One day I decided to paint my living room floor in our small Florida home, most people were taken back at the idea. Why on earth would I want to paint hardwood floors? Bare wood floors are so stylish and such a representation of 90's style that painting them over and covering them up seems blasphemous, hardly.


Our floors were despicable, new solid wide plank style floors, and they were in great need of refinishing. Seemed just trying to sand them was not going to do much good. They were abused by the previous owners of the home and it was heartbreaking seeing such a disaster! It was both sand and polyurethane (which would have been messy and cost at least $2,000) or paint them ourselves with polyurethane based oil paint (whopping cost of$200 for the paint). Hmm, considering the options, it is easy to figure out which way to go.



The idea to paint the floors came from an old seafood house which sat on the causeway about a stone's throw away from my home. Their wide planked hardwood floors were painted vibrant colors such as reds, greens and blues. They were amazing and had added so much character and life to the old shack. I fell in love with the interior the first time I saw it.

All the floors had been painted and repainted for years in the richest colors. The shack was warm and bright without the aid of carpets or rugs, and the idea seemed perfect for any kind of house, where all you want to do is walk barefoot for days at a time. What a wonderful way to anchor a room and add warmth. It seemed easy to maintain, and removed all hint of dreary to the floors. I was pleased with the results bar none.


Although this is a simple and budget friendly way to add warmth and boldness to your rooms, you have to make sure to follow some simple rules to ensure a successful project. Here are my experienced tips on how to do it right:

1. You'll want to vacuum and wipe down floor thoroughly to remove all dust and dirt
2. Use a polyurethane based porch and floor enamel. I prefer a water based due to clean up and odor. If you can find a water based, I highly suggest it!
3. After cutting the edges with a brush, roll on a thin coat with a roller to remove any lines.
4. You'll want to keep the temp around 70 to allow a quick,, even dry.
5. You'll want to roll at least two more thin layers and allow at least 24 hours between coats. Make sure to dry well between coasts and roll thin layers for the ultimate results.
6. Don't plan to stay in the house if you are going to do more than one room at a time and keep the windows cracked open while painting. I wouldn't paint on a rainy or a humid day because it will take forever for the paint to dry, especially evenly. Springtime is a wonderful time of year for this kind of project.

If you are going to dive into this kind of project, then you must have at least 2 weeks dedicated to it because you will need time to prepare the floors as well as painting.