How to paint floors and stairs

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New flooring and carpet for stairs can often be an expensive investment. With Dulux you can quickly and easily transform your wooden floors or stairs, without spending a fortune. It’s even durable and easy to clean.

You’ll need:

• Simply Refresh for floors and stairs
• Brush
• Roller
• Paint tray
• Paint stirrer
• Sand paper, sanding block and possibly sander, dust mask and goggles
• Masking tape
• Degreaser
• Cloth
• Vacuum cleaner
• Satin paint

Prepare
 

1. If your wooden flooring or stairs have a coat of varnish or any loose or flaking paint, you’ll need to give a light sand to make the surface porous again. If your home has skirting, it’s also worth giving that a gentle sand too, as for best results, you’ll need to paint it after you’ve painted the floor. When sanding flat areas, it’s best to use a sanding block to help achieve a smooth and consistent finish.
   
   Top tip: If you’re giving a large area of flooring a makeover, it might be worth hiring an electric sander to get the job done quickly. If you do, remember to wear a dust mask and goggles while operating it.
    
2. Once sanded and smooth, vacuum the area and wipe down sanded surfaces with degreaser to remove all traces of dirt, dust and grease.
    
3. Ensure the surface is dry and then mask the edge of the skirting board that meets the flooring or steps with tape.

Paint

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With Dulux, there’s no need to apply primer to your surfaces, so you can go straight in with your top coats.
 

1. Begin by giving your paint a good stir, pour it into your tray and get painting. First, cut in around the edges using a brush.
    
2. Then use your roller to paint larger surfaces of your floor or stairs. Follow the recommended drying time on the back of your paint tin and when your surface is ready, give it another coat and let it dry.
   
   Top tip: If you’re using a roller for the first time, use a spray bottle to lightly coat it with water. This will help reduce fluff and help the roller absorb more paint.
   
   In between coats, simply put your brush and roller in a plastic bag to keep them moist and you can use them again for your next coat without having to wash them. If your color change is significantly different, for example from navy to white, then a third coat may be needed.

1. When painting your floors or staircase and you’ve got skirting, it’s usually best to paint it too. So once your flooring or staircase is completely dry, protect the skirting with a dust sheet and then mask off the wall along the edges of the skirting board. Apply two coats of your chosen skirting color in satin paint [LINK TO PRODUCT] with a brush and check the tin for information on drying times between coats.

Carefully remove the masking tape and step back to enjoy your work.

Clean

1. Remove as much paint as you can from your brush, roller and tray.
    
2. Give them a thorough wash in water, there’s no need to use white spirit
    
3. Firmly close your paint tin and store in a dry and frost-free environment.

Looking for some makeover inspiration? Take a look at these floor and stair transformation ideas.