diy question

[gingercatx1]

 I want to paint bog standard floorboards, once carpet has been ripped off of stairs - does it have to be Ronseal (or even Wilko's own brand) special floor paint or can ordinary emulsion or gloss do as good a job? And what can be used to fill in those gaps between the boards?

[right-then-petal]

i painted some once with emulsion looked ok but soon chipped

use an undercoat, or go for the real thing

stairs are dangerus

[peteryola]

I would echo what Petal says; you need the specialist paint.  Emulsion just hasn't got the resistance to impact and gloss will be very slippery.

[gingercatx1]

Thanks, peeps - looks like it's the expensive option then...

[dark_castle1]

Please excuse me if I am wrong but is special floor paint not just for concrete floors ?

You could always try an undercoat then finish off with satinwood. I use satinwood on all interior doors and skirting and have had no chips although doors etc do not have the type of traffic floorboards would have.

[gingercatx1]

there are some especially for wood floors, ronseal have one that can be used on wood and concrete

[soppysofty]

Why paint the floor?

Once the carpet is gone clean the floor thoroughly and then sand the wood to get a smooth, clean surface (you can hire the floor sanders for around £20 per day).

Now varnish the floor in the stain of you choice.  

Looks far better and last for years (our last floor stripping and varnishing lasted 20 years - note to self, needs redoing soon).

You can then add rugs etc. for colour and effect.

[gingercatx1]

I like the idea of wood stain aswell .  What would you put in the gaps inbetween the boards - polyfilla?

[peteryola]

Not Polyfilla - it'll crumble within days.  You'd need proper caulking methods for that.

[soppysofty]

Depends how big the gaps are between the floorboards.

If small you may find that by sanding and varnishing they dissappear. Or, if small enough, a rug can be placed over them to cover the gap.

If they are big gaps then you really need to get someone in who knows what they are doing as gaps larger than a few millimeters (up to 1cm is acceptable) could indicate further or hidden problems.

That is one of the beauties of floorboards, you can see any problems as they form but before they get expensive.

[gingercatx1]

They are slim and just here and there, I'm concerned about spills going through into ceiling space.  I had thought of wood glue aswell as it's waterproof and flexible and can be squirted through the nozzle easily.

[dark_castle1]

If you are going down the route of sanding and staining, you can alway save the dust from sanding, put wood glue in the gap and sprinkle the sandings onto it too make it the same colour as floorboards.

[gingercatx1]

Brilliant idea

[soppysofty]

It would be better to make a thick paste from the shavings and sawdust with the wood glue and then slightly rough up the floorboards where the gap is and use the mixture as a filler in the same way as you would fill a hole in the wall or a dent in your car.

Once it is dry and has gone hard you can then sand it down to make an 'invisible' mend.

[vamo48]

We bought stair carpet that goes up the middle of the stairs, leaving the sides needing to be painted.  We wanted something quick drying as our cat and dog use the stairs as a race track, and used a quick dry satin paint.  The result is ok, but we made the mistake of using it on the doors as well and they were badly chipped within weeks.  It was more like an emulsion paint than the usual gloss we use on doors.  Emulsion would be even worse.  I think you'd be better using something designed for the job. I do like the suggestion of dark-castle's re the gaps.

[gingercatx1]

Memories.  Is there a name for that style of stair carpeting, where there's a narrow strip up the middle and paint down the sides?

[vamo48]

I believe it's still called stair carpet

[mustavaquid]

Runner.