I was told to purchase polyurethane oil paint to use on my wood floors inside. They had already been painted with latex paint before. The paint is not sticking well and is scratching easily even though I did light sand before painting. Can I just use a tinted primer and then paint with latex paint or do I need to sand off all the oil paint and start all over? This is terrible, I have already been through 2 gallons of paint and the floors are still not finished plus one room is done and furniture is back in place with area rug down under a king size bed!
By Tammy from Georgetown, IN
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I have painted quite a few wood floors, with good results. It is an old-fashioned look that works well on pine or oak floors. I've always used latex paint. Whenever it looks too chipped i put more paint on. I keep a gallon of white latex Floor Paint in the basement. I always thought you could put oil over anything. Maybe there was wax on the floor? As for the floor with the rug and bed, just fix the edges. As long as the "paint police" don't come, you are the only one who counts. I think you might have to sand again. Or you could try TSP, if it's still available. It cuts gloss from paint. Good luck.
If Oil based paints were already on the floor then latex paints should not be applied over as it will flake/chip off. You can use oil based paints over oil based previously painted floors w/o a big issue. Drying time is longer and the paint fumes is stronger.
Tammy; you cannot paint an oil-based paint on top of Latex. You can, however, paint Latex over oil. That is why you are having trouble with your paint peeling. Call your local Home Depot, or Lowes paint department. They will tell you exactly the same thing I did. My neighbor had to paint his windows 4 times until he figured this out. It kept peeling, and not sticking.
You cannot use latex over oil. So, if there is oil paint on the floor, you must remove it somehow before you paint with the latex again. I am not a big expert on floor paint, but with artist paints, it sometimes takes some time for the paint to harden up, both acrylic and oil. It dries, but it will cure to a more durable surface over some time. Perhaps that is also the situation with your floor paint. There is likely a toll free number on your paint can. Why don't you phone the company and ask what could have gone wrong.
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Any tips on painting wood floors?
By Elizabeth B.
If you'll go to the DIY network, they have several different articles on how to paint and finish wood flooring. I heard that using Thompsons outdoor paint works well and to put a finish on it that will make it shine. But still, check on DIY's website. They have great ideas and most of them are easy to do.
Hope this helps.
Just saw this online and it has some cool photos, too. I wouldn't have thought about painting floors, but it looks great. Just take your time.
www.oldhouseweb.com/
