Step-by-Step Guide to Floor Preparation for Painting

Are you sick and tired of the colour of your wooden floor? Maybe you want to change things up a bit or a lot? Maybe you want to achieve a new and exciting shade and give your old wooden floor a total makeover. What about making the natural colour of your old, tired, and dull floor more intense and richer? Well, wood floor staining is a great option that can help you transform the look of your floor. You can DIY a wood floor staining project or ask for professional help and assistance. No matter what you finally settle on, one thing is for sure. If you want to achieve perfect results, you should focus on the best possible preparation of your wooden floor.

However, before you start a DIY wood floor painting project, remember that this is not necessarily an effortless job and it requires some knowledge we can provide you within this article. If you want your floor to look flawless and the stain to last for a long time, there is some good preparation involved in the process. 

Planning

A wood floor staining project is a project that requires some level of planning. One of the first things you want to deal with is moving all the furniture and other objects outside the room where wood floor staining is planned. Don't forget about all of the valuable items that may accidentally get knocked off or damaged in any other way during the process, you don't want to take the risk.

Next, plan the part where you don't want to sleep in the house until all the fumes dissipate. Wood floor staining products tend to have a very strong odour. Choose a season that ensures dry weather as humidity will not all the stain to dry as quickly and will keep it tacky for longer. It will take quite some time for your floors to get completely dry and for the smell to completely go away. However, after a few hours, it should be ok to move back into the room and use the floor.

How to Stain Your Wooden Floor

Now, once you have prepared the floor and you have chosen the wood floor stain you are going to use, it is about time to roll up your sleeves and start the project. First off, make sure the floor has not been waxed before you start painting the floor. In case it has been, you need to strip off any wax. Next, here are the essential steps you should follow:

1. Start with a fine sandpaper grit to smooth out the finish of the floor. You can use a square pad sander as a tool as it is perfectly fine for the job and a DIY-er. Rough up the finish of the floor with the finest sandpaper. You don't need to completely sand off all the finish of the floor, just remove the gloss. 
2. Next, after the round with the sanding tool, you want to thoroughly clean the floor to remove all the dust created during the process along with dirt build-ups. You can first start by thoroughly vacuuming the floor and then mopping it. Remember, when cleaning real wood floors, the mop should be only slightly damp, not soaking wet. If the result is not satisfying, do that again, then allow the floor to dry out completely before you continue. 
3. Now, you can apply a wood floor primer of your choice. Specialists recommend using an oil-based wood floor primer at this point. Despite being prone to cracking, oil-based primers have amazing lasting power and make the stain stick for a long time. You can apply the wood floor primer with a brush, a roll, or a spray. Using a spray means you will have to apply the product onto the floor's surface a few times for really good coverage. Using a brush takes some time and effort, however, it helps you ensure the coverage is very thin and uniform.
4. Let the wood floor primer dry completely and then apply a polishing paste. Once the polishing paste is dry too, make sure to sand off the putty with the finest sandpaper grit.
5. By this point, the surface of the floor should be very smooth and even, with all the small scratches and gaps filled in. All the surface imperfections are gone. However, to lock down the primer and make sure it will last for a long time, you want to apply one last layer of primer. Now you can choose a latex-based wood floor primer that is flexible enough to be significantly less prone to cracking. 
6. Once the last layer of primer is completely dry, you can continue working with the wood floor paint. Again, you can use a brush or a roller, it is up to your preference. A brush will allow you to do a very precise job, however, it will take quite some time and energy. Start by cutting in the edges of the floor with a brush, then use a brush or a roller to apply the product and work your way in the direction of the room's door. Allow the paint to dry completely before you are back in the room.
7. Smooth out the floor once again with the finest sandpaper grit. This will help you achieve a smooth surface, and a flawless appearance and remove any potential mistakes you may have made with the brush the previous day.
8. Apply a thin second coat of the wood floor stain in the same manner. This will help you finish the job off, and achieve a perfect result and a very intense, rich, and beautiful colour. It may take several weeks until the paint is fully cured, however, in a couple of days it should be ok to walk over the floor gently. 

The Best Wood Floor Primers

The application of a wood floor primer is very important and a huge part of the wood floor preparation process before you continue with staining. Therefore, we would like to share with you some of the best and highest quality wood floor primers that are currently available on the market:

Blanchon S.O. Primer

This is a one-component, quick-drying wood floor primer that is super easy to work with and apply. The primer is suitable for usage on the bare wood of wood floors that have been previously finished with solvent-based products. The primer is super fast-drying, it dries perfectly in less than an hour and also has a very low odour. Blanchon S.O. Primer is suitable for use with all sorts of wood floor finishes. 

Bona Prime Intense

This is a waterborne wood floor primer that is suitable for use on all types of wood species and real wood floors. Bona Prime Intense is designed to help with medium to rich wood floor colouration. The product's innovative formula reduces the risk of uneven coverage and helps you achieve flawless results and a smooth and sleek surface on the floor. 

Junckers SB Primer

The wood floor primer by Junckers is suitable for sanded and untreated real wood floors in combination with solvent-based and water-based wood floor lacquers. Junckers SB Primer is very quick-drying and super easy to use, ensuring an even and uniform coverage. The product should only be used as the sealing coat for the wood fibres.