How to Paint Hardwood Floors-No Sanding Required!

I painted our hardwood floors white! For quite some time now, I have not loved our kitchen hardwood floors. They were worn and dull in some areas and I’ve never really been a fan of their orange-ish/honey color.

So, in Nicole fashion, I thought Why Not! What do I have to lose? They can’t get any worse! So, I went for it! And I’m SO happy I did!! As promised, over on my Instagram page, here’s the complete run-down of how I did it and the one thing I changed immediately!

HOW TO PAINT HARDWOOD FLOORS–NO SANDING REQUIRED!

Materials Needed:

Kilz Kitchen & Bath Primer

Porch Paint (I used Behr Porch Paint)

Wood Filler

Frog Tape

Roller Brush

Paint Brush (My favorite brushes)

Roller Extension Rod (to save your back 🙂 )

TopCoat (The BEST ONE–hands down!!)

(Amazon Affiliate Links)

Step One:

Vacuum and clean your floors thoroughly with hot soapy water. I cleaned my baseboards too-figured might as well while I’m down there. 🙂

Step Two:

Fill any holes with wood filler, let dry and lightly sand with a 220-grit sandpaper block. Then vacuum again!

Step Three:

Tape off all of your baseboards and carpet using Frog Tape.

Step Four:

Now you’re ready to prime. Make sure your floors are clear of any dirt, dust, and debris. Using your paintbrush, paint the perimeter of your room with the primer….

Then roll your entire floor with primer. Depending on the condition of your floors, this may take more than one coat. Mine required only one coat….

Step Five:

Once that is completely dry and not at all tacky-feeling, you are ready for the good stuff-The Paint!! I went with Behr Silky White. Again, paint your perimeter first and then roll your entire floor. This process will probably take at least two coats. (Mine did 🙂 ). And here’s the hardest part–keeping everyone off of the floors! I rolled ours before bed and let each coat sit overnight. By morning it was good to go….

The whiter the floors got the more hideous the kitchen cabinets got! I couldn’t wait to move onto my next project…I bet you can guess what that was. 🙂 Post on tips for painting your kitchen cabinets, coming soon!

Step Six:

Now here’s the secret-sauce! This is the most important step and the one that will keep you from pulling your hair out. This step is the reason you don’t have to sand! Ready for it! Use THIS poly (topcoat)!! General Finishes High Performance (Water-Based) top coat is the BEST topcoat on the market! (Amazon Affiliate Link)

Now, you may say, you JUST painted these floors, how do you know they’re going to hold up to all of the foot traffic of 5 kids, the Mr., ME, and 3 dogs! Well, I have used this topcoat before (about 3 years ago, to be somewhat exact) on my hardwood bathroom floor, and it has held up GREAT!! But I promise, I will keep you posted on how these floors are doing too!

I will add, I tried to not add the topcoat. The associate at Home Depot told me it wasn’t necessary with the Porch paint. But it drove me crazy! After about the 57th time of getting on my hands and knees with my magic eraser to remove yet another scuff or dirt mark, I had had enough. That evening, I vacuumed and mopped the floors yet again; touched up all of the marks that needed it and rolled the floors with the GF Topcoat, once the kiddos went to bed. The best part, this topcoat only takes 1-2 hours to dry!! So, I was able to do my second coat of Topcoat while the kids were at school and it was good to go when they got home. Ready for all of their shenanigans!

And just to let you guys in on a little secret…I’m sure there will be some that will disagree vehemently with me, but from my experience, when painting a surface (i.e.: furniture, flooring, etc), the paint isn’t near as important as the topcoat. A good topcoat (THIS ONE!!), will give you durability and a strong, scratch-resistant surface. (Amazon Affiliate Link)

I couldn’t be happier with how they look too! Of course, one project leads into another project, leads into another project….Right!? So, now I’m onto my kitchen cabinets. Hoping to share those with you next week. Amazing what painted floors and painted cabinets can do for a room!

Let’s look once more at the BEFORE….

And the AFTER….

And just for fun and a better view of the rug — a bird’s eye view….

Oh and I know I’m going to get questions about this rug. Rugs USA is a great go-to for beautiful, long-lasting rugs! I love their collection of Boho rugs. Of course, they can’t guarantee them from spastic dogs who claim them as their chew toy. It only took one of my dogs (BIG hint in picture below) less than 24 hours to eat a little section of the fringe….

Apparently, I can’t have anything nice. I immediately sprayed it with Nature’s Miracle No Chew (works like a charm) and so far that has done the trick! Thankfully! Because I think the dog might get the boot before the rug! And for those who are wondering, I was able to glue the fringe back down with super glue–good as new! (Amazon Affiliate Link)