Maintenance and upkeep of the wooden floor can be a pain in the ass.
You have to polish them, scrub them, and oftentimes paint them. With time this situation becomes easy and you start appreciating the qualities which make the perfect paint for wooden floors. You understand the basics of floor painting and can pick the most amazing paint colors and brands.
But if you are a beginner, you have to learn a lot. Let’s start with this ultimate guide on wooden floor paints.
Things to consider before buying:
Which Color Floors are in Style for 2023?
Versatility is the key to the floor paints for wood in 2023. You can choose between dark colors, lighter hues, or high variations within your textures. Smoothness is not your best pal this year. Expect rougher textures, hand-scraped floorings, and distressed looks on wooden floors. The glossy finish is also a thing of the past. Couple it with roughness in texture and you know what will suit your interiors and exteriors. Other than floor paint for wooden floors, we are also experiencing a shift in mindset around material that can be used in flooring. All in all, versatility is the defining word in the 2023 wooden flooring world.
Kind of Paint to Use on floors: Two different enamels work amazingly for wooden floors – oil-based and water-based. The first gives easier application is more durable. These paints resist wear and tear that happens because of foot traffic. They are slower in drying and have a glossier finish which is not a viable trend in the current year. Yet, they are more durable and weather-resistant. Water-based enamels, or latex, are great when you lack much time before resuming traffic on the floor area. They also offer better colors and textures. One key advantage that comes with them is their environment-friendliness and ease of cleaning. Yet, their shorter lifespan makes them a key factor that counters their qualities.
Now Let’s dive right in
Best Floor Paint for Wood 2023:
Here are our picks for the top floor paint for wood.
[Editor’s Choice]
Why We Love It
- 350 to 450 feet coverage per gallon
- Withstands spills and scrubbing
- Best for exterior as well as interior painting.
- It’s Resistant to Water
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅ Durable enough to stand weather changes | ❌ Takes 24 hours to dry |
| ✅ 7 colors available | |
| ✅ Can work on a damaged wooden floor | |
Available in seven different colors, INSL-X is perfect for floors of all types and materials. In addition to wooden floors, you can use it on concrete and masonry.
In exteriors, this floor paint works well in all low- to medium-traffic areas including the porch and patio. In interiors, it’s good for stairs, walkways, living areas, and the basement. Different colors make this paint even more appealing to potential customers. The primary reason this paint makes the paint is its weather resistance abilities. This acrylic wooden floor paint responds to weather conditions more appropriately thus enhancing durability. You should expect minimal cracks in the paint even after months and years.
You can also rely on it to offer resilience against spillage of oils, grease, soaps, and similar household chemicals. One prominent quality is its defiance against scrubbing. Water-resistance is another quality of this outdoor as well as indoor floor paint. Other than rains, the acrylic hardwood paint also resists sun to a greater extent than its latex competitors.
The paint takes up to 24 hours to dry. And you need to do two coats to get the best results.
You can also get INSL-X CTS33089A-01 at benjaminmoore.com
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Why We Love It
- Easy to clean
- 1 gallon of KILZ enamel will cover 200 to 300 square feet
- It Dries very easily, usually in a few days
- It’s a water-based paint
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅ Covers 200 to 400 square feet per gallon | ❌ A bit transparent |
| ✅ Budget-friendly | |
| ✅ Weather-resistant | |
KILZ Interior/ Exterior enamel is the best paint for floors whether they are made of concrete or wood. In the exteriors, you can use it to paint the deck, patio, and porch. Indoors, you can use it on virtually every floor from bedrooms to living room to kitchen and bathrooms.
It resists scuffing, weather, and cracking. Plus, its mildew-resistant coat also protects your floor. You can wash it with soap and water and it will gleam like it’s brand new.
One of the many qualities of this paint is its smoothness and quick drying. It dries in four to six hours. This factor doesn’t prevent you from hiding brush strokes minutes after applying them.
