Painting Your Floor with Chalk Paint. This is How it Works!

When you move into an older house, you are often faced with a wide variety of floor coverings, some of which are no longer attractive. If the budget doesn't allow for a complete renovation, simply repaint everything in your favourite colour. You can transform many floor coverings to match your style. Below, we explain what you need to look out for.

Table of contents

1 . Paint the floor: DIY ideas from our community
2 . Which floors can I paint at all?
3 . Which paint is suitable for floors?
4 . Instructions: 6 steps to the perfect result
5 . FAQ: Frequently asked questions about painting floors
6 . Video: Painting floors
7 . These are the products you need for your DIY project

Paint the floor: DIY ideas from our community

Why should you paint your floor? Because you can give your old floor a new shine with comparatively little effort . Not every old floor has to be torn out and replaced immediately, because with a coat of paint it can be prepared for the next few years and look great again . This is a good way to bridge the gap until you have to replace the entire floor . Take a look at how our customers have already beautified their floors with our floor paint and let yourself be inspired!

Which floors can I paint?

Depending on the material, many floors can be painted very well. Of course, there are a few things to bear in mind.

• Painting wooden floors such as parquet and floorboards is fairly straightforward. If you want to paint with a light colour shade, a primer with Stainblock is required, depending on the condition of the floor. You can see the exact procedure below in the instructions.
• Plastic flooring such as laminate, vinyl and PVC can usually also be painted well. However, PVC floors often release plasticisers. These can lead to the varnish not hardening properly. The only thing to do is to try it out: simply paint an inconspicuous area and see if the paint hardens well.
• Tile and stone floors, such as those found in laundry rooms, can also be painted very well. Terracotta tiles and other impregnated materials are an exception here. Unfortunately, paint does not adhere to the protective layer, which usually consists of wax. If the tiles have been treated with care products with an impregnating effect, this can also lead to problems with the adhesion of the paint.
  You can find the exact procedure on how best to paint your floor tiles in our DIY guide on painting tiles.

• Linoleum is a natural product made from linseed oil and fillers and is therefore a special case. It is often treated with a wax coating, on which water-based varnishes simply do not adhere. If you try to remove the wax coating by thorough cleaning or sanding, you may also dissolve the linoleum. Only trial and error will help. It worked very well for us with old, rather unkempt linoleum.
• Cork flooring can be varnished or natural. The procedure changes depending on how the cork is treated.
• It is also possible to paint an OSB floor. If it is already varnished, you can simply paint it.
• Concrete floors can be painted well. Depending on the substrate and wear and tear, you can paint it with a concrete primer beforehand so that the paint is sufficiently resilient and the floor does not absorb too much paint.
• If you have an unsightly basement floor that urgently needs new paint, you can also use our floor paints for this. Cement and tiles can also be painted over with our tile paint. You can also find the exact steps in the instructions.

Which paint is suitable as floor paint?

Since a floor is always subject to heavy loads, a 3-part paint structure consisting of primer, varnish and sealer is recommended . The following list shows which products you need for painting wooden floors, PVC floors, linoleum, etc .

Instructions: 6 steps to the perfect result

Step 1: Choose your varnish

Choose from our stable Eggshell Varnishes that are best suited for floors .Our colour cards can help you make the right choice. If you are unsure about the quantity, simply calculate the floor area to be painted and enter the square metres in our quantity calculator. You will find this with every colour shade.

Step 2: Prepare the floor

Sand off any flaking varnish if you already have a painted floor and the old varnish is coming off in places. All loose paint should be loosened and the transitions sanded smooth. If the floor is waxed or has another floor coating on it, you should sand the floor down completely.

Step 3: Clean thoroughly

The floor must be free of dust and grease. Thebest way to do this is with To Clean - MissPompadour Cleaner. A basic cleaner may also be necessary, especially if old floors are heavily soiled in recesses or corners. After cleaning, the cleaner should be rinsed off well with clear water. Then leave the floor to dry thoroughly.

Step 4: Prime the surfaces

Apply the primer to the floor, covering it well. Use MissPompadour To Bond & Block or, if necessary, a special primer. On tiled floors, the drying times of the primer may vary depending on the humidity and temperature. You do not need to prime joints with To Bond & Block.
We also recommend the paint rollerfor larger surfaces . This is the easiest way to achieve an even and controlled application of primer and paint.

Step 5: Varnish the floor

Now paint your prepared floor. On average, two coats of paint are enough to achieve an opaque result. Depending on the base and target colour, especially with white on dark wood, more may be necessary. Make sure to paint the coats rather thinly.
Give each coat approx. 4 - 6 hours to dry.

Step 6: Seal the result

Seal your painted floor after the last coat of paint. Give the last coat of paint 24 hours to dry before applying the topcoat. Then apply a thin layer of To Seal - MissPompadour Topcoatwith a short pile paint roller . The surfaces will become more stable every day.
After approx. 14 days, they will have achieved very good stability and can be walked on normally.
Pro tip: To make your floor varnish last longer, simply stick felt glides under the legs of chairs and tables in the dining room and living room, for example.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions about Painting Floors

1 . General questions about painting floors

2 . Questions about primer, varnish and sealer

3 . Processing questions

Video tutorial: Painting the floor

These are the products you need for your DIY project

With the materials in the following list, you are well equipped for your flooring project .

• Cleaning bucket, sponge and cloth: The floor must be free of dust and grease . Especially with older floor coverings, dirt may have accumulated in the corners or recesses, which must also be removed .
• Mask with masking tape: To mask skirting boards . It is best to remove the masking tape when the paint is not yet dry . This way you get a clean edge . Please also read the instructions in the FAQs .
• plastic drop cloth or newspaper: If there are areas you do not want to paint .
• Brush, paint roller with telescopic rod and paint tray: It is best to paint all corners and edges as well as depressions with the brush . Then paint the surface with the varnish roller on the telescopic pole .