Some of the most common questions I get about my home are about painted floorboards. Lots of people ask whether it was hard to do, if they’re durable and whether painting them white makes them hard to clean.
I can honestly say that I found painting floorboards to be simple, cost effective and easier to clean than carpet. We now have floorboards, throughout the majority of our house. I hope to soon be completely carpet free, having realised that I cannot stand the stuff!
In terms of getting the job done, it’s up to you how much prep work you put in. We have painted floors both with and without hiring a professional sander. Although you can see differences in the finish, I’m happy with both.
The floorboards in the photo above were sanded with a hired professional sander. The difference between this and rooms where I rough sanded with a hand sander, is that the tops of the boards are flatter and have sharper corners. Though floorboards above look marginally better (compared to below), I haven’t noticed any dramatic difference in terms of durability.
If you decide to hire a sander to prep your floorboards, then you can easily do this over a day or two, for less than £100. Otherwise, a hand sander and a few sheets of sandpaper, in my opinion, is perfectly adequate.
I have experienced no problems with painted floorboards in terms of durability. Elodie’s floorboards (above) were first painted around her second birthday and again last year. So, 2 years between fresh coats. They would have lasted another year, but I redecorated the room, so it made sense to redo the floors at the same time.
In terms of paint, specialist floor paints are available, but we have used both Dulux and Valspar standard satinwood paints, without any issue. Both paints have only very minor chipping, though the bedrooms aren’t high traffic and we do use large rugs.
That said, I now use Leyland satinwood paint mixed by the Decorating Centre Online, because the paint seems to be of a higher quality. I also really like their eggshell finish paint, but opt for satinwood on the floors, as it’s more durable and easier to clean. The Decorating Centre Online offers a colour matching service and the delivery is pretty swift.
So, in answer to those regularly asked questions, in my experience, painted floorboards absolutely are a good idea! They are durable, easy to clean and cheaper to makeover than carpet.
What are you waiting for? Rip those tired and dusty carpets out and give painted floorboards a try!
On the hunt for the perfect rug for your newly painted floor? Read my post on the best Jute rugs.
