Lifting the carpet you’ve had on your own living room flooring may reveal a vintage hardwood flooring made from hard-to-get quarter-sawn lumber and ripe for refinishing, or it may only reveal plywood. If it’s the latter, the possibilities for covering it include hardwood, laminate, more carpet and even tile. If you aren’t anticipating the extra cost of a new floor covering, however, you can produce an attractive floor by simply painting the plywood. It’s a job that you can do yourself, and that means you’ll save contractor’s fees in addition to materials expenses.
Pull out carpet tacks using a claw hammer and staples using a pair of pliers. Knock down nails using a hammer and drive screws which are sticking up under the surface of the ground using a drill and a No. 2 Phillips bit. Scrape off as much excess glue from carpet of linoleum using a floor scraper.
Fill the joints between plywood sheets using ground leveling compound. Mix the leveling compound with water to form a paste and spread it with a trowel or masonry knife. Allow the chemical set overnight.
Sand the ground using an orbital flooring sander and 80-grit sandpaper. The machine, available at most rental outlets, will remove excess leveling compound and make a smooth surface. Utilize a palm sander and also the same grit of sandpaper to sand in the corners of this room. Vacuum the floor and wipe it down with a damp rag once you are done sanding.
Prime the ground using a non-bleed wood primer. By sealing the wood, the primer ensures you will get uniform coverage using the top coat. Allow the primer dry overnight.
Sand the floor with a floor buffer fitted using a 120-grit sanding display. Floor refinishers use this process, known as screening, when coat a flooring with clear finish, and it works nicely when painting a floor as well. It smooths the surface so the flooring becomes progressively smoother with each coat. Vacuum the floor and wipe it down with a rag.
Spread a thin coat of ground enamel using a bristle brush. Allow the paint dry overnight, then display the ground and spread the other coat. Display that coat once it dries.
Cover the paint with one or two coats of clear polyurethane finish, screening involving coats and buffing the last coat with a lambswool buffer. The polyurethane protects the paint and provides the flooring added sheen.