Paint wood floors. Yikes! What? Why paint wood floors?
We moved into our home in April of 2021, and after much debate and waffling, I finally decided to paint our wood floors. Our floors were in decent shape, with some scratches, but overall, they were in good condition.
For reasons I can’t comprehend, the previous owner chose RED (stained) floors. Not reddish brown. It was a muted, muddy red.
Parts of the floor that were not covered with carpet were bleached out due to intense sun exposure. The bleached-out areas were ORANGE.
So the floors were a patchwork of red and orange. They had to go! But why paint?
These were why I chose to paint my wood floors, and they might apply to you, so let’s dive in.
1. You Hate The Stain Color
This was me, 1000%. I hay-hay-hated the color of my floors. The dog scratches and the general wear from the previous owner’s pets didn’t bother me.
It was the ugly red color that was impossible to get over. My floors weren’t just solid red; they had faded patches due to intense sun exposure. The faded areas were orange. I mean, it was just ugly.
Refinishing The Floors Is Not An Option
Our floors are engineered wood floors with that scraped look. It was not something I would’ve chosen, but I didn’t build this house. The floor’s top layer, which can be sanded for re-staining purposes, was too thin.
Combining that with the hand-scraped details and sanding the floors flat to remove the stain was not an option. A sander would’ve sanded through the top layer and created a disaster. No professional floor finisher would’ve touched this job. This would’ve been a DIY disaster.
Replacing the Floors is too Expensive
My husband wanted a lovely, sleek, and shiny white tile. I just wanted the red gone. So, we got an estimate of the cost for the tile floor. The material alone was going to be around $30,000.
That’s not a typo. That’s the actual estimate we got from The Tile Shop near us, just for the materials, $30,000. I know I said that already, but I must repeat it because I was floored. Pun intended.
But it gets tricky when you have an open floor plan + expensive taste, and it gets tricky. I would’ve been happy with neutral wood floors, but that would’ve been $15,000 + expense.
As you can see, our ugly wood floors were all connected, starting at the entryway.
It would’ve left my husband unhappy, so it was not an option. This brings me to my next point.
You Are Stuck In A Limbo Due To The Floors
Flooring is the foundation of every great design. You have to be committed to the floors before you can move on to making other expensive decisions like sofas, chairs, window treatments, etc. A bold color on the floors and/or walls dictates and limits all other design choices.
My husband and I agreed that the floors had to go, but we couldn’t replace them due to budget constraints. I was excited to start decorating my new house and ready to start buying furniture, rugs, etc. Painted floors gave us the temporary solution, as we desperately needed to get out of limbo and move on to the fun stuff.
Neutral Flooring Is The Perfect Backdrop For A Colorful Room
I chose Benjamin Moore’s White Dove for my floors. It’s a warm, creamy white that I adore. I recommend a neutral white for the floor paint color.
If you pay close attention to high-end rooms designed by renowned designers, you will notice that they almost always choose a neutral rug/carpet for flooring. They cover gorgeous wood floors with cream or taupe rugs. I know that sounds terrible, but that is how it is done.
Neutral flooring provides the blank canvas, a solid foundation, for designers to execute their colorful rooms and eclectic design schemes. My creamy white floors do the same job- they give me a blank canvas to spill all the crazy colors on. I love them for this reason alone.
Contrary Thoughts
Paint is a very specific finish choice for floors and has a limited appeal. They are not considered a classic. In a way, you are kicking the can of a real solution further down the road. Within about 3-5 years, you may have to choose permanent flooring. I have detailed in this blog post the downsides of painted floors.
Let’s Recap
Painting Wood Floors Can Be An Excellent Solution, if
- You can’t stand the color, stain, or condition of your floors.
- Refinishing the floors is not an available option.
- The replacement cost is outrageous, and you don’t have the budget.
- You are ready to start decorating your home and not willing to wait for a permanent solution.
- You want to create a colorful, eclectic room and need that neutral foundation.
- Keep in mind that painted floors are not for everyone.
- At some point, painted floors will have to go, in my opinion.
But for now, you can enjoy the light, bright, and airy painted floors. They will provide an excellent backdrop for colorful decor. You can use the money for other projects around the house. There are always MANY on the list, am I right?