Actually Eva, if you are willing to give them a few clear coats every two to three years they last for a lifetime. We have 30 year old floors that still look great. Also, if you want a farm house look and plan well the wear will enhance the look of the painted floor.

Although my Grandma's Farmhouse had some painted floors (Greys to Light Blues or Light Greens) in certain areas of the house, and they held up well with character, I like natural and or stained and varnished wood floors better. On an old existing wood floor (preferably Walnut #1, followed by Oak #2, other hardwoods #3, then finally the pines/spruce and other softwoods) no matter how unevenly worn and abused, can be brought back to original glory, or better with new found character, in most instances. It just takes the desired amount of labor, materials and finishes. I recommend starting with a thorough 36 grit sanding (machine or hand), then down to a 150 or 100 grit sanding to remove the prior 36 grit markings that removed all the unwanted blemishes. Then a number of applicable coats of stain to provide the desired richness/darkness. Dry/Cure. Then the first coat of varnish. Cure. A 240 grit sanding. Second coat of varnish. Cure. Then a 320 grit sanding. Final coat of varnish. Gloss or Satin finish, your preference.

That is doing it right, Kent. Seems no one has the budget or patience to do things with the cure time and number of coats (or sanding steps, in this case) necessary for a quality finish.

I like them since it can add depth and style. #BeSeenBeSafe

Would I ever like it as well as a well-finished wood floor? No. But in reality, we don't always have the resources or time to do everything perfectly all at once. It would be way better to paint an unattractive floor that can't be changed for a while than suffer with an ugly one until the funds and circumstances align for a better solution.

Exactly, meli08. My sewing room floor can't be rescued. It's gouged, scratched, and dried out to the point that spaces up to ¼" show between the planks. Someone painted it gray (UGH!) in an effort to make it look better. I'm going to paint it white for now. It's too uneven to even cover it with anything like laminate. I don't want a carpet in there; it's too hard keep clean with threads and scraps and such, and I need to be able to roll my task chair from sewing machine to ironing board to cutting table.

I bought a 100 year old bungalow with painted floors under gross carpet. Was worried the floors could not be saved. Was I wrong! The floor guy explained that painted wood is protected from pets and small water issues. Boy was he right - I have the most lovely 100 year old hardwoods!! Paint sands off easy...

i love painted wood floors.. not busy/dark pattern, my husband is only a wood Man.with only natural wood stains..im kinda getting him talked into colored stains.

Believe me mntflwr, naturally stained husbands look much nicer and also stand up far better to wear, especially in high traffic areas.
I once stained mine purple and he looked frightful, so i had him stripped back and just varnished.

Beautiful but impractical. Dirt marks tend to stick around longer, and are resistant to standard cleaning techniques. I have painted Southern pine floors in my master bed and bath, and they're lovely, but I should have had them refinished and restored before I moved in.

I give painted floors two coats of non-yellowing polyurethane and they are easy to clean! Any dirt or shoe scuffs can be removed easily with those white (micro-abrasion?) Mr. Clean pads. Am planning to take up my dining room area rug and paint a patterned "faux" rug instead. Easier to care for than the rug. Will put felt pads on bottoms of chair legs to prevent scratches.

What a lively post this turned out to be! Now I am going to throw one in there to rile some feathers ( won't mention any names!) ...
Had the most fun and the best result on my re-purposed garage floors that were not smoothe like my acid washed stained floors of 14 years in my home....gasp!....spray paint from a can!....started with gold metallic which soon becomes a lively taupe with age and garage traffic...the concrete texture makes it interesting...and the spray paint literally sticks like glue which I believe is probably a big part of its make up...
In the laundry room I did an overlay using ferns from my yard as templates and an overspray of green...like a scattering of leaves randomly...it is a work in progress...and wears like iron ...

I think that painted floors can sometimes look cheap. Although if you seal them right and get creative like the one in the photo they can be pretty awesome!

They look cheap when used inappropriately, such as in most formal homes (depends on the design and execution), but charming and appropriate in a casual or rustic light-hearted setting where the home owner enjoys a touch of whimsey. Perfect use may have more to do with the homeowner's personaltiy than the home itself!

Very lovely idea. I would like to try this in my daughter's room. She will be surely liking this.

Thanks, Jann888, I think a better sealing is a great idea. And a coat of non-yellowing polyurethane is a fairly reasonable project within my power to do. Here's photos of the floors at issue. They are charming and the rooms are, too.

Perfect proof of my theory! Love the painted floors and your charming, happy home, Lee Ann!

ritasj, do u have pictures or ur art work, i mean laundry and garage floor? Lee Ann ur house is pretty what does rest of bathroom look like, other side of kitchen, and living room? have u done the entry as well?

Lee Ann, Lovely real-person's home. Absolutely charming without all the expensive granite, marble, stainless steel appliances, etc. Good taste and a decorator's eye. Congratulations.

Mntflwr, the home is a 1910 house, fully restored and then added to by the previous owners. The bath is consistent, although I'm waiting to replace overly large pedestal sinks with a French country-style double vanity in antique white with a Carrera marble top (I got a great deal on it). Just need to select faucets and find the time to finish it. I'm still moving in, so to speak. Only the master bath and bedroom floors are painted. The rest of the home has original or reclaimed Southern Pine floors. Photos below are shots from family room, kitchen, and house front. Living room us more formal, but chairs are out for upholstery, and boxes of things are in the foyer ... including a new kitchen sink. I'm renovating the kitchen cabinets and appliances without sacrificing the footprint or overall feel. The legged cabinet will become the base for an island, and I'm putting in soapstone countertops.

