1. You’ll need an escape plan.
Don’t paint yourself into a corner. Have an escape route in mind: start from the side of the room opposite the door, then back your way out.
2. The best paint might be at the marine supply store.
You don’t want to have to tiptoe across your painted floors, lest they chip or show wear; the whole appeal is that they’re hardwearing and practical. To get this effect, use at least a semigloss paint from the paint aisle, perhaps coated with some polyurethane if you’re worried about wear. But it might pay to look beyond standard interior paints. Seek out latex enamel-based marine, boat, or porch paint, all of which are hardwearing and built to wear. (You could also use trim enamel matched to a shade you like.)
3. Save your back by using a floor buffer.
If it’s finished wood floors you’re painting, you’ll need to sand and prime. It can be backbreaking work if you’re on your hands and knees with sandpaper—or even an orbital sander. Save your back and rent a floor buffer from the hardware store.
4. “Dark” does not mean “disguised.”
General wisdom would have us believe that white- or light-colored floors show every speck of dust and dirt, while black- or dark-colored floors disguise debris. But that’s misleading: we’ve been told (from experience) that dark-colored floors show much more than you’d think—including every dust bunny and crumb. If disguising mess is your only reason for going dark, think twice before you commit.
5. Painted floors can trick the eye.
Painted floors can create some clever optical illusions. If you have white- or light-colored walls, paint the floors to match to make the space feel much bigger. Choose paint with a glossier sheen (or add a glossy top coat) to bring in more light. Or, choose a darker color than walls and ceiling to visually ground a space and add drama.
6. They’re endlessly customizable.
Then again, painted floors needn’t be solid. Use painter’s tape to create checkerboards, patterns, borders, or painted “rugs.” You can also delineate space by painting areas in different hues. Have a long, narrow space? Make it seem wider by painting horizontal stripes. You get the idea: you can customize your floors completely.
7. You can Jackson Pollock your floors.
Splatter-painted floors are everywhere in the cottages of Cape Cod. “I don’t know why our Victorian area ancestors started spatter-painting their floors—perhaps they couldn’t afford rugs, or more likely, they didn’t want to constantly beat the sand out of them—but I, for one, am glad they did,” writes Justine, who has splatter-painted floors in her own Cape cottage. “First of all, spatter-painted floors hide a multitude of sins; almost nothing shows up on them. But more important, they are simply beautiful. They’re a wonderful way to add texture and interest while still keeping the overall look minimal and clean.”
8. You might need to vacate for a bit.
Painting your floors is no small task: you’ll need to move out all of your furniture (yes, all of it) and be prepared not to walk in or through the room for several days while the coats dry. And the heavy-duty, hardwearing paint that’s suitable for floors also comes with lots of fumes. Try to paint your floors before you move in, if possible; if you’re already settled, consider closing off the room or heading somewhere else for a while to get away from the fumes.
9. Painting floors is budget-friendly.
Compared to the cost of laying all-new flooring, painting tired floors is incredibly budget-friendly: all you’ll need is a gallon (or a few) of paint, plus primer and supplies. Just be aware that, once you paint, it’ll be hard, if not impossible, to revert your floors back to the way they were. Read more about the wallet-friendly merits of painting in
10. Worried about wear? Just add more paint.
No need to worry too much about wear and tear. If and when your floors start to lose their luster, just add another coat of paint, or a few touch-ups—or embrace the patina.
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