The Best Wood Floor Paint - The Ultimate Guide

What Is Wood Floor Paint?

The first place to start is with the question of what exactly is wood floor paint? To understand what a wood floor paint is, it is important to put it in context, as when it comes to any wood treatments they come in a number of forms. This is because of the highly porous nature of wood, along with the fact that wood contains a grain which many people like to preserve.

Wood treatments come in a number of forms, which include:

• Wood paint - offer a solid/opaque colour finish that covers the grain of the wood. These often come in satin, mid-sheen, gloss & matt finishes. Paint is ideal when blemishes and imperfections in the wood need to be covered, or when a strong coloured finish is desired.
• Wood stain - a translucent coloured finish that still allows the grain of the wood to be visible, often used externally.
• Wood varnish - create a hard, protective barrier on wood. While traditionally transparent, today wood varnishes are available in a range of colours.
• Wood oil - treatments that are designed to nourish the wood & enhance it's natural beauty, while also providing protection. Available both in clear and coloured treatments.

The type of wood treatment you opt for depends on what you want to achieve. If you are looking for a complete colour change for your wooden floor, a wood paint is your best option. If you want to maintain the colour of your floor, but simply enhance it, a wood oil or varnish is the best treatment to go for.

It is important to note that not all wood treatment can be used on floors. This is because a floor product is specifically designed to endure the higher levels of wear that they undergo due to footfall. If a wood treatment is not intended for use on floors, it will not have the required durability to perform long-term without peeling or flaking.

What Is The Best Wood Floor Paint?

If you are looking to paint your wooden floor, the chances are you are looking for a wood paint. When considering which paint to use, things to consider are durability, ease of use and the range of colours the paint is available in.

All of the paints on our list are examples of high-quality trade paints. In contrast to many retail floor paints, these are designed with long-term durability in mind, meaning they provide much better value for money. While some floor paints are available at a lower price, they are not designed for long-term performance, merely to achieve the desired finish at the time.

Here are our choices for the best wood floor paints:

1. Rust-Oleum 7200 PU Floor Paint

Rust-Oleum 7200 PU Floor Paint is our choice for the best paint for wooden floors. The hard-wearing solvent-based paint is designed for application to a range of floored surfaces, including wood & concrete. Being from Rust-Oleum, who specialise in high-performance paints, it is extremely durable thanks to the addition of polyurethane to the formulation. This provides it with the required durability to withstand any footfall and traffic without peeling or flaking. When compared to other floor paints, it contains higher quality resins that give it far superior durability. This is highlighted by the fact it can be used on external floored surfaces as well, while other floor paints are internal only.

While many of specialist floor paints come in what is known as two-pack systems, meaning they come in two halves, Rust-Oleum 7200 PU is a single-pack system, meaning it can be applied straight away without the need to mix the product.

Aside from its exceptional performance, Rust-Oleum 7200 PU Floor Paint can be mixed in any colour you choose thanks to our paint mixing machines. This allows us to mix the product in any RAL, British Standard or equivalent shades of other paint manufacturers colours.

Key Features:

• Can be mixed in any colour
• Very hard-wearing
• Easy to use
• Contains high-quality resins
• Available in gloss and satin finishes

2. Dulux Trade Floorshield

Once again, a single-pack solvent-based floor paint for use on wooden flooring, Dulux Trade Floorshield is another fantastic option if you a looking to paint your floor. While hard-wearing, it does not however contain added polyurethane and is slightly more expensive that the other paints on our list.

Having said this, Dulux Trade Floorshield offers high durability, an attractive finish and can be mixed in any colour. Furthermore, it has the highest coverage rate of the top paints on our list at 16m² per litre.

Key Features:

• Can be mixed in any colour
• Hard-wearing
• Easy to use
• Coverage of up to 16m² per litre
• Mid-sheen finish

3. Armstead Trade Floor Paint

Armstead Trade Floor Paint is a professional quality, solvent-based, floor paint that delivers a tough and durable finish to any interior wood or concrete. It is resistant to foot traffic and light rubber-wheeled vehicular traffic, making it ideal if you are looking for a durable finish.

You are limited to a number of standard colours however, so if you are looking for a specific colour their may be better options for you. Nevertheless, this is an excellent trade-quality floor paint that is ideal for anyone painting wooden floors.

Key Features:

• Available in grey & green
• Solvent-based
• Resistant to foot traffic and light rubber-wheeled vehicular traffic

The Best Wood Floor Varnish

You may decide that you want to maintain some of the natural beauty of your wooden floor but provide it with a glossy finish and a hardwearing protective layer. If so, we would recommend opting for Dulux Trade Diamond Glaze, which is a fantastic wood varnish available in both satin and gloss finishes.

This wood varnish is a water-based, maximum durability interior wood varnish that is up to ten times tougher than conventional varnish and is resistant to common chemicals, alcohol and water.

As a varnish, it will not cover the grain of the wood, however it is available both in a clear and a coloured version, meaning you have the flexibility to change the colour of your floor if desired.

Overall, it is a fantastic example of a wood treatment that will not completely alter the appearance of wood. It is the perfect tool to enhance and alter the appearance of your wooden floor to the level of your liking. Whether you simply want to give it a higher sheen or you want to change the colour entirely, there is huge flexibility when it comes to varnish.

The Best Wood Floor Oil

The alternative to using a wood paint or wood varnish would be to use a wood oil. This is the best choice if you want to make minimal changes to the appearance of your wooden floor.

Our recommendation for wood oil for floors is Osmo Polyx-Oil Original, which is a clear wood oil for a range of interior wood. Available in matt and satin finishes, Osmo Polyx-Oil Matt is extremely durable and hardwearing, while also being stain resistant, water repellent and abrasion resistant.

It does not required sanding for application and is perfect if you are looking for a clear wood oil that will enhance the natural beauty of wood.

It is also available in a white version with Osmo Polyx-Oil Tints White, if you desire a coloured wood oil.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Can hardwood floors be painted?

Yes, you can paint hardwood floors. We would recommend using an adhesion primer to assist in providing a suitable base to paint. Often these primers are available from the same manufacturer of the floor paint you have opted for, which is something we would always recommend doing in order to match up the primer to paint.

Q. How many coats of paint will I need?

Generally, good-quality trade floor paints require two-coats to provide the necessarily durability to not peel or flake under traffic. Some poorer quality paints may require three coats to achieve the desired finish however.

Q. Where can I buy masonry paint?

We have a wide range of floor paints that are available here at Painters World with FREE next working day delivery on all orders over £50. Whether you are looking for a wood paint or a wood oil, we have what you are looking for.

We hope this has answered any questions you may have had regarding the best wood floor paints, varnishes & oils. If you require any more help, just send an email to hello@paintersworld.co.uk and our expert team will be on hand to give you any advice you require. At Painters World we have a wide range of paints available, so no matter the job, we've got the right tools for you. Shop our full floor paint range today & get FREE next working day delivery on all orders over £50.