And, thanks everyone for the complements. I'm really loving this home and enjoying putting my touch on things while honoring the period and the hard work that the previous owners invested. The first photo is part of the family room as it now looks, the last two are the foyer and family room when occupied by the previous owners. She had impeccable taste, a bit more Victorian than mine. I'm a little more eclectic although I'm using more antiques or reproduction pieces than in other homes, but I also introduce a little industrial into each room by use of iron, wire, or similar material.

No-do not like painted wood floors at all. Cabinetry and woodwork, fine.
Now stained (light/dark/colored) floors are another story---love 'em!

@bandcconstruction your attitude, appalling. I lived in Greenville and will be passing this info along to friends.

Please go to my page I need help on something's I need to do in kitchen and living room im new to this app pls help

Pls help low budget need help what color walls and brick wal land kitchen need some advice im new to this

is ur fire place a wood burning one? i think the brick is pretty but it looks like it needs scrubbing and if possible to change it out to a gas fire place and get rid of the brass front. the valances need to go..too dark and dated. if u can remove the carpet and do wood or even strip laminate flooring would be a huge improvement. dressing out the fire place with a mantel in white rather than that shelf that is too high up.

ur kitchen..i like white cabinets but uu need darker counters and a white sink. white hinges might make them disappear
plus declutter ur counters. the toaster the milk containers, everything u have in that corner should be under the counters. maybe the knives and the ceramic jug with ur utensils should be in that corner. plus coffee pot..unless u have a better space for it.
u could put silk leaf plants on top of ur cabinets in wicker baskets..

i know u are asking for wall color.. hard to see walls with ur spaces so busy

I actually buying this house this month all theses things in the picture isn't mine thinking on renovating once we move in

i actually thought of a color after i sent the last transmission...lol do u have a problem with Yellow.. it would go well with the red brick..if u choose to keep it..the brick that is.. sometmes yellow is so inviting..and warm.. ..but what plans have u? what speaks to u?
i used 1 color for my whole color scheme in my house. ...black. but i only use it in small amounts and not on the walls. but on crown molding and toe kicks under cabinets, a wood shelf in the dinning rm along with a black china hutch, black door knobs and hinges...i would Love the red brick fire place in my house.

I wash thinking in living room olive green with Decors. Like almost orange but darker orange and kitchen was actually thinking light yellow

Something like this

U have any pictures of ur place ?

paint is cheap, and it does look nice in the pictures...i have a hard time wrapping my head around Orange.. and i know it seems to be the "in" color..Orange looks good in the Garden..lol. my sis in law has orange and burgandy thru her house. u could call my color pallet beige.. i know sounds boring.. but im a Blue girl that loves blues mixed with sand shades and chocolate browns. and i use behr colors. almost every room has this shade of blue by Behr Contemplation 700E-3.

Yeah I know what u mean but the Orange Decors in this picture looks so nice I'll post the pics when we redo our living room

Tan for color walls?..

what u are sending to me look red..i have tan on my walls too.. actually 3 different shades of tan...yeah and all by Behr. Toasted Wheat 280E-3, Arabian Sands 280E-2 and Heirloom Lace 280E-1 i even painted the ceiling in our den the Wheat color..actually it is really nice.

you have an eye for color.. just do it!!!.. its cheap.. and u learn alot when painting ur walls.. lol

Tysm I love this set will order it can't wait to paint

I like painted but definitely I like stained better for myself.

We have painted some hardwood floors when refinishing them was not an option. Now that SICO has a floor paint that is toxins free I couldn't be happier with this solution.

If you have nice wood floors, show them. I personally do not care for carpet~~many people are drifting away from it, mainly because of allergies. Since I'm renting, I have no choice in my flooring...so I'm stuck with carpet. I have noticed that the trend is turning toward painted concrete floors. At first I thought it was crazy, but after seeing the finished product~~~I have to admit. I really, really like it. It's easily cleaned and looks great with some nice accent rugs........who dares to try it??? I definitely would if I still owned a home.

Painted floors give you endless options. Just make sure to put a good finish on top so as not to spoil all of your hard work.

My painted subfloor in the kitchen, living room, dining room, bedroom after I removed the hideous vinyl and laminate. Topcoated with 5 layers of polyurethane.

I followed this thread in preparation for painting my kitchen floors. Here is the finished product.

Nice. How many clear coats did you put on top? How long did you wait before introducing the bar stools? We generally suggest our clients wait as long as they can before introducing things like dogs and bar stools, 3 weeks minimum. Hard to do but modern paints take a long time to cure.

@zoe
I used 6 coats of Varathane, which purports to be the hardest floor finishing product. I had a drop cloth over it for four traffic at least two weeks since we were using our kitchen and probably gave it 30 days for the barstools, although Varathane said I only had to do 72hrs I believe. Thanks for the compliment.

I think as in all elements of design, they have a Place. so I VOTE YES and NO.

No thanks. They are fine for a garage or shed floor, but not interior rooms. They'd look okay in a barn with a concrete floor, too.

Where do you get the stencils for these patterns, and what is the best paint? I have a turn of the century Victorian home with the old original planks. They are already painted dark brown and have imperfections. I would like to fill in the holes and large cracks and repaint with a Moroccan pattern in dark grey and white. Where can I find such a pattern?

@sherribrody, You can cut your own stencils with a wood burning tool & acetate, tape your pattern to the back of a piece of glass and tape the acetate to the front. Just follow the pattern. Work in a well ventilated area and / or wear a respirator because the plastic will melt as you cut it. You can also get laser cut stencils at Stencils Online, or you could get single use sticky stencils, called Modellos, at Modello Designs.

As far as the pattern, both sources I have above have patterns available, or you can just find something you like in Google Images and make your own.

Good luck.

We have repeatedly painted our tiny, back bedroom floor. We use Porch Paint, it's durable and doesn't scratch or mar. We've had stencils, checkerboard and other patterns. Currently it's white with French blue walls.