Floor Paint

I bought some expensive, supposedly tough, custom coloured, washable Valspar paint for our stairs and landing, and it's been a disaster. It's chipped, worn through, stained easily...

To be honest they did say it wasn't 'floor guaranteed' so i can't complain.

The Dulux website waxes lyrical about the different colours you can use for floors, but if you filter their paints on 'floor' the only result you get is varnish.

The stairs mean that sanding back for varnish has never been a realistic option.

I don't want to use some awful battleship grey product meant for workshop floors.

Has anyone found a good reliable paint, ideally water based, that will do the job and last more than six months?

I'd guess you're either into floor varnish over paint or a multiple coat epoxy. Not quite sure how you get up the stairs while it's curing through...

pgk

Perhaps it might be better to abort the idea Neil and go for fitted carpet instead.

I have floor paint straight onto concrete in my workshop. The paint was formulated for the job and it has to date done about 20 years. The gloss in now rather matt in the highest traffic zone but it is still intact and it gets a lot of swarf etc trodden over it.

These paints however are not really in the domestic colour chart range. Mine is a strong red, chosen from a rather limited colour palette at the time

I don't know if that help you, but it is what I might do in the circumstances.

Best wishes

Brian

Have a look here!

**LINK**

I came across it while researching repainting our workshop floor, the existing paint (make unknown!) has worn well, but it is a tamped finish concrete, not floated.

Another good source is **LINK**

I have used this with good results on several floors. A lot cheaper than big shed/ known brands and has lasted well with things being dragged over it.

They also do a range of emulsion paints - not used but again would anticipate that they are good

No connection just a satisfied customer

I may be getting over-cautious in my old age, but I would never use just paint or varnish on stairs since slipping on someone else's varnished stairs a couple of years ago, wearing socks without shoes. Still feeling the result of a very nasty sprained knee even now. Her grandson did the exact same thing the following day, but they bounce better at that age

I always make sure not to use those stairs without rubber soled shoes on now.

There are proper non-slip floor paints but I don't know of any in colours I'd want indoors

Mike.

Neil, I have found Dulux acrylic paint to be tougher than other water-based types, although I haven't tried it on floors.

My one experience with Valspar was when B&Q first introduced it, I had a batch made up to match wallpaper colour, but when it dried, it felt slightly textured, like a fine version of sandtex. The colour was fine, and it was used on radiators (not specified for that) but hasn't discoloured.

Bill

We had fitted carpet for 19 years, but there's a point where you get fed up of the cycle of dog-moulting and cleaning even with a proper machine. At least paint is easy to keep clean.

I think we have two rooms left with carpet now, it seems to have gone right out of fashion (tells you somethingabout climate change...!)

The problem with workshop paints are that they tend to be very smelly for a while after going down and there isn't much choice of colour - bear in mind the stairs face the front door and first impressions etc. (although present first impression would be very good... it looks like a squad of rugby players have been running up and down the stairs every week)

Neil

Water based hasn't yet matched the durability of solvent or polymer based, when it does you'll know, you'll no longer have to clean bird poop off your new car ASAP lest it strip the paint! :D

Good old Dulux Trade oil based gloss, Did a floor for one of my clients daughters about 10 years ago and its still OK, unlike the carpet in her adjoining bedroom that has been replaced twice due to makeup, drink spills and don't ask what else. Luckily 90% of the time its covered in disgarded clothes etc so does not show.

Edited By JasonB on 02/08/2019 13:12:44

Leyland Slate Grey polyurethane floor paint has been on my workshop floor for 25 years and its now about time for another coat, my floor is chipboard but this stuff sticks to anything, I painted my trailer with it in 2010 and its still in reasonable nick after being outside for 9 years.

Richard Marks

t comes down to traffic flow and suage type. When i had my clinic I swapped out the poor floor covering for a lino-type material claimed to be used in Bus Garages...lasted about 6 mths before there were wear patches where i stood at the consulting table and cients walked through reception - the manufacturers sent a team donw who spent all day then scratched their heads and simply said traffic denisty. I swapped it out for a 9-layer epoxy job which lasted a couple fo years before looking naff. The concrete floor paint in the laundry room didnt last any longer either.

When we remodelled and extended the whole place was done out with pressed powder porecelain and epoxy grout... It looked brand new 15 years later.

Here in wet wales and a small farm the kitche and living area are tiled, the rest of the house is hevay duty laminate but the stairs are carpeted otherwise there's that inevitable clattering in the night when someone goes to kitchen or comes in late.

If you really want heavy duty and don't want epoxy then either an expensive very short pile carpet - flotex was always suggested for muddy animal entry points as carpet; washable, waterproof, short pile, not cheap. Otherwise you're into tiling over timber...

Hi, easy answer, paint from the top down, get everyone into the car and go on holiday for a few days, simple.

Regards Nick.

I think it will have to be an oil-based gloss. That means waiting until I'm 'home alone' for a few days so it has a chance to harden and the smell disperse.

Neil

Neil

How a bout a scrubbable matt paint, i know its for the walls but might do you as its pretty damm resiliant, its water based and you can tint it to an awful lot of colours.

Not sure what happened to my first reply

Bernie

An old thread, I realise, but Brewers the paint supply company have a phone line to speak to their technical paint experts, and they have always given me very good advice.

Buying cheap DIY paint is a compromise; decent paint costs quite a lot - the alkaline resisting undercoat I used on my concrete block garage cost £45 for a 5L tin ! I don't enjoy painting, so I only want to do it once and therefore try to do it properly using a high quality paint.

Am I allowed to post the phone number of Brewer's paint experts?

Isn't it the cause of climate change. Everyone got central heating. When I were a lad you put a carpet in the middle and stained and polished the floorboards round the edge. Still got one room and the hall like that (no CH). Mind you the carpet has faded a little over the last sixty years but the stain and polish is fine.

Dolly Digger mentions scrubbable Matt paint, I used a version of this supplied by Brewers Paints, it was their Albany range of paints and is supposed to be impervious to just about everything. I didn’t use it on the floor but on the walls of the hall, stairs and landing, was fed up trying to remove the greasy marks left in ordinary emulsion paint by our cats who religiously scent mark everything with the scent glands in their heads. Was done 9 months ago and is as good as the day it went on, beauty of it is mixed to order in the shop with pigments and therefore any domestic colour is available, expensive though it cost £50 for 2.5 litres of the special scrubbable paint. Dave W

Neil, this stuff is your answer. It is a water-based low VO epoxy floor paint. At least they have 3 different shades of grey! And a green and a red to boot. I expect you can colour the lightest grey to something else.

It is what I use on garage floors - cement and wood. Works a treat, hard, and no big VO problem (after the first couple of hours).

https://www.johnstonestrade.com/product/2-pack-epoxy-water-based-floor-paint

Cheers, Colin

Our Lab mechanical workshop has solid oak flooring and it looks magnificent.

regards Martin