The 5 Best Paint for Wood Floors Reviews of 2022

Best Paint for Wood Floors

Painting your hardwood floors isn’t less important than painting the walls. In fact, you come in contact with the floors more than with your decorative walls.

Therefore, you need to make sure you get the best paint for wood floors to make them more durable, resistant to spillage, which will also enhance the appearance significantly.

Replacing the floors of your house is expensive. You don’t need to spend a huge amount of money to replace them just because they don’t look good anymore. Just get a good quality paint, and paint the floors, as simple as that.

To help you decide which one to buy, here are the top 5 recommendations.

Top 5 Wood Floors Paints At A Glance

Is Painting Wood Floors a Good Idea?

It would be a bad idea if you are about to paint a new wood floor; apply polyurethane finish instead. Painting is only recommended for old floors. It also provides great value when you over-sanded the floors and there are worn through the veneer.

If you have old wood floors that are too weak to take another sanding, painting is the only solution here as well. You can extend the lifespan of such floors conveniently.

Among many remodeling recommendations, some people still find some reasons to cover their wooden floors with a solid color or use a few color combinations.

  • Hiding Wear and Tear

Painting is one of the cheapest and easiest ways to hide all imperfections and wear and tear of your decade-old floors. Polishing will still make them feel dirty, which leaves people no way but painting the surfaces.

  • Provides a New Look

If you are addicted to giving your house a new look every now and then, painting is the easiest way to do that. Every time you repaint the floors with a new color, it will transform the way your rooms look without changing furniture or remodeling the house.

  • Switching Design

Some people try painting the floors just to see how it looks. Does it look different and better than polishing or not? It’s a great way to change the background of your interior design.

You don’t have to always stick to the natural wood grain accent all over the house. Do some experiments using different colors and patterns. Who knows, you might find a certain painting combination suits your house much better.

Is Painting Wood Floors a Good Idea?

Top 5 Best Paint for Wood Floors Reviews

I have gathered some of the most durable paints that will protect your precious hardwood floors and also enhance its beauty.

1. KILZ Interior/Exterior Enamel Porch & Patio Latex Floor Paint

KILZ Interior/Exterior Enamel Porch & Patio Latex Floor Paint - Best paint for wooden porch floor

The first one is from KILZ that has been known for over 40 years for providing premium paints and primers of various purposes.

This floor coating can make your wooden floor durable to withstand cracking, peeling, scuffing, and other damaging conditions. Also, the paint doesn’t fade away, unlike conventional paints.

You will find its low-luster enamel surface perfect for your porch, deck, patio, and siding apart from just floors. This is the best paint for wooden porch floor that you can buy.

Feature Highlights
  • Highly durable on wood and masonry
  • Fading, cracking, peeling, scuffing resistant
  • Low-luster enamel weather-resistant coating
  • Silver gray color
  • Smoothly and evenly covers with great efficiency

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The paint is formulated to be weather resistant; so, no matter how hard it rains, you have nothing to worry about. If you are to get the most durable wood floor paint, this is the one to go with.

Whether it’s wood or masonry, this paint will provide excellent results. You can also coat siding, trellises, and trim with convenience. The surfaces will get a smooth and even silver-gray coating, which is very pleasing to the eyes.

It takes 1 hour to dry to touch, and you can recoat within 4 to 6 hours of applying the paint. With this 1 gallon of paint, you can efficiently cover 300 to 400 square ft. on smooth surfaces, and 200 to 300 square ft. on rough surfaces.


2. Valspar Porch and Floor Latex Satin Enamel 1 Gallon Light Gray

Valspar Porch and Floor Latex Satin Enamel - Best floor paint for wooden floors

Having a floor paint like this one will bring you great value for the money. Apart from the wood of various types, you can also coat primed metal, railings, steps, as well as porches.

Its premium-grade acrylic latex formula allows you to use it indoors with great convenience as the formula has a very low odor.

If you are sensitive to chemical odor, this will not make you feel uncomfortable for long.

Feature Highlights
  • Versatile paint
  • Weather and wear-resistant
  • Enamel satin coating
  • Long-lasting protection
  • Low odor and dries fast

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Also, the paint takes relatively less time to dry. You can walk on the coating within one hour of drying. However, for regular traffic, be sure to give it full 24 hours to dry completely for getting long-lasting results. It provides even and smooth coatings on the floors.