Please note that 1 gallon of KILZ enamel will cover 200 to 300 square feet of any rough wood or concrete surface. It can help you with covering up to 400 square feet if the surface is smooth.
This acrylic latex is perfect for primed and painted surfaces and to work on bare or stripped surfaces, you would need a primer for the floor. This water-based paint will make your paint if you need a constant texture and color on your interiors for years to come.
You can also get Killz Exterior & Interior porch paint at walmart.com
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Don’t forget to check our picks for the best wood lathe chuck.
Why We Love It
- 1 quart to paint up to 100 square feet of floor
- Easy to clean
- Lasts for years
- It dries very fast
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅ Beautiful finish | ❌ Can have a strong odor |
| ✅ Dries fast | |
You can be sure that the paint will remain fresh for years to come. Couple this durability with the fact that this enamel is easy to clean and maintain and you get the interior floor paint.
Here are other factors that make this paint a likable option. The paint is 100% acrylic latex which means long-lasting color and texture. Its mildew resistance and waterproof nature make it suitable for a more humid environment. Kitchens and bathrooms are the places that get maximum help from this feature. You can rely on its toughness for resisting day-to-day cleaning, sweeping, and mopping that goes into keeping the floor tidy.
You can use 1 quart to paint up to 100 square feet of floor. But that figure is applicable for smooth and non-porous surfaces only and declines substantially when you paint on rough wood. The paint is also easy to use. It dries swiftly allowing you to apply the second coat an hour after the first one. Within a day after painting, you can use the satin-finished floor for usual foot traffic.
You can also get Valspar 27-1500 at lowes.com
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Why We Love It
- 28 beautiful colors
- Dry time is only 8 hours
- Offers 28 different colors of this strain
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅ Doesn’t require priming | ❌ Enhances wood grain |
| ✅ Enhances wood grain | |
Minwax is one of the most reliable names in the wood paints manufacturing industry. This wood stain makes one of the many much-loved products from the company. As it is a penetrating stain, it can be used as the only coat to keep the natural texture of the wood. It will not only preserve the grain but also enhance its shades to add drama. You can skip the priming step if you want to show originality.
As well as skipping the priming step, this floor paint for wood floors also prevents the users from spending extra arm grease as it requires only one coat to give a finished look. Yet, it is recommended to apply a second coat to ensure longevity. The ease of application further comes from its dry time which is only 8 hours. Imagine using the floor as usual only a few hours after painting them.
This oil-based stain is the paint for hardwood floors as well as the most amazing finish for furniture, doors, and cabinets. You can choose from 28 different colors of this strain depending on the wood you are painting.
You can also get Minwax 70002444lowes.com
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Also check our list for the best midi wood lathes.
Why We Love It
- 1 gallon of this stain covers up to 180 square feet
- Extremely durable
- Great for paint for patio, deck, and porch
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅ Easy to maintain | ❌ You can’t re-touch the strokes after a few minutes of applying |
| ✅ Protection of Zinc Nano-Particle Technology | |
| ✅ Available in seven colors | |
This product is from the brand DEFY which is a wood stain manufacturer that has gathered customers’ trust because of years of quality and service. This product is no different. One gallon of this stain covers up to 180 square feet of hardwood floor. It gives a semi-transparent hue to the chosen color. This transparency helps the stain in enhancing the wood grain without compromising on its endurance. Among colors, you can choose from seven available options depending on the wood you are finishing.
This oil-based stain is extremely water and weather-resistant. Its sun resistance is enhanced by the inclusion of zinc nano-particles which reflect the harmful UV rays and prevent them from reaching the underlying surface. Although you can use it as an indoor wood floor paint, its durability and defiance make it great for paint for patio, deck, and porch.
Users should keep one thing in mind while applying this stain on their floors – it dries quickly. You have to use large rollers to get smoothness or else you might end up correcting brush marks to no avail.
