if it is unfinished wood, it could be more valuable just oiled and left unpainted ... but .. sand smooth, remove any nail heads or splinters; if the cracks are small paintable wood putty smoothed into the cracks, be sure the floors are clean and dry; use a paint specifically for wood flooring ...
Lina is absolutely correct - that's how I did my plank hallway. I used floor paint in the slate gray color I wanted. It may take a couple of coats (I had to do mine in sections, trying to keep the cat off of it). Then a good, clear sealer. My son-in-law saw it during a family gathering and thought we'd put a new floor down. I love how I can still see the wood grain, but, now have a nice floor to walk on.
Hi although it sounds like you are talking about an inside floor, my husband just painted our front porch decking. He carefully went over everything, sanding and replacing some broken bits of wood, he used "Bondo" to fill in the missing places. Told me you never have wood against wood in filling in, so he placed building paper in between. The last picture is the space covered in the first two pictures. BTW we used Behr's paint and are very happy with it. Or are you talking about interior floors? Can you post a picture of the floor? I have painted almost all the floors in my house and I never sanded them first.
Hey Karen -- paints / stains are very different products --
stains retain the wood tones/grain, and wood stains also come in 'colors' -- stains are absorbed into the wood and are to 'sanded' to remove a very thin layer of wood that has absorbed the stain;
Strippers are used for paint ... disolves the polymers in the paint allowing you to scrape it off .... but there are strippers for stained floors --http://www.kleanstrip.com/diyers/diy-projects/remove-wood-stain --very labor intensive for an entire floor; and you're still going to have to sand to get a good surface.
you can rent a floor sander and do it in a 10th the time. BUT with a floor sander, a lot of 'damage' can be done if not used properly.
Paints cover the wood and you won't see shades of the wood color or the 'grain' and the wood has to be bone dry, free of oils/waxes etc. in order for the paint to adhere properly. Traffic will play a part in what kind of surface you choose -- https://www.todayshomeowner.com/painting-wood-floors/
Stained floors age more gracefully ... painted floors can wear thin with traffic and the wood could show thru, or the paint could become scratched and expose the undersurface.
Behr makes great products for wood surfaces -- decking, floors in your home, etc. That brand would be my first choice - never used it on an indoor surface, but use their products on our deck and some other outdoor wood surfaces we have.
Hope this helps -- big job for sure, but you can do it!
I was wondering if you could help me with something -- I have an entirely oak kitchen. I know it's the rage now to paint or gel stain cabinets. I've been considering ...
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We have built-ins on either side of our gray brick fireplace, and I would love to paint the fireplace out in white. However, my husband feels it would be a bad idea.
Hey Karen -- paints / stains are very different products --
stains retain the wood tones/grain, and wood stains also come in 'colors' -- stains are absorbed into the wood and are to 'sanded' to remove a very thin layer of wood that has absorbed the stain;
Strippers are used for paint ... disolves the polymers in the paint allowing you to scrape it off .... but there are strippers for stained floors --http://www.kleanstrip.com/diyers/diy-projects/remove-wood-stain --very labor intensive for an entire floor; and you're still going to have to sand to get a good surface.
you can rent a floor sander and do it in a 10th the time. BUT with a floor sander, a lot of 'damage' can be done if not used properly.
Paints cover the wood and you won't see shades of the wood color or the 'grain' and the wood has to be bone dry, free of oils/waxes etc. in order for the paint to adhere properly. Traffic will play a part in what kind of surface you choose -- https://www.todayshomeowner.com/painting-wood-floors/
Stained floors age more gracefully ... painted floors can wear thin with traffic and the wood could show thru, or the paint could become scratched and expose the undersurface.
Behr makes great products for wood surfaces -- decking, floors in your home, etc. That brand would be my first choice - never used it on an indoor surface, but use their products on our deck and some other outdoor wood surfaces we have.
Hope this helps -- big job for sure, but you can do it!