Wooden floor - This is a traditional coating that will never become obsolete. Wood flooring has many valuable qualities that modern synthetic materials cannot boast of. This is environmental friendliness, durability and the ability to maintain a healthy indoor climate. Despite the fact that the wooden floor looks great in its original form, it needs a mandatory coating, which is necessary in the first place for protection. In addition, painting can refresh old floors and even change the interior of the room. Learn how to paint your wood floor to prolong its life and improve its appearance.
Protection comes first
When choosing materials for painting, the main criterion should be high protective qualities of the coating. If you apply the wrong material, then without proper protection, not only will the life of the floor be reduced, but its appearance will also suffer. When choosing a cover, you need to consider several important points:
- type of wood from which the floor is made;
- operating conditions, which primarily include indoor humidity and intensity of loads;
- in the presence of an old coating - compatibility of paint and varnish compositions;
- the possibility of applying the selected composition again.
Types of materials for painting the floor
Materials for painting the floor are usually divided into two types: transparent and opaque.
- Transparent varnishes, as well as oil and acrylic impregnations, are included. Such materials make it possible to emphasize the natural structure of the tree, and with the addition of special pigments, to make an inconspicuous wood pattern more distinct.
- Opaque include different types of paints and enamels. Paints provide good protection for the wood and allow you to renew the look of the old coating, forming a dense opaque layer.
Wood floor paints
Floor paints differ significantly from each other in their quality and price. The compositions have different saturation, drying speed, level of water resistance and vapor permeability.
Oil paints
Until recently, this type of composition was very popular due to the lack of worthy alternatives. Now oil paints are being replaced by modern compositions, but due to their merits, they are still used to paint the floor in an apartment.
Advantages of oil compositions:
- saturation and color depth;
- nice homogeneous structure;
- good resistance to temperature extremes;
- low cost.
Flaws:
- loss of the original appearance of the surface after a few years of service;
- tendency to cracking and loss of gloss;
- long drying time.
Alkyd paints
The alkyd composition creates a waterproof film on the surface of the wood, which protects the floor from moisture and decay. Suitable for lovers of glossy coatings, can be used in rooms with high humidity.
Advantages of alkyd enamels:
- fast drying;
- bright saturated colors;
- water-repellent properties;
- excellent protection of wood from moisture and temperature extremes;
- the presence of additives that prevent the formation of mold;
- low price.
Flaws:
- strong and persistent odor;
- flammable material;
- instability before exposure to aggressive chemicals.
It should be noted that some advantages of this material easily turn into disadvantages. For example, the drying speed negatively affects the depth of penetration of the paint, which makes the coating not durable enough. Water-repellent properties are combined with low vapor permeability, so alkyd paint is not the best choice for living rooms.You can paint the floors on the balcony, in the kitchen or in the bathroom with it.
Acrylic paints
The leader in the paint market are dispersion acrylic formulations. When choosing how to paint a wooden floor, most stop at this option. This is due to the almost complete absence of disadvantages and a number of advantages, including:
- high wear resistance;
- environmental friendliness;
- excellent vapor permeability;
- the widest color palette - over 2 thousand shades;
- long service life - at least 4 years;
- water resistance and frost resistance;
- resistance to fading;
- fire resistance;
- no unpleasant smell when painting.
Flaws:
- rather high cost.
Polyurethane paints
A modern material with excellent performance characteristics, but having limitations in use due to its toxicity.
Advantages of polyurethane paints:
- excellent wear resistance;
- long service life even with increased coating loads;
- fairly fast drying;
- excellent protective properties.
Flaws:
- toxicity;
- high price.
Due to the possible release of toxins, it is not recommended to use this material for painting the floor in the apartment. If you are still going to use it, choose not a universal composition, but one designed specifically for interior work, and use it to paint the floor in the corridor.
Impregnation for wooden floors
If you do not know how to paint a wooden floor to protect it from external influences, but at the same time preserve the structure of the wood, you can choose impregnation. Impregnations are of two types: acrylic and oil.
Acrylic impregnations are water-based and are able to penetrate deep into the wood, providing good protection. They can have different shades, they are applied, just like paint, with the help of brushes or roller.
Oil impregnations have a natural base - wood and linseed oil or modified resins. Strengthen the wooden coating, make it moisture resistant, give a beautiful silky sheen. As well as acrylic impregnations, they are used to tint the surface.
Lacquer coating
Lacquers preserve the natural beauty of wood and make the surface of the floor shiny and very attractive. Unfortunately, varnish can only provide partial protection, as it is not resistant to mechanical stress. A varnished wooden floor requires careful handling, it can only be walked on in soft shoes, protected from bumps, falls and the movement of heavy objects.
