So you’ve long been getting quite bored of the same old and essentially boring look of your Laminate Floors and desperately looking forward to a change. Well, that’s really smart of you, since besides spicing things up, painting the Laminate Flooring is also an incredible way to make laminate last longer.
The restoration comes with beauty right! And that’s exactly what we’ll be taking a look at today, i.e. How To Paint Laminate Flooring, so as to say farewell to all the dullness and unattractiveness.
Pro Flooring Guide has come up with this amazing guide on Painting Laminate Floors along with the precise description of various other associated and worthwhile aspects too, such as the pre and post-treatments, bright side and rather unfavorable aspects of this decision, and everything else that you need to know in order to settle for long-term beneficial treatment.
Everything You Need To Know About Painting Laminate Floors
Let’s get started with a basic yet crucial pondering for those who are new to this subject.
Can You Paint Laminate Floor
The first and foremost answer is a big “Yes” and you can consider this something similar to refinishing your Hardwood Floors.
- Redoing your Laminate Flooring is an excellent and super effective way of revamping its look and also making it a lot more serviceable for you.
- Painting Laminate Floors as a DIY project is the most likely to save you a considerable amount, which you’d otherwise be spending on either hiring the professional services or, as per a somewhat adverse scenario, on an entire replacement, since after all the situation (your bad-looking Laminate Flooring) is meant to reach an irreversible point, over time.
If paint accidentally falls on your laminate floor then you can read our how to get paint off laminate floor guide.
Reasons Why Would You Paint Laminate Floor
Besides the homeowner (You!) desperately looking forward to a change or wanting to show some creativity, there are multiple reasons why you would want to go for a treatment like this:
- Painting Laminate Floors is one of the most worthwhile home improvement projects to take over and the advantageous consequences are totally worth all the effort.
- While opting for professional services in this regard might seem an easier option to you, you must not overlook the fact that even the most reasonable packages of Professional Laminate Flooring Installation/Fixing/Renovation often don’t include the expenses of former flooring removal, furniture movement, stair treatment (a super prolonged and demanding task!) and excessive materials. So if you’ve got good Math skills, you can easily visualize the overall project cost outlasting the primary expense estimate you had earlier.
- Painting Laminate Floors is an excellent, most practical, and fairly amazing way of bringing about an aesthetic uplifting within your surroundings and giving your entire place a genuine transformation by perking things up. P.S. You can imagine all the fun, as well.
Pros And Cons Of Painting Laminate Floors
Frankly, you’re meant to get really perplexed once you begin finding the answers for “Can you Paint Laminate Flooring ” since there are multiple contradicting opinions about it, convincing enough to have you come across legit indecisiveness or at worst, unsettledness.
- A vast majority of flooring experts, online guides, and bloggers strictly advise to not go painting Laminate Floors and they call it a really bad idea due to the fact that there are major chances of misconduct. Various flooring brands, too, do not recommend anything to be done to their Laminate Floorings, which besides waxing, staining, and refinishing, particularly includes Painting them too.
- Others call it a genius and money-saving idea and of course the fact that it lets you acquire an amazing satisfaction in your aesthetic sense.
- You can still, totally go for painting Laminate Floors, however, that’s gonna require you to have an adequate set of equipment, a nearly fool-proof preparation plan, and of course the right kind of info beforehand.
It’s all up to you in the end, whether or not you’ve got enough nerves and equipment (physical and emotional support!) to take over it.
It’s totally okay to not indulge in risks and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with giving it a try either! (that will be really efficient and exceptional of you!)
Besides, for helping you in coming up with the right decision, we’ve got you this brief comparison of the pros and cons of Painting Laminate Floors.
Pros |
Cons |
Aesthetic Upgrading: Painting Laminate Floors is a definitive way of upgrading the look of the entire space and reviving all the floor beauty, as well. | Material Requirement: There is a specific set of equipment needed for the right conduct of Laminate Floor Painting. |
Convenient Handling: It’s rather easy to paint your Laminate Floors and once you’ve mastered doing a limited area, you can easily move to redo the rest of your place. | Mismanagement Likelihood: Painting Laminate Floors comes with a major possibility of going wrong at certain points of painting Laminate Flooring and indulging into various accidents as well. |
Problems Fixing: Painting Laminate Floors is the most effective way of addressing major issues of it since the floor redoing will include various improvement procedures such as sanding and decluttering. | Multiple Procedures: A proper sanding and preparing of the flooring is extremely crucial when it comes to painting Laminate Floors and not doing that the right way can cause the paint to not stick adequately. |
Extended Durability: Laminate Floors are meant to last much longer once they’ve been redone the proper way. | Not Recommended: Painting Laminate Floors or literally doing anything else to them is not advised by many manufacturers and exports. |
Cost Effectivity: DIY Laminate Floor painting saves professional replacement and fixing expenses, giving your floors and interiors an entirely new look. |
How To Paint Laminate Flooring
We appreciate you a lot for deciding to take over this incredible home improvement project and have therefore got you a really easy yet entirely effective method for carrying that out.
Material And Supplies Required To Paint
- All-purpose Commercial Cleaner
- Floor Sander (try getting an orbital sander)
- Mop
- Towel or Cleaning Clothes
- Painter’s Tape
- Primer
- Paint
- Paint Roller/ Paint Brush/ Paint Sprayer
- Painter’s Tray
- Sealant
Steps To Paint Laminate Floor
1. Start by thoroughly cleaning the laminate area that you’ll be working with. Besides, getting rid of all the dirt, dust, and debris buildup, you might as well, need to fill certain areas of your Laminate Floor with caulking, considering you’ve got an old and worn-out one. Take a detailed look to identify any of the scuff marks, deep marks, or depression caused by impact and fix them beforehand with caulking, before you proceed any further with the painting.
