Painting Floorboards?

jsb1987

I'm planning on painting my rather tatty varnished victorian floorboards.

I'm looking for the cheapest, but reliable, way of doing this.

Do the boards need to be professionally sanded down first with proper sanding machines? Or can I just remove the sheen by hand? The total area is about 30 square meters.

I've read some guides online that say proper sanding is essential, and other guides that say only a light sanding is necessary! So I'm not sure what to do - obviously I would rather not have to hire the equipment (and the help of a builder).

Once sanded I plan on painting the boards in two or three coats of B&Q Quick Dry White Primer & Undercoat, (I will sand lightly in-between coats). Followed by two coats of Dulux White Floor Paint.

Any advice would be hugely appreciated!!

Reece_

giving a good key is the main thing, I wouldn't worry about removing all the varnish, just key it up well , a cheap orbital with 60/80 grit pads will get it done quite quickly.
I'd then use something like zinsser 123 first to prime it rather than the b&Q stuff, you want a stain block primer if you're going to leave any varnish on there otherwise you'll probably have dirty looking spots appear underneath the paint appearing after a few weeks.
A coat of zinsser, then whatever brand of undercoat followed by your two top coats.

jsb1987

Thanks for the response.

I've ended up sanding it all off with machine sanders. Now all the varnish is off i quite like the look of the wood so may just oil it, instead of painting.

Do you know anything about filling gaps between the planks? I'm planning on oiling it all now, so i can move back into the rooms asap. Then i'd like to fill the gaps gradually. Should this be done before applying the oil or is it ok to do it after?

Thnks!

27col

When I was a kid people painted their floor boards because they were too poor to afford a bit of carpet or lino.
How times have changed. Personally, i wouldn't have painted floor boards at any price.

Reece_

jsb1987 wrote: »

Thanks for the response.

I've ended up sanding it all off with machine sanders. Now all the varnish is off i quite like the look of the wood so may just oil it, instead of painting.

Do you know anything about filling gaps between the planks? I'm planning on oiling it all now, so i can move back into the rooms asap. Then i'd like to fill the gaps gradually. Should this be done before applying the oil or is it ok to do it after?

Thnks!

I'd do it first, don't use any form of filler, you can buy wedges of timber from a timber merchant, glue these in the gaps and cut flush, sand over whilst the glue is still wet and that way a bit of sawdust will fill in any unevenness.

jsb1987

I've decided to leave the gap filling, no time!

One more question - once i have oiled the sanded wood floor, would it be possible to paint over this in white paint (without heavy sanding) at a later date? If i change my mind...

Thanks again