This weather-resistant formula is ideal for using in both indoors and outdoors. The coating will last for years regardless of the weather conditions. You can easily clean up spillage and day to day stain using water and soap without any issue.

Whether you are to paint wood, floors, concrete, and other surfaces, its light gray color will create an eye-soothing effect on the surfaces.


3. SlipDoctors DuraGrip High-Performance Anti-Slip Epoxy Floor Paint

DuraGrip High-Performance Anti-Slip Epoxy Floor Paint - Most durable wood floor paint

If you want to get rid of your old floors and are thinking about replacing it, consider trying a few coats from this paint. It’s durable, comes in lots of color options, and can improve the floor quality significantly.

This epoxy coating is going to provide you a long-lasting, fade-resistant, and non-slip surface without spending much. Its high-performing formula can also tackle minor damages quite effectively.

Unlike the conventional paints, the recoated surface that it provides will be much safer to walk with bare feet. There will be a lot of synthetic grips that are easy on shoes as well. It feels much safer to walk in both wet and dry conditions.

Feature Highlights
  • Provides durable, non-slippery, fade-resistant coating
  • Weather-resistant
  • Nicely suits various types of materials
  • Comes in 10 semi-gloss color options
  • Suitable for exterior painting

Due to its weather-resistant formula, you can use it on various surfaces such as steel, aluminum, fiberglass, concrete, tiles, and others along with different types of woods, be it indoors or outdoors. This can be the best paint for hardwood floors that you can get.

There are 10 different semi-gloss colors to choose from for your home interior or exterior. You will find the colors more elegant to see once the coat gets dry. It dries for recoating within 2 hours, and takes about 24 hours to endure heavy traffic.


4. KILZ Over Armor Smooth Wood/Concrete Coating 1 Gallon Chocolate Brown

KILZ Over Armor Smooth Wood/Concrete Coating - Best paint for hardwood floors

This acrylic resin type paint can be a way to bring back older and weathered wood to life. The paint offers a solid color, which looks very attractive to the eyes. You can conveniently hide imperfections and bridge cracks on the hardwood floors and give them to a unique new look.

Whether it’s wood or concrete, the formula suits great on various types of surfaces. If you are to paint composite surfaces such as decks, porches, kayak or boat docks, patios, and sidewalks, this can be a great versatile option to go with.

Feature Highlights
  • Can be applied on various surfaces
  • Solid chocolate brown color
  • Brilliantly handles cracks and imperfections
  • Slip-resistant and durable

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However, the formula isn’t suitable for use on the garage, driveways, and other driveable surfaces.

Due to its spatter resistant consistency, you will be able to apply it on surfaces easily. The coating will provide you a non-slippery, durable, mildew-resistant, and smooth finish to walk on. You will have to wait about 4 to 6 hours to recoat the surface, and it takes around 48 hours to be able to withstand heavy traffic.


5. Colored Epoxies White Epoxy Resin Coating

Most durable wood floor paint

Where some paint formulas are unable to endure the toughness of driveways and garages, this professional-grade non-water epoxy can be a great paint that you can apply on floors including the garage. More so, you can conveniently apply it on concrete, plywood, fiberglass and other surfaces apart from regular wooden floors.

The high waterproofing properties of this formula allow you to use it for exterior purposes as well. Overall, you can get a durable, non-cracking and chipping, mildew and water-resistant, non-translucent premium quality coating from this one. It will make the surfaces more beautiful and vivid in colors than before.

Feature Highlights
  • Applicable to various types of surfaces
  • Highly waterproof professional-grade epoxy paint
  • Provides non-cracking/chipping, UV resistant, durable finish
  • Beautiful and vivid
  • Odorless formula

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What is more interesting about this paint is, it can protect your exterior surface from UV damage, oxidation, and chemicals. So, you can expect long-lasting paintwork for years.

You can apply the paint all by yourself on the surfaces. Once the paint dries, it will provide a high-gloss finish, which will not easily crack or chip regardless of traffic and high abuses. There will be no odor as the colors are VOC and VOHAP free. With all being said, it’s the best floor paint for wooden floors on the list.

What to Look for Before Buying Paint for Wooden Floors?

If you are a professional painter, you already know what it requires for a paint formula to be an ideal one for various types of wood floors. For occasional DIYers, it can be an overwhelming task to evaluate the right paint for hardwood floors. Be sure to look for the following things before you order a paint.

best floor paint for wooden floors

Type

Paints for wood floors are primarily of two types.

