Different floors have different requirements, and navigating the world of floor paint can be daunting. There’s a lot of choice on the market at the moment. My main piece of advice: choose a floor paint that will last. It’s not a job you want to be repeating every couple of years.

within the home there are a range of different issues that are needed to be contended with that differ depending on which room you are looking at painting. So we have compiled a list of our Top Floor Paint Tips, helping you room by room with what you need.

Do remember that everyone’s home is different, there are some things that may be useful to you, and others that simply don’t apply to you.

Living Room/Hallways

Living Rooms receive relatively light traffic, so you usually don’t need to worry about having anything too heavy duty in this room. Style really can dominate in this room, but bear in mind that if it’s not done properly then it will never end up looking as good as you would like it to.

A style that has come into fashion recently is painted floor boards. It’s a good way of keeping a natural look to the room, whilst also being able to select colours and styles that better fit with your design ideas. Chalky Floor paints is perfect for this. The soft tone of the colours, and the matted finish compliment the look of the wood. If you are looking to prime the wood beforehand then the best product to use is BIN, as it covers the knots in the wood. After that you can paint it with most appropriate floor paints.

If your floor is concrete then you may need to do some extra prep, but you will end up with a brilliant smooth finish. If the floor has been painted before then (as long as the paint is in good condition) it can be repainted very easily. Rust-Oleum 7200 is ideal in this situation, as it can be tinted to any colour that you like. If the floor has not been painted before then the best thing to do is to call our Technical Team on 01902 429190, to make sure you get the best system in place.

Bear in Mind:

• Make your life easier in the long run by taking the time to prep the floor correctly.
• Pay attention to the surface you’re paining on to. You don’t want to be using a paint intended for wood on concrete, and vice versa.
  • If you’re painting wood, make sure you’ve sanded away any varnish, or that you’ve selected a product that can go directly on to varnish.
  • If you’re painting concrete the concrete must be completely dry, all the way through. If you’re not sure whether or not the concrete is dry all the way through then you cal always try the plastic sheet test:
    • Take a square of plastic sheeting, it doesn’t have to be huge but a bigger size will give a better result, around 24″ x 24″. Tape it to the floor, making sure all sides are completely sealed by the tape. Leave it for a day or so (again, the longer that you can leave it for the better) and take the sheeting away. If there is any moisture underneath: a damp patch on the floor, beading on the sheet etc, then the floor is not completely dry.
• You can choose any colour you like, so get creative!

Kitchen

The kitchen has a slightly harder job than the living room. Your floor paint has to withstand spills, leaks, be easy to clean and often be able to withstand pets scurrying around. However just because the paint needs to be more resistant that doesn’t mean it’s automatically going to be difficult.

Many people have tiles on the floor of their kitchen, which are great as they’re easy to clean. However they are difficult to replace, so if you want to freshen up the appearance of your kitchen, or if you’ve just gotten bored of it looking the same as it always has, it is difficult to change all of the tiles. The simple solution is to paint them.

As tiles are smooth then you will need to start with an adhesion primer, to ensure that your paint sticks to the surface. Once that is on then you have a whole world of paint to choose from. Commercial kitchens will need a specialist hygiene coating, but for a domestic floor you’re okay to use what you like. Once again I would recommend 7200, as you can have it in any colour; or if you’re after something a bit more hard wearing, use Pegakote. It’s resistant to water and oils, and it’s also easy to clean which makes it ideal for in kitchens.

Bear in Mind:

• Do not skip the adhesion primer if you’re painting on to tiles. Otherwise the paint will not stick and you will get yourself into a mess.
• Think about drying times. Organise the painting around the times when you need to use the kitchen. If the drying time is long, then you’ll have to find an alternate option to using your kitchen.
• Focus on clean lines. Unless you’re also painting or replacing your kitchen units then you’re going to want to protect them.

Garage

Garage floors probably need to be the most hard wearing of the floors. They’re exposed to heavy traffic, hot tyres, and often high impact. Because of this, ideally you need to use a 2 pack floor paint, to ensure you get a long-lasting finish. Other products would work, but they’re likely to show wear and damage over time.

One of our favourite choices is a product called Mathys Pegakote. It’s a water based epoxy paint, that resists abrasion and oils and solvents; this makes it ideal for in garages. It’s a part of our Colourshop range, which means that you can have it in whatever best suits you.

The other option that we would lean towards would be the Epoxyshield Garage Floor Coating Kit. It as similar resistance qualities to the Pegakote, and would give you a sufficiently long-lasting finish. The kit even comes with clear instruction on how to apply it, so it is very easy to use. The main difference is that it is not available in any colour, but it does come with decorative flakes. The flake system has a lot of merits, as it can hide imperfections and unevenness on the surface, which are particularly common in garages. It’s an excellent way of creating a professional finish without needing to worry too much about imperfections.

 

Get in touch if you need further advise on Floor Paint.