How to paint vinyl floors; POST UPDATE...

This is an update to an older post so please indulge me and forgive the duplication.

Awhile back, I showed you how I painted my vinyl floors but reported that the paint I used had been discontinued. I think I may have found a solution. Check it out...

STIX Waterborne Bonding Primer is a premium quality, acrylic/urethane primer-sealer designed with a unique "Step Change Technology" that delivers unparalleled adhesion to the most challenging surfaces, such as.......PVC, Vinyl, Plastic, Glass, Tile, Glazed Block, Glossy Paints, Pre-Coated Siding, Fiberglass, and Galvanized Metals. STIX is also ideal for use on plaster, drywall, wood, and non-ferrous metals, where a low ambient or surface temperatures present a problem for conventional primers. It cures in temperatures as low as 35 F and offers an extremely hard film when cured. Use STIX on interior and exterior surfaces and topcoat with almost any type of coating including Alkyd, Acrylic Latex, Urethane, Epoxy, and Lacquer Finishes. STIX is a low VOC primer, which levels to a smooth surface and cleans up with soap and water.

• Urethane Acrylic resins provide a tenacious bond to tough surfaces
• White Pigmented
• Accepts any finish coat
• Applies easily with brush roller , or spray
• MFG Brand Name : STIX
• MFG Model # : SXA-110
• MFG Part # : SXA110099-01

I found STIX at Home Depot.

Here's my original post...

When we moved into our 1980's house 9 years ago, the vinyl floors were hideous and in terrible shape.

Apparently, the former ranch hand chopped kindling with a hatchet on the kitchen floor. (We found the kindling but not the hatchet.)

Since we don't own the house, we didn't want to spend the money to replace them. So, I decided to paint them. The project cost $80 and it took me 11 days to complete the kitchen, laundry room, entry and bathroom. As you will see in a minute, they turned out great.

I found a paint that worked on floors and on vinyl siding so I thought it would be a good choice for vinyl floors. (The paint was McCloskey's All-in-One and I can't find it anymore.) I was right. Nearly 9 years after painting them, they are still in decent shape. And, let me tell you, our floors are used and abused.

Here's what I did...

Step 1) I gave the floors a very thorough cleaning by first sweeping, then vacuuming, then scrubbing them clean on my hands and knees with warm water.

Step 2) I rolled on three coats of off-white, letting the coats dry in between.


Step 3) Because there was already a square pattern stamped into the old vinyl, this step was much easier than if I'd had to measure. I taped off the inside of every other square with blue painter's tape then painted each with two coats of taupe, letting the coats dry in between.


Step 4) I carefully removed the tape.

Step 5) I applied five coats of water-based, satin Minwax Polycrylic with a brush, letting the coats dry in between.

POST UPDATE: I don't think the paint I used on my floors is available anymore. However, I saw a show on HGTV where they painted a vinyl bathroom floor. They used a high-adhesion primer first, followed by floor paint. I think a really important step with my floor was the Minwax Polycrylic on top, however, the paint I used was a matte finish. If you used a glossy floor paint, maybe you wouldn't need the shiny top coat.

When the homeowner saw my painted floors, he gasped because he thought I was going to hand him a bill for new vinyl. He was happy to reimburse me the $80 I spent on the project.

Here's the bathroom floor, 9 years later. This is the lowest-traffic area of all the areas I painted. I would have posted the kitchen but it's covered in muddy paw prints because we took a walk in the melting snow.

We're going for another walk tomorrow and the snow will be melting for awhile so I see no reason to clean it any time soon.

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