2. Next up, comes the removal of gloss from the Laminate Surface, for which you can either use 150 or 180 grit sandpaper. Alternatively, you can also make use of a sanding machine such as an orbital sander. Remember to not remove the plastic completely and only to get rid of the gloss that’s present on the topmost layer, since the layer works as a preventive element for the flooring. Never go for paint application in the presence of the glossy layer, as it will restrain the binding of the paint and will also result in scraping off of the paint.
Also, you’ll need to be careful about not going for a vigorous sanding motion, as all you need to do is to take off the gloss and never the top part of the Laminate Layer.
3. Take a keen look for any floor cracks, cuts, grooves, or holes, specifically if you’ve done sanding for the first time since there is a huge possibility of excessive sanding off of the layers. In case you come across any surface flaw, you’ll need to fill that out with either caulking or filler material so that you will be left with a wholly smooth and flawless surface. Another thing to take care of at this point is to clear out all the sanding dust, as well, so that there’s absolutely no chance of any accumulation, at all.
4. Priming the Laminate Floor is crucial in order to make the paint stick perfectly to it. A latex primer works best for Laminate Floors, however, allowing appropriate drying time is mandatory before proceeding with the paint application. Oil-based primer is also a highly recommended element for Laminate Floors, specifically the ones that have been sanded. Besides, going for a double-layered application is also a really favorable idea to act upon, so as to thoroughly smooth out the entire surface and also fill and fix any imperfections.
5. Next comes painting the Laminate Floors for which you can either use the Paint roller, paintbrush, or paint sprayer to make the job easiest for you. A Paint Brush works best if you’re trying to avoid any of the fixtures such as cabinets, corresponding wood/ hardwood floors, or other Laminate surfaces. Paint Sprayer is the best for addressing larger areas with perfection and Paint Roller is also a really practical option, however, that’s gonna require you to have an adequate-sized paint tray.
Some Additional Guidelines To Paint Laminate Floor
- As far as the type of paint is concerned, you can either go for the Latex paint or for a Porch Paint (Resilient Paint), since these two are the most preferable choices.
- Chalk Paint is also a good idea if you’re looking forward to creating some contrasts.
- Avoid the usage of Acrylic Paints as those are prone to wearing off very soon and don’t stick well to the Laminate surface either.
- Always consider testing the paint results in a smaller space, before moving to the actual floor painting job. This will help you determine the outcomes and whether or not they resemble the very idea that you’re looking forward to.
- Ensure maximum time for paint drying and avoid any movement or interaction during that time span.
FAQs | Frequently Asked Questions
What Kind Of Paint Is Used On Laminate Flooring?
Latex Paint is the best choice when it comes to Laminate Flooring due to a number of reasons such as offering the smoothest finish and also for being amazingly durable. The super-smooth and sustainable addition of Latex paint give rise to excellent flooring finishes. Krylon COLORmaxx Brush on Paint is one incredible recommendation in this regard since it offers super smooth and at the same time, extremely eye-catching floor finishes.
Is Melamine Paint A Good Idea For Laminate Flooring?
Melamine Paints, as a matter of fact, are the ideal choice when it comes to painting Laminate surfaces and flooring. That’s because Melamine Paints are generally specifically designed to be used atop Laminate Surfaces, therefore one is absolutely guaranteed of achieving the most flawless outcomes when using enamel paint. Besides, Melamine Paint comes with a moisture-resistant material composition which makes it entirely suitable for all moisture-prone areas such as well, like kitchens, Bathrooms, and Laundry Rooms.
What Kind Of Primer To Use On Laminate?
An oil-based primer is the most effective choice to be used on Laminate Flooring, due to its innumerable functional benefits. It not only works best with Latex Paint but also ensures an extremely flawless adhesion to the floors, considering the fact that Laminate Floors have a way too smooth surface profile which is much more likely to make it difficult for any kind of adhesion to work properly. Just ensure that you allow a maximum time for the oil-based primers to work, so as to achieve a perfect sticking before you proceed with the paint application on your Laminate Flooring.
How To Whitewash Laminate Flooring?
Start by thoroughly cleaning the Laminate Flooring with dishwashing soap, followed by gritting it with the help of fine sandpaper, so as to achieve an entirely smooth and build-up-free canvas to work with. Alternatively/ additionally you can also vacuum the desired surface area to clear out all the dust and then you can go for the application of a light coat of primer. Let it dry completely before you proceed with the application of whitewash. You can make use of either a paintbrush or a paint roller for this purpose.
How To Change The Color Of Laminate Flooring?
The color of Laminate Flooring can essentially be changed in two ways, and you can go for the one which seems more suitable in the first place. The first and foremost method of changing the color of Laminate Flooring is to paint it with quality Latex Paint. Besides, you need to be extremely careful about the condition of the very surface that you’ll be working with, i.e. it must be well-prepared and primed. In addition to that, you can also settle for the application of a rather darker-toned Laminate Stain over the flooring that you wish a color change for.
Is Chalk Paint A Good Idea For Laminate Flooring?
As a matter of fact, chalk paint has both the odds of proving a good idea for Laminate Flooring and vice versa as well. And while it might be the suggestion proposed by a number of flooring bloggers, you must not overlook the fact that it comes with significantly lesser durability as compared to Latex Paint. However, if you want to go for the chalk paint application anyways, you must as well, consider the application of a polyacrylic sealer atop a wax coating. This way, you can easily get a sturdy finish out of the chalk paint.
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