You can also get Defy Extreme Wood Stain at walmart.com
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Why We Love It
- It’s an Anti-slip paint
- Fills Cracks very easily
- It’s very resistant to water, weather, and cracks
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅ Available in seven colors | ❌ Painting can be difficult because of grit |
| ✅ Best for high-traffic areas | |
| ✅ Best of recreational areas | |
If you want a perfect anti-slip solution for your walkways or recreational areas, INSL-X Sure Step Paint makes great paint for indoor as well as outdoor use. You get up to seven colors to choose from. The light colors, however, can be too sensitive to dust and dirt especially in outdoor areas.
The paint is resistant to water, weather, and cracks. Its acrylic nature makes it more defiant towards harsh weather conditions as it can respond to them with adequate expansion. And you can enjoy the beautiful color even months after painting. The paint is easy to apply after priming and two coats will be enough to get the right finish. It dries fast. The coat dries to touch within a few hours but the company recommends avoiding walking on it for a whole day.
Because the paint dries quickly, the users are advised to use broader rollers to prevent roughness and to prevent grit from getting stuck in the brushes.
You can also get INSL-X SU031009A-01 at ebay.com
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You’ll love our take on the Best Epoxy for Tiles
Why We Love It
- Can be used over polyurethane surfaces
- A vast variety of colors (14)
- Perfect for DIY projects and crafts.
- It offers a satin and gloss finish.
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅ Multipurpose | ❌ Cost ineffective |
| ✅ Easy to apply | |
| ✅ Enhances the grain | |
You can use this product on all indoor wood surfaces. It is good for hardwood floors, cabinets, DIY projects and crafts, and furniture. The quality of this stain is its ability to hide the previous polyurethane coat to give a new color to the wood. You can paint the previously stained wood by preparing it with light sanding and removing debris. After that, the wood is ready to take a new stain. The only catch is the color of the previous stain. If it was light, you can use PolyShades to change it. However, this stain will not be too effective on previous darker shades of stains.
If you are using it on bare wood, it will give a nice shiny finish while also beautifying the wood grain beneath it. You can choose between satin and gloss finish for this stain.
One major quality of this stain is its ease. And I am not talking about the ease of its application only. You reap the benefits of comfort months and years after applying it in the form of trouble-free cleaning. It’s a complete solution from staining to finish in one or two coats.
You can also get Minwax 61370444 at mclendons.com
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Why We Love It
- Available in ten natural colors
- No priming required
- Easy to apply
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅ Comes ready to apply | ❌ Takes up to two days to dry up |
| ✅ 2-in-1 properties | ❌ |
This 2-in-1 stain serves both as a stain and a sealer. It means that it not only enhances the look of your wood but also protects it from damage and wear and tear. Another ease that comes with Ready Seal 125 is that it doesn’t require priming.
It is ready to use. However, if you want to create a different hue, you have to mix different colors before use to get color consistency.
One of the prominent qualities of this stain cum sealer is that it is easy to apply. Suitable for beginner to pro painters, this stain can be handled by anyone to give a professional finish because of its Goof Proof application. You don’t get your hands stained because of the absence of linseed oil in this sealer.
Its durability makes it the best floor paint for wood. This durability comes from its ability to block UV rays and resist water and mildew. The increased endurance that comes from this seal makes it a great exterior floor paint for wood.
You can also get Ready Seal 125 1-Gallon at lowes.com
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Why We Love It
- Available in a vast variety of colors
- Multi-purpose use
- The Paint is completely Odor-free
- The Paint is available in 26 different colors
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅ Minimizes surface imperfection | ❌ Needs quick re-touching because of fast-drying abilities |
| ✅ Fast dry | |
This product comes from Rust-Oleum which is a name of quality. It restores and paints various surfaces including wood, ceramic, plaster, metal, and masonry. You can rely on its endurance for indoor as well as outdoor projects. The paint is available in 26 different colors giving customers a vast variety to choose from.
