I have some old and ugly vinyl floors that I cannot afford to replace

here is the name of the product and its review.

http://garagefloorcoatingtips.com/sherwin-williams-garage-floor-paint-review/

I need to mention that our school used it for the nurse' office floors and its been over 3 years now and still holding up. The floor was was waxed with a heavy duty wax afterward to help protect it. I don't recommend to slide your furniture on it.

hope it works out for you.

You can paint almost anything if you prep it properly. TSP to clean all old oils etc off first then roughen so the paint/finish grabs hold

My suggestion would be to paint one color, as your base coat, on the floor and be sure you have covered the old flooring completely with the paint. Buy or borrow, a large stencil that you love, and use as many colors as you want, and continue painting... as you go over the entire floor, repeating the stencil pattern... until the whole floor is done. You will be amazed how beautiful it looks and how inexpensive it is,to complete. As long as you are entirely happy with how your Flores turned out, consult with don't talk or someone at the hardware store and ask them what kind of sealer to use on the floor to protect your beautiful work. This will avoid scratches and scuffs. I have never done stenciling on anything but concrete floor... so I cannot speak to the type of paint to use on your floor,firsthand. I'm hoping that someone else can address that for you. Also, I have found that the more intricate the stencil is, the more forgiving it is in regard to worrying about perfection...as you are painting it. The reason I think this:. Because the less colors you use and the less intricacy in the pattern, the more noticeable mistakes will be to naked eye. I think it is beautiful, in my opinion, with many colors. I really hope this helps. Good luck and send us a picture when you're done!

Have you checked your local store (Home Depot or Lowes) for boxes of peel & stick vinyl tiles? It might be that you could lay the tiles over the present floor for about the same price as painting them.