Choosing the best floor paint for wooden floors can be a tricky process. You have to factor in variables such as type of paint, the type of wooden floor you intend on painting, the colour and of course the price.
Whilst this might seem like a complicated process, it’s actually pretty simple and it’s made even easier by our best floor paint for wooden floors guide below.
If you have chosen to paint your floor, you’re in for a real treat – a painted wooden floor allows you the freedom to refresh rooms in your home without the need to put in a completely new floor. This ultimately saves you time and money.
Best Floor Paint for Wooden Floors: Ronseal Diamond Hard Floor Paint
Ronseal Diamond Hard Floor Paint is our choice for the best floor paint for wooden floors. Whilst it’s been designed for both wood and concrete, there’s simply no other choice for us than Ronseal.
It’s scratch, bleach and dirt resistant making it ideal for any room in your home and even works very well on stairs.
From our experience using different floor paints, Ronseal have definitely done the best job in producing a practical yet aesthetically pleasing paint. To get the perfect finish for your wooden floors, lightly sand them down, apply a primer and then paint over with two coats of Ronseal Diamond.
Features
- Hard wearing
- Scuff and scratch resistant
- Resists flaking, peeling & chipping
- Looks good longer than standard floor paints
- Resists bleach, alcohol, grease and dirt
Pros
- Very durable makes it perfect for high traffic areas
- Resistant to bleach and dirt makes it fine to clean with a mop
- The colour remains the same when it’s dry
- Its versatility means you can use in any room in your home and it will still look great
- Good coverage at 12m²/L
- Fast drying and is touch dry within around 2 hours. Whilst you can re-coat in 2 hours, we suggest leaving it a little longer and give it another light sanding before applying the second coat. This will give it a really smooth finish.
Cons
- You really need to take your time with this paint to get the perfect finish
Final Verdict
The Ronseal Diamond Hard Floor Paint doesn’t disappoint and it’s multi-surface versatility and potential finish sets it apart from all others on the market. We’ve used this paint multiple times in the past and have never had a disappointed customer.
Runner Up: Blackfriar Professional Polyurethane Floor Paint
Coming in 6 different colours, this glossy finish floor paint from Blackfriar is one of the most durable floor paints on the market.
If you’re looking for a thick applying paint that’s going to leave your wooden floors with a modern, clean look – this is the paint for you.
The best thing about this particular floor paint is that you don’t necessarily need a primer as it’s so thick. That’ll obviously save you a couple of quid and a bit of elbow grease!
Features
- Protects and transforms floors with an attractive, hard wearing finish
- Ideal for use on most surfaces including wood, concrete, cement, metal and brickwork
- Specially formulated to resist oil and grease
- Ideal for foot and light traffic areas
- Can be applied to previously painted surfaces
Pros
- It’s incredibly durable and will last you years even in high traffic areas before you start to see signs of wear and tear. It’s durability is so good that reviewers have rated it a unanimous 5/5.
- If your old paint job is looking a bit tired, no worries. This paint can easily be applied to previously painted areas.
- As it’s suitable for a variety of surfaces, you can use up any spare paint on other painting projects you might have
- Nice coverage of between 12²/L – 14m²/L
- The dark grey finish gives a very modern look
Cons
- It’s rather sticky so be extra careful during application
Final Verdict
We’re fans of Blackfriar in general and this floor paint is very useful as it covers all surfaces including wooden floors. Whilst not quite up to the standard of Ronseal Diamond Hard when it comes to painting wooden floors, it does give you more options for the leftover paint.
Keep a Natural Look: Dulux Diamond Glaze
If you’ve already got a nice, natural looking floor and want to bring a new life to it, we’d recommend trying the Dulux Diamond Glaze.
With superior durability, a fast drying time and resistance to common chemicals, alcohol and water, the Diamond Glaze Varnish is perfect for all-natural-looking wooden floors. It also stands up really well to scuffs and scratches and is 10 times tougher than conventional varnish.
Features
- A water-based maximum durability interior clear wood varnish
- Ten times tougher than conventional varnish and is resistant to common chemicals, alcohol and water.
- Suitable for use over materials such as cork tiles, hardwood and chipboards.
- Coverage 12 m²/L
- Best results with 2 or 3 coats
Pros
- It refreshes old wooden floors. Simply sand down the tired looking flooring and apply 2 or 3 coats for an amazing looking finish.
- It’s durable and can resist spills, scratches and scuffs
- The water-based varnish is very easy to apply
- It’s far better than any other varnish on the market
Cons
- None
Final Verdict
Sometimes the solution to an old and worn out wooden floor is a touch of high quality varnish. As always, Dulux have created the perfect solution with their Diamond Glaze Varnish which is perfect for reclaimed wooden floors in particular.
Best Paint for Laminate Floors: Rust-Oleum
The Rust-Oleum All-Surface Paint is our choice for the best laminate floor paint. The universal advanced formula paint is created for brush-use only but gives a great, gloss finish.
It can be directly applied to many different surfaces including laminates, metal, plastic and other wooden flooring. This makes it perfect to use in other paint projects should you have any left over.
