processed with fine sandpaper.
- the surface is putty again;
- it is leveled by a skin;
- “Problematic” places are primed and painted until the putty is completely no longer visible;
- the wooden floor is painted.
- The third method of coloring the floor is the most time-consuming. It can be performed in different ways:
- cover the wooden floor with linseed oil, dry and putty in several layers, carefully peeling each time with a sandpaper. Then putty again, cover with a primer and paint in three layers;
- after filling the first layer and cleaning it, a putty-like putty layer is re-laid on the floor, a tightly stretched gauze is embedded in it. A third layer of putty is placed on the dried surface, cleaned and primed, after which the floor is painted in three layers.
Tip: When performing work, the coloring composition must be constantly mixed, otherwise stains may appear. When applying paint to a wooden floor, it should be slightly shaded in the direction along the laid boards with thinner layers so that unexpected “wrinkles” and bubbles do not appear, which is much more difficult to remove than to prevent them.
- After the last coat of paint has dried, the floor surface is washed with clean hot water, which will give it a gloss and remove the remaining drying oil.
In order for the price of work to be lower, all operations must be carried out slowly and very carefully. Then the floor will delight its owner with beauty and durability for a long time.
