Can Laminate Flooring Be Sanded & Painted?

Sanding Equipment

• Heavy-duty, upright sanding equipment for wood floors can destroy laminate. Laminate flooring consists of layers of wood fibers or wood pulp covered by a photographic image that is sealed with a urethane or plastic coating. The pressure and velocity of upright sanders can cut through the coating and reveal the wood fibers, ultimately ruining the floor. You only need to scuff or dull the shiny laminate coating to help paint adhere. Use a fine-grit sanding sponge or handheld power sander equipped with fine-grit sandpaper.

Preparation

• Apply painter’s tape along the baseboards and around the bottom edges of cabinets to protect them from scratches. Using light pressure on a sanding sponge or a handheld sander, begin sanding along one wall and work across the floor to the opposite side of the room. If the sponge or sander is too thick to reach into corners or along edges, sand them by hand with the edge of a folded sheet of fine-grit sandpaper. Residual sanding dust will mar the painted finish, so sweep the floor with a broom and then vacuum it. After the dust is removed, clean the floor, using water and trisodium phosphate in a dilution recommended by the manufacturer. Scuffing the surface removes some of the protective layer, so use a damp sponge or sponge mop. Don’t soak the floor.

Primer and Paint

• Shellac-based primer helps seal seams, evens the floor surface, increases paint adhesion and dries in less than an hour. Apply a band of primer around the edges of the floor along the painter’s tape, using an angled trim paintbrush. Cover the remainder of the floor with an even coat of primer, using a foam paint roller and an extension pole. After the first coat dries, apply at least one more.

  Apply two or three coats of paint to the floor, depending on how well it covers, using the same techniques. Oil-based paint and special melamine paint are durable choices for floors, but white oil-based paint can turn yellow. Each coat requires at least 24 hours of undisturbed drying time and possibly much more. Some paint will not cure for several days, so read the label and plan accordingly.

Sealer

• A perfectly primed and painted floor will not retain its beauty without at least two coats of clear urethane sealer. After the paint has fully dried, apply urethane to the floor the same way you primed and painted. Alternatively, you can apply urethane to the edges of the floor with a trim brush and seal the rest of the floor with a lambswool applicator attached to a floor refinishing paddle and extension pole. Lambswool applies a heavier coat and helps to prevent the bubbles that paint rollers can create. Dip the lambswool into a paint pan filled with urethane, then drag it slowly across the floor in long, even strokes. Let the first coat dry overnight, and apply at least one more.