It will give you a coverage of around 9m²/L which is a little lower than some of the other paints on this list but it more than makes up the lower coverage with its high quality finish. I should mention that coverage can be better (or worse) depending on rate of application and porosity of the surface you’re painting on.
Features
- Paint and primer in one
- Can be applied directly to wood, metal, plastic, ceramic and even rust
- Durable formula for interior and exterior use
Pros
- Fast drying time
- The finished product has an incredibly unique look not often found in houses in the UK
- It should give you a lot of coverage if using on laminate flooring
- It’s been rated an average of 4.5/5 from over 7000 users
- Can be repurposed for another project if you still have some paint left over due to its versatility
Cons
- Can only be applied properly using a brush (although you can use a roller if you dare)
- It’s got a strong scent so make sure you air out your rooms. If you’ve got some, you can use a few fans to whisk the smell out a bit faster.
Final Verdict
Whilst some people dare touch laminate flooring with a paint brush, it’s perfectly fine to. We’ve used this particular paint on laminates before and found that the room looks so much more spacious afterwards. It’s definitely a winner if you like a minimalism style.
Best for a Chalky Finish: Rust-Oleum Grey Floor Paint
Rust-Oleum make our list for the second time, this time for their Grey Floor Paint which gives a lovely chalky finish.
This paint adds a classic, low-sheen finish to wooden flooring which offers a contemporary look whilst still being durable enough to resist scratches and scuffs in high traffic areas.
To get a perfect uniform look with this paint, we recommend giving it 2-3 coats. If you are using it in high traffic areas such as stairs, it might be worth grabbing yourself a Rust-Oleum sealer just to keep the finish looking fresh for longer.
Features
- Water based
- Extremely durable
- Smooth matt finish
Pros
- Despite having a matt finish it’s still very durable
- It has a smooth consistency and is a breeze to apply
- Just one coat can give you a nice washed look, apply 2 or more for a solid colour
- Comes in either chalk white or winter grey
Cons
- Limited to wooden floorboards only
- Not suitable for areas subject to water contact such as bathrooms
Final Verdict
Whilst you can get specific chalk paints, we would highly recommend giving this floor paint a try instead. The finished product will be beyond your expectations as we’ve found multiple times when using it!
What Type of Paint to Use On Wooden Floors
If you want to paint your wooden floors, you’re going to need the right paint. Typically, durability of paint directly correlates with the sheen of paint. For example, high gloss has a high sheen but it’s also very durable whereas a flat finish has low sheen but has low durability.
For a surface like the floor where there’s people walking on it a lot, you’ll want a specialised paint that has been designed specifically for wooden floors.
As technology has advanced, it’s become more and more possible to achieve your desired finish whilst keeping durability high. Wooden floor paints are a good example of this!
Be Specific
With this in mind, you’ll want to be more specific with your paint choices. If you’re going to be painting solid wood floor, choose a paint formulated for use on a solid wood floor. Likewise with laminate flooring.
Best Wooden Floor Paint Colours
The best wooden floor paint colours come entirely down to personal preference. Our advice when it comes to choosing a colour would be to go with the colour you think best suits your home. Some colours have different impacts on rooms so let’s take a look at what you can expect from some of the more popular wooden floor paint colours.
White
As the minimalist trend continues to march forward, we’re getting more and more customers requesting a white painted floor. Choosing a white floor can really make your space look larger and stylish.
Just remember that dirt is more visible on lighter coloured floors but I guess that could be an added incentive to clean your floors more often!
Grey
Grey painted floorboards have only become more popular recently but their initial iterations of colour struggled to move away from a steel look. With companies investing in more R&D however, we’ve seen many companies, including those on our list, formulate a natural and more subtle grey.
Grey painted floorboards now add a degree of elegance and subtlety that’s hard to achieve with other colours.
Brown
Brown is the natural colour of wood and will give your space that natural, rustic look. If you want to make your home look and feel cosy, brown is a good colour to choose. Brown has the added benefit of being able to be glazed over with a varnish to bring it back to life when it starts losing some of its colour.
Summary
Finding the best floor paint for wooden floors can really transform your home and give new life to it. Chances are, if you’re reading this guide you’ve already decided to give it a go and all we can say is you absolutely should!
Hopefully this wooden floor paint guide has given you the information you need to go out and get the right paint for your next project. Remember to double check your chosen paint is suitable for flooring before you purchase (we’ve already tried and tested the paints on this list).
As always, if you still have any questions or queries don’t hesitate to give us a shout via mypaintguide@gmail.com.
Get Prices for a Professional Decorator Near You
Not keen on decorating yourself? You always have the option of hiring a professional to do the job for you. We have trusted contacts all over the UK who are ready to price your job.
Get free, no-obligation quotes in your local area and compare prices using the form below.
- Compare Multiple Quotes & Save Up to 40%
- Certified & Vetted Painters and Decorators
- Free & No Obligation
- Local Decorators Near You
Want to learn more about different paints? Feel free to take a look at our recent “best fence paint” article where we break down the best way to make your garden look fantastic!