Choosing paint for wooden floors

Wood has been used as flooring for a very long time, but still has not lost its popularity. This is because this material is environmentally friendly, warm, durable and beautiful. But, unlike artificial analogues, it requires special care. And paint for a wooden floor plays an important role in this.

Content:

• Finishing factors
• Material Quality Required
• Coating Classification
• Transparent
• Oil
• Acrylic based
• Alkyd
• Based on polyurethane
• Perchlorovinyl
• Rubber based
• Two-component options

Finishing factors

The variety of floor paints makes it possible to choose the option that will be suitable for use in each particular case. After all, much depends on such factors:

1. The specifics of the room. For the bathroom and kitchen, where humidity is often increased, it is better to choose paints with a good water-repellent property. If necessary paint wooden porch or the floor on the veranda located on the street, you need to take frost-resistant material.
2. Wood species. Softwoods include conifers, linden, poplar and aspen. They need a coating that will give them strength and prevent mechanical damage. But oak and pear belong to hardwood, which can be painted, tinted or processed with mastics. Beech and walnut have a very beautiful texture, color palette and natural shine. Therefore, they can be coated with transparent protective materials and wax mastics.
3. The condition of the coating. It is best to free the old boards from the traces of the previous coating, smooth out the bumps and sand them. But if previously the paint was applied evenly, has no cracks and damage, then you can cover it on top with an identical composition.

Material Quality Required

Paint for wood floors must meet the requirements that allow its use in the house without risk to health, and also reliably protect the treated surface. The selected material should:

• be wear-resistant to mechanical stress;
• withstand frequent wet cleaning using household chemicals;
• prevent decay, the development of pathogenic microorganisms and mold microflora;
• do not maintain combustion;
• do not change color under the influence of ultraviolet sunlight;
• withstand temperature extremes;
• possess antistatic properties;
• do not contain poisonous and toxic components, as well as substances that can provoke the appearance of allergic reactions.

If during the painting of the floor in the house the owners have no opportunity to leave before it dries completely, then care should be taken that the paint does not have a strong unpleasant odor and is quick-drying.

Coating Classification

Choosing how to paint a wooden floor, it is worth knowing that all materials are divided into two large categories:

1. Transparent varnishes to preserve the structure and color of wood. They give shine to surfaces and protect them from external factors.
2. Opaque paints and enamels that completely change the appearance of the tree, giving it different colors. These include oil, acrylic, alkyd, polyurethane, rubber and perchlorovinyl coatings. For processing wooden surfaces outdoors, rubber paint is best.

Transparent

This type of coating can only be selected when the wooden floor surface is perfectly leveled, sanded and has a beautiful natural shade.

The advantages of such materials are protective properties that prevent the penetration of moisture, the destruction and decay of wood, preserving its natural beauty. But there are also disadvantages that cannot be ignored: the varnish does not withstand horizontal displacements and mechanical stresses. Therefore, moving furniture, walking in shoes with hard soles and dropping objects to the floor in this case is prohibited. This is especially true when the house has small children and pets.

Oil

Until recently, they were widespread due to accessibility, low cost and a variety of color palettes. After application, even on old paint, the surface becomes smooth, shiny, able to withstand mechanical stress, moisture and high temperature. However, the disadvantages of such a coating include slow drying, a sharp unpleasant odor and the need for renewal every 3-4 years.

Acrylic based

Acrylic paints are made from acrylic resin and water with the addition of coloring pigment. It is used for internal and external works. Other benefits of this coating include:

• lack of smell;
• moisture resistance;
• resistance to the use of chemicals included in detergents;
• resistance to high and low temperatures;
• lack of burnout under the influence of UV rays;
• quick drying;
• durability.

The service life of an acrylic coating without changing the quality characteristics is about ten years.

One cannot fail to note the variety of colors represented by two thousand shades that allow you to choose the option that is ideal for creating a harmonious design in the interior of the house.

Alkyd

This quick-drying coating is deeply absorbed into the wood surface and prevents its abrasion, has a high coefficient of moisture resistance, and therefore reliably protects the floor from decay. The composition of the paint includes antifungal additives. The color palette is diverse and bright.

But there are disadvantages that reduce the possibility of its use. Alkyd paint has a rather unpleasant odor, supports the combustion process and loses its quality under the influence of aggressive components of detergents.

The use of alkyd coatings is advisable only in rooms with a significant level of humidity.

Based on polyurethane

Polyurethane enamel has the following advantages:

• wear resistance;
• excellent protection of the processed surface;
• durability;
• resistance to atmospheric factors;
• moderate smell when painting.

All these qualities of the polyurethane coating make it possible to use it where there is a high passability of people. But there are disadvantages that call into question its use in the house where people live. High toxicity of polyurethane paint can have a negative effect on human health. It should also be noted the high cost of the material, which limits the coverage of a space having a large area.

The problem is also the very use of polyurethane enamel, which must be applied only on a dry surface; preliminary removal of an old covering is necessary.

Two-component polyurethane-based paints have a very high strength and are able to withstand even prolonged exposure to sea salt water and chemicals.

Perchlorovinyl

This coating is best used for processing wooden floors on open verandas, in arbors, platforms.It resists weathering and is represented by a variety of bright colors. Low cost allows you to cover a fairly large floor space.

The disadvantage, like polyurethane paints, is toxicity. The negative qualities of this flooring also include rapid fading and cracking.

Rubber based

Rubber paints They have a number of advantages that can make them an ideal floor covering. Among them stand out:

• flexibility that prevents cracking;
• ability to withstand thermal factors;
• high wear resistance;
• lack of smell;
• high waterproofing properties.

Rubber paint creates a matte finish with anti-slip effect.

Two-component options

A two-component material is quite an expensive pleasure, but can be used even in very adverse conditions, as it has a high coefficient of wear resistance. Application two component paint requires the use of a special spray gun and thorough mixing. Non-compliance with the technology of applying a two-component coating reduces its quality characteristics.

The choice of paint for the floor is as important as the proper preparation of the treated surface, the thorough removal of the old coating, compliance with all application conditions described in the instructions.