PAINTING

WITH RESENE MARKETING MANAGER KAREN WARMAN

> Floor type Most wooden floors can be painted. Generally speaking, if the timber floor is very old or damaged, very uneven in colour or not that nice to look at, painting is usually the best option.

> Considerations Painting a floor is an easy way to harmonise it with a new colour scheme, or it can be the ideal stopgap while you save for a new floor. You can use any colour although we recommend avoiding white or very light or dark colours as they tend to show up dust more.

> Prep and planning Depending on the existing floorboards, you can often just clean them and then paint. But if the boards have a very hard solventborne finish they may need sanding and a coat of primer or sealer before they can be painted. The prep for painting a floor is faster than for blonding (staining), because blonding requires stripping the wood back to bare timber. For painting, you just need to go back to a sound surface that the paint can stick to. > Timeframe It’s not much different to painting a wall. An average-sized room could be done and dry in a day.

> Cost A litre can of Resene Walk-on coloured paint is enough to paint around 12 square metres with one coat. You will probably need 2-4 litres for most rooms. The cost of the paint per square metre for one coat is around $5 (depending on colour).

> Recommended products Resene Walk-on (a satin waterborne paint), followed by a clear coat of Resene Concrete Wax. Resene Walk-on is similar to paint you might use on walls but is designed for the wear and tear a floor receives. The Concrete Wax provides extra scuff resistance.

> Professional vs DIY If you’re comfortable with painting a wall, then you could easily tackle a floor yourself. Painting is more forgiving than whitewashing because you can always do another coat if you need to even up the colour.