PAINTING OLD FLOORBOARDS WHITE

When we moved into our new house there was green carpet in the hall, living-dining room and bedrooms.

 It wasn't to our taste and wasn't in the best of conditions so the first thing we did when we had the keys was to pull them up and see what was underneath. In the living-dining room and bedrooms we found floorboards - they were pretty beat up, some had layers of stain and paint and there were lots of holes and damaged boards (in the hallway we found a very damaged stone floor that we plan to cover with peel-and-stick lino tile).

Although one day we would love to lay dark wood floors throughout the house (maybe something like this), we knew that we needed a more budget friendly solution for the phase-one stage. I've always loved the clean and simple look of white painted floorboards so we decided to try it out. 

It took us a while to get it right though - so I wanted to share what we learned.  

We live in the UK where EU law limits VOC content in paint - VOC's are bad for the environment but very good at keeping paint white, so regular oil based gloss or semi-gloss paint purchased in the UK will yellow very quickly. We were really set on white-white floors so we knew we would have to use water based paints. This made the process more complex because water based paint is much more prone to allowing stains to bleed through and discolour the final finish. 

After sanding the floors with a sand glider (we hired ours here) we painted the living room and girl's room floors with some cheap stain-blocking paint, a layer of undercoat, a couple layers of matt white paint and a couple layers of water based floor varnish. But almost instantly stains started to come through and the floor wasn't looking as fresh and clean as we were hoping for. 

(this picture was taken in the girls room where the dresser had been since we painted the floor so we're sure that these stains were from colour seeping through the paint and not spills or scuffs)

We tried again in the girls room and this time (touch wood!) the floors are looking super white and stain-less.

Here's what we did

one

We used a sand glider for prepping our floor boards but depending on the size and condition of your floor you could use different sanding methods - for a floor that's in great condition or for just a small area I think a hand held orbital sander could work just fine, or for floorboards that are really worn you may want to try a heavy duty sander.

two

We used this frame sealant to fill the gaps between the floorboards - doing this lessens the drafts coming through the floor and helps to keep the room warmer - it also stops dust that is hiding in the gaps getting into the paint. We applied it just like caulk - putting a line over the gap and pushing it in with a wet finger (I cleaned up any excess with a soapy sponge). For really big gaps I first filled it in with either expanding foam or rolled up paper and put the frame sealant on top (both methods worked fine).

three

I applied this undercoat which I use for everything - I only used one coat but if you are covering really dark floors you may need to apply two. I used a mini foam roller and a 2" paint brush. 

four 

This step was really important for us - I had tried lots of cheaper stain blocking paints but non of them had worked. Zinsser B-I-N is a little pricey but in my experience it's really worth it - FYI for this paint you'll need methylated spirit to clean your brushes - I used a mini foam roller and a 2" paint brush here too.

five

I think you could use any kind of white water based paint for this step (the kind designed for walls - I used this one because I had some on hand) - I only did one coat but you may need more - it's good to get the floor as white as you want it at this stage and not rely on the floor paint to add more coverage. I used a mini flocked roller and a 2" paint brush.

six

I used this floor paint because it had great reviews for its durability, and so far it is holding up really well - but I would say it's more of a tinted varnish than a paint because it is not very opaque so it doesn't provided much coverage (I wouldn't recommend the Diamond Hard Floor Varnish for painting white floors - it's what we tried first time round and it yellowed slightly).

I'm really happy with how the floors are turning out now that we have figured out a method that works for us - and although we still plan on dark floors further down the line it's a great low cost option in the meantime. Everything that people say about white floors has been true for us too - you have to sweep and clean them often because you can see every bit of dust and dirt. I don't mind that though, it keeps me motivated to clean the floors (it's one of those chores that I don't enjoy and would put off for ever if I could!) - I quickly sweep everyday and mop the floors once a week and that keeps them looking clean enough for me - and so much cleaner than those before pictures right?!