Repainting wood floors

I am moving into a home which has grey wood floors in the living room. I want to repaint or remove the paint and stain. Is one more difficult than the other? How does one go about repainting a floor or removing the paint and staining?
Thank you, in advance, for your suggestions.
  4 answers
  • Many painted wood floors are pine. This was a very common method of finish for this softer wood. However many people are having good luck with the newer finishes these days so you may be able to do it that way as well. If you want to stain, you will need to do a complete sanding. Most people can do this but on pine floors it is a bit harder as the wood is easily removed fast with the sanding machines and can dig into the wood as a result. I would suggest that you hire a pro for this. Not only is the job a bit tricky, but the sanding equipment used is fairly heavy. One other thing you need to be aware of is the age of the paint. Older wooden floors that have been painted in the past can contain lead. The sanding equipment that is used from rental places are not dust free. Meaning the sanding dust as well as any possible lead dust will spread all over the house during the refinishing project. Just as this sounds it is not good. A pro that does this work first off should have a EPA license to work with lead paint. If they do not, do not use them. Anyone that effects any surface that could contain lead paint must be certified and licensed to do so. So even if they say they can, they must have this certification. These guys also use a higher end sanding tool. It is connected to a HEPA vacuum that will pick up any dust created by the sanding machine. Up to 99.9% of it. IN order to save money, you can do the refinish yourself. However that is also not suggested as they have all the special tools and equipment to do this faster and better and for the cost it is well worth it. The last thing you must understand is that the paint is hiding a ton of sins. This is why they painted it in the first place. Many people love the look of a distressed floor that is properly stained and refinished, and many also do not. So if your into that aged look I would go for it. If not, Simply prep the floor and paint any color that you like, or tile or install a wood laminate floor over it.
  • Michelle Kennedy Michelle Kennedy on Jan 07, 2013
    Thank you so much!!!!
  • KMS Woodworks KMS Woodworks on Jan 07, 2013
    I would go with just repainting...or if your looking for "wood" color install real hardwood on top of the pine...pine is too soft to to be used in flooring.
  • Michelle Kennedy Michelle Kennedy on Jan 07, 2013
    Thanks, KMS!