  • Traditional Oil-Based Enamel Wood Paint

This is the most commonly used one for hardwood floors. The formula is durable enough to withstand day to day foot traffic without any trouble. In most cases, these paints are fade, stain, and scratch-resistant.

As far as the durability goes, Enamel paints are known for their long-lasting coatings. You can use both indoors and outdoors. However, initially, it will spread the chemical odor inside the house.

If you are highly sensitive to chemical odors, this isn’t the type you will be looking for. It takes a relatively long period to dry fully.

  • Latex-Based Enamel Wood Paint

It is an eco-friendly paint option to go with. There is zero to minimum chemical odor, so you can confidently use it indoors. Unlike oil-based paints, these are fairly easy to remove from surfaces. The drying time is faster, as well.

However, latex-based paints are not as durable as oil-based ones.

Durability

This is the primary concern of why people paint their hardwood floors. Having a crack, chip, fade-resistant paint formula will ensure your floors are protected for longer periods even for years. If your house is like a party center where the floors have to take a lot of foot traffic, consider getting the toughest paint for that.

Also, there are waterproof paints that handle food spillage, stain, and residue with great effectiveness. If you are looking for a formula to paint exterior floors, make sure it’s waterproof or water-resistant so that it can withstand weather issues well.

Paint Effect or Sheen

You can either go with satin or semi-gloss finish. Satin is great for day to day usage as well as providing a good reflective effect. People mostly prefer this option because this one lasts longer and makes dents and scratches hard to see. If you have pets consider getting a satin paint.

On the flip side, there is the semi-gloss option to choose, which is quite reflective as well. Even though this sheen is prone to scratches, some people love it because of its adorable painting effect. It requires mopping every other day to keep it shiny and glossy.

Painted Wood Floors Pros and Cons

Painted Wood Floors Pros and Cons

Cannot decide whether to paint or apply polyurethane on your hardwood floors? Let’s take a look at what are the pros and cons of painting the floors. This may help you to decide which one to go for. 

Pros

You may find any of these reasons to make you feel interested in painting the floors.

> Affordable Makeover

You don’t have to replace the floorings, which can be very expensive, depending on the size of your house. Instead, repainting the floors can hide the imperfections as well as major scratches, and it will provide a newer look.

> Manipulate Room Size and Light Source

It’s not less important than painting the walls. If you consider the room size and blend it with the natural light source, it will highly manipulate the room smartly. And if you have small rooms, get white paint for floors to be able to do so.

> Bold and Modern Look

Painted floors look way bolder and have a much more modern look on it. Make your floors scream louder with a solid paint color instead of exposing the natural wood grain.

> Creativity

If you are a creative individual who can think and blend colors that match pretty much anything, you can show your creativity on the floors. Consider combining multiple paint colors or quite a few spots or different patterns.

Cons

However, there are some downsides to painting hardwood floors as well.

> Feels Cheap

If you fail to choose the right color that matches the interior of the rooms and decor, it will cheapen the way your house looks.

> Difficult to Reverse

Making a few mistakes can ruin all your effort. You can hardly reverse the painting soon. It’s quite difficult to get them off the floors.

> Temporary

You may need to repaint the floors every year to maintain its fresh and new outlook; thus, it’s not a permanent solution at all.

Most durable wood floor paint

Frequently Asked Questions About Floor Paints

1. What kind of paint do you use on wood floors?

People mostly use latex-based enamel paints to apply on floors. However, some still prefer painting wood floors with traditional oil-based enamel paints.

2. Can you paint wood floors without sanding?

Painting doesn’t require you to sand your floors. As most hardwood floors come finished, older floors are found too thin to survive another sanding. So, whether it’s old or new floors, you don’t need to sand before painting.

3. Does floor paint need a primer?

Not all floor paints require applying primer before painting. If there are any bare wood and knots on the floor, only then consider applying a wood primer.

4. How long does a floor paint last?

Even if you apply a lower grade epoxy floor paint, it will last at least a few years before it shows wear.

5. What is the most durable wood floor paint?

Oil-based enamel paints are the most durable paint for hardwood floors. The composition of the ingredients makes it scratch-resistant and extremely durable for withstanding many years of abuse.

Final Words

Whether it’s about your decade-old hardwood floors or you want something new for your existing floors, the best paint for wood floors will provide great protection to the bare wood surface, and add a new look to the interior of your house.

4.4/5 - (5 votes)