One of the primary features of this latex paint is the ease of application it offers. Another feature is the ease of cleaning and maintaining it. Because of its water-based nature, you can clean it using regular soap and water. The latex base also translates into a guarantee of color as these paints do not get darker with time.
Because of the lack of odor that comes with this paint, it is the best floor paint for wooden floors in the interiors. But you have to be careful in applying the coat because it dries fast. Use larger rollers if you are working on larger areas so you get a smooth finish.
You can also get Rust-Oleum 1976730 at walmart.com
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Why We Love It
- Extremely thick for what it offers
- One coat solution
- 1-day deck restoration solution
- It’s able to cover 85 square feet of a deck
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅ Restores wretched deck | ❌ Difficult application |
| ✅ Water and weather resistant | |
| ✅ Choose from 60 colors | |
If you are looking for a professional finish for your deck, you have come to the right product. Rust-Oleum is the name of quality and durability in the industry of paint. Rust-Oleum 319668 is no exception. Every gallon of this paint covers up to 85 square feet of a deck. It’s a little costlier given that the coverage per gallon is low but the extra cost is worth it.
Its thickness guarantees the ultimate painting solution for outdoor wooden floors. Add the weather and water resistance it shows and you get your dream paint. It makes the best paint for hardwood floors restoration because of its supreme adhesion. It repairs minor imperfections and other hairline cracks that are bothering you on your exterior wooden floor. This paint also eliminates the need for sanding and stripping the wood to prepare it for painting. You only have to clean the surface before painting. However, the coat is thick and dries quickly. So, you need to use a large roller to get a smooth finish.
The availability of 60 colors increases the appeal of this paint and makes it suitable for every household and every deck.
You can also get Rust-Oleum 319668 at homedepot.com
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Best Paint for Wooden Floors – Buying Guide
Buying the paint for wooden floors requires you to ask a few questions. Before deciding on the paint, you need to know if you really want to paint or would staining be enough for your floors. Also, your choice may differ if you had to paint interior floors versus exterior ones. Trends also make a significant part of your buying decision. More precisely, the paint in any home is one that matches the interior as well exterior decoration theme.
So, let’s start with knowing the most popular colors that also stand the test of time.
Video Guide:
How Long Do Painted Floors Last?
One question which might be bothering you regarding your upcoming wood painting project is the sustainability of these paints. Take note that even the paint for the wooden floor would only last for a few years given regular maintenance. You can expect latex enamels to endure for a couple of hours. But oil-based enamels tend to sustain for a longer duration.
Stains are more durable than paints. But they may not work on every floor. You have to balance the pros and cons of getting trendy and theme-based paint for the floor against durability. Once you have selected the floor paint, your next step is to apply it on the floor with the right technique. One key question is what the right method of applying these paints is.
Can you paint wood floors without sanding?
You need to know all the steps you would require to get your floors painted. These include all the preparation steps as well as sealing. If you are painting a bare and stripped floor, the process is easy. All you have to do is to prepare the wood, sand it, and condition and prime it to ready it to take the paint. But if you want to paint a previously varnished surface, you may wonder if you need to sand it before painting. The answer is yes. You can paint this wood without sanding but you will have to prime it to get it ready for the process.
How do you protect painted wood floors?
Once you have painted your interiors, your next concern is about preserving the beauty you have just acquired. Fortunately, there is a simple step to do just that and that step is sealing the painted floor. The best finish comes from water-based polyurethane. It will protect the paint and wood from scuffing and deter wear.
References:
WOOD AND ITS PRESERVATION BY MEANS OF PAINT AND VARNISH
Painted wood. What makes the paint crack?
Doug is a master woodworker with over 15 years of experience in the craft. Doug's passion for woodworking began at a young age, watching his father build furniture and learning from him the skills and techniques that have made him the expert he is today.
Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned woodworker, Doug's blog is a must-read for anyone looking to improve their skills and knowledge in the craft.
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