Painting laminate floor is a great and less expensive way to revamp an old and worn out floor. You can create a whole new design with the paint. But can you Paint Laminate Floors? Well, the good news is that you can, that’s a big YES!
If you have an old laminate floor with scratches, wear and tear, and dropping off visual appearance, the only remedy is to take it out, but you can give your floor a new lease of life by painting it, and if you end up not liking how it turns out, you can always end up throwing it out!
Related: How to achieve a shiny laminate flooring
How To Paint Laminate Floors
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Painting is a great way to instantly revamp your dull and worn out laminate floor; before you start any of the painting processes, you need to choose a color or look you are aiming for the floor.
The color of paint you go for totally depends on whether you would prefer a bright neutral room or a bold look.
You also want to consider the amount of gloss you would like on your floor. Matte colors create a soft look in a room, while a high gloss gives it a bright shine. Once you have chosen the paint of your choice, it is time to start painting.
Directions
First, you want to use a soft broom or dust mop to clean your floor to remove any dust or dirt on it.
Read: Best Mops for Laminate floors
If possible, you want to move all the furniture out of the room you want to paint; you should also remove the baseboards to enable you to paint the edges without having to worry about staining them.
If your floor is completely worn out, you might need to have a rethink about going ahead with this painting project because the paint will soak in unevenly, and the floor will look blotchy.
Once all this is out of the way, you will need to degloss your laminate floor finish even if the finish as worn off; skipping this step will cause the paint not to stick properly to the floor. You are going to need a trisodium phosphate mixture for this step.
Simply Mix 1/2 cup of trisodium phosphate (TSP) with 1 gallon of hot water to create a TSP solution, TSP is a very dangerous chemical, so before handling it, you want to put on some protective clothing like gloves when scrubbing with the liquid.
Soak a clean cloth or towel into the TSP solution and start using it to scrub the floor surface.
You want to pay extra attention to greasy areas; once the whole area is clean, take a clean towel with water and wipe down the entire floor removing all the tsp solution and being careful not to leave standing water that could seep through the planks and warp the flooring.
Next, using 150-grit sandpaper, sand the laminate floor using a circular motion. Keep sanding the area until the surface looks scuffed and has lost its shine.
Once you’re done with the step above, you want to stop sanding to avoid creating holes in the floor due to excessive sanding.
Next, Clean the floor with A good scrub with heavy-duty cleaner after sanding to remove debris and dust created. You can make use of a dust mop or a damp towel to wipe your floor and allow it to dry completely.
Apply painters tape and paper on the areas that you do not want to paint; this will prevent accidental paint spills; if there are large areas, use painter’s tape to attach old sheets or newspaper over the surface.
If your laminate floor has crack or holes, you can fill these areas with a sealer to smoothen the floor to apply primer.
Then you want to use an oil-based primer that is designed for oil surfaces to paint the floor. Using only ⅓ of the bristles of the paintbrush and start painting at the top of the area and work your way down to the bottom.
You want to make use of smooth up and down brush strokes and Apply a thin and even coat. Before you start applying the primer, you want to Allow any excess primer to drip off the brush to avoid using an excessive amount of primer.
Once you have applied the primer thinly and evenly over the entire surface, allow it to dry for at least seven days as that is how long it takes for the primer to completely cure and harden.
During the waiting period, you want to keep the area free from dust by closing any windows in the room. This also helps to prevent bumps from forming on the surface of the laminate.
Once the primer has cured completely and is no more sticky to the touch, it is time to start painting; you want to choose a suitable paint for the surface area you want to paint.
If the area you intend to paint will be exposed to lots of moisture, you will need to choose a water-proof paint, but if the surface will be subjected to lots of wear and tear, then a heavy-duty paint is the best option. If you are painting a piece of furniture you can go for acrylic paint.
After choosing the paint of your choice, open the paint can and use a wooden paddle to stir the paint thoroughly in a circular motion; mix the paint until the color becomes even and all the liquids are combined.
If after fifteen minutes of stirring and the paint is yet to become combined, you will need to take the paint back to the store you purchased it from and ask them to shake the paint for you.
Using a paintbrush
If you are making use of a paintbrush, you want to make sure it is suitable for the size of the area you are painting.
Place the bottom ⅓ of the bristles into the paint can and press them against the sides of the can. This will help to evenly cost the bristles of the brush with paint. Then Gently tap the brush handle against the rim of the can to remove any excess paint.
Then apply the paint using back and forth strokes to areas that will be hard to reach using a roller, such as corners and ridges; you want to make sure you apply thin and even coats.
Using a roller
Mix the paint as described earlier, and pour it into a paint tray, do this carefully to avoid spilling the paint.
Place the roller flat into the paint tray and, using a back and forth motion, roll it in the tray until the roller is evenly covered in paint. Then gently Tap the handle on the side of the tray to remove any excess dripping paint from the roller.
Begin painting at the top of the area and work your way down; this will prevent any drips that can cause bumps in your paintwork. Maintaining a consistent pressure, continue using the up and down strokes to cover the entire surface with a thin coat of paint.
Allow the first coat to dry for at least 24 hours, and once it is completely dried, you can go ahead and apply a couple more coats, making sure each coat as enough time to dry before applying another. Once you have achieved your desired coverage, allow the surface to dry for one week in order for it to cure completely.
Related: How to repair swollen laminate flooring
Finally, apply a sealant; while this is optional, It will make your floor paint last longer as well as protect the floor surface from cracking and other wear and tears.
Once every application has dried and cured completely, you can bring in your furniture and fitting back into the room and enjoy your newly painted floor.
Conclusion
If you have a worn-out laminate floor and you are asking the question “can you paint laminate floors?” well, this article is here to the rescue. Go on a paint your laminate floor, yes you can.
You can totally revamp and get your laminate floor looking brand new with some easy and quite inexpensive procedures.
