How To Whitewash Laminate Flooring – Dazzling Makeover 2024

How to whitewash laminate flooring perfectly? After a long time of being used, your laminate floor is starting to get old and dark in appearance. If you want to add a twist to the laminate flooring with an affordable budget, I can make it happen.

Now, just sit down and read this post thoroughly so you can successfully coat your laminate floor with a white and fantastic look.

Whitewashed Laminate Flooring – A Chalky And Rustic Flooring Style

Whitewashing (also known as lime washing) gives your wood floor (or recently stone floor) a weathered and bleached look. It is also considered a great way to add a cover protecting your floor.

Discover five different ways to whitewash wood materials.

A whitewashed laminate floor has a light-colored grain which will add a rustic, classic vibe to your house. Interestingly, this type of flooring used to be considered a poor option for painting houses, but now, it is a unique style of decorating your home.

Whitewashing is usually made from slaked lime, a mixture of calcium hydroxide and chalk calcium carbonate ⁽¹⁾. Recently, people typically have used a diluted version of paint solution on the market. In any way, whitewashing will bring a one-of-a-kind bright splash of white color.

Generally speaking, whitewash will apply a chalky-texture look to the laminate floor at an affordable price. This method is usually used outdoors on your house’s wall, but whitewashing your floor will be a unique idea.

Whitewashing laminate flooring is such a phenomenon that many manufacturers stock whitewashed laminate planks ready to be used. Seal the floor as usual, and your entire room will have a mesmerizing vibe.

Painting And Whitewashing

One common misconception in flooring is the differences between painting and whitewash. Although they might be used for the same purpose, they differ in many aspects.

While the whitewash method uses natural and non-toxic ingredients ⁽²⁾, paints require different chemicals like resin, solvent, and other additives. Some of the ingredients contained in the paint content might harm your health.

As you can add pigments in painting, there are various color choices to costume your house to meet your personal preference. Whitewashing traditionally only results in a bright white color, so you have to dye separately to have the color you want.

The color of the floor after whitewashing is quite durable; you only need to conduct little maintenance to sustain the color.

Plus, whitewash can also prevent your house from insect infestation. So you can choose to whitewash your house as a solution to keep the disturbing insects and their eggs out of your house.

However, painted planks can fade, peel and chip easily if you don’t provide enough maintenance to sustain the paint. Even the most quality paint on the market will be ruined unless you take care of it thoroughly.

To make the paint resistant to water, you need another layer of waterproof topcoats. Adding a sealant will enhance the ability to resist water for the paint. On the flip side, whitewash’s color can endure rough weather with high humidity like a storm or heavy rain.

Don’t Paint Laminate Flooring!

The truth is you can paint the laminate floor, but the result won’t come out as expected. Here are some reasons why you shouldn’t paint your laminate flooring.

Painting requires you to treat the floor’s surface properly, so if the surface isn’t prepared, the paint will not cling to the material and fall out easily.

Sanding off the wear layer is a highly challenging procedure. Plus, using the wrong primer or paint, the laminate planks will not hold the paint. As a result, the paint will be vulnerable to pointy objects like heels, chair legs, and animal claws.

Let’s Whitewash Your Laminate Flooring!

That said, whitewash is an excellent option to cover your house perfectly with an authentic and classic look. Why wait? Get your hand on those laminate planks now!

Pre-White Wash

Before recoloring your laminate floor, you have to make some essential preparations to enhance the adhesion of the paint.

Clean The Floor

Ensure that you get rid of all the dust and debris on the floor. Any remaining dirt will prevent the color from grabbing tightly to the floor. You can vacuum or sweep the area with a broom to make sure the floor is spotless.

Use a solution of three or four dollops of mild dishwashing soap and warm water to clean the floor with a mop. Mop the entire area and don’t miss any spots. Then, let the floor dry completely. You can turn on a fan to let the floor dry faster.

Sand The Floor

This procedure uses primer as a foundation to evoke the exact white color of whitewash, so sanding is a vital step because the primer adheres tightly to the rough surfaces.

You should use medium-grit sandpaper (120 grit) and rub it on the surface of the floor. Sanding with sandpaper will make the signature smooth surface of the laminate floor become a coarser cover.

Remove The Sanded Dust

That said, any dust will prevent the color from clinging to the floor. So, wipe the area with a lint-free mop or cloth. You can also utilize the broom and the vacuum to ensure the entire area is flawless.

Don’t sweep or wipe using strong force because the dust can float into the air and harm your health when inhaling.

It’s Time To Whitewash The Floor

After preparing the floor, you can now turn your old-black laminate floor into a nice and chalky white floor. Let’s gather all the equipment and materials needed.

Preparation

• An oil-based primer
• A paint roller
• Off-white latex paint (Another option is the mixture of masonry lime, warm water, and table salt)
• Warm water
• A paint rush
• Water-based latex varnish

Step 1: Apply Primer

I suggest you use an oil-based primer for the laminate floor because of its strong stickiness. If you give it enough time to cure, the primer will form an excellent surface for you to paint on.

Plus, oil-based primer works best with latex paint, which is the typical paint used in whitewashing.

Coat the primer by using a paint roller, and wait for roughly one day to let the primer dry entirely. The drying duration is suggested on the primer package, so remember to read the package carefully.

Step 2: Prepare The Whitewash Mixture

Off-white latex paint is recommended for whitewashing laminate floors because it is more durable than other paint. Latex paint can help reduce cracks, peels, and discoloration of the final product.

The paint takes less time to dry, and it is a non-flammable type of paint, so it will also ‘cover’ any of your wondering about safety.

Initially, mix the latex paint with water until you get a solution with a skim milk texture. Another option for a whitewash solution is combining masonry lime, warm water, and a little table salt. You can use a wooden stirring paddle to stir the mixture in a mixing container.

Step 3: Apply Whitewash

Use another paint roller or a paintbrush to cover the laminate floor with a thin latex paint finish. Then, adjust the thickness of the cover by applying more layers of the whitewash solution on the floor.

It would help if you use a paintbrush for small or hard-to-reach areas like corners around your house. Only dip ⅓ of the bottom bristles into the solution and remove the excess paint by tapping the brush handle to the rim of the mixing container.

Feel free to pick a larger paintbrush or a paint roller to speed up the painting process for larger areas. Allow the solution to dry on the floor for 24 hours to let the solution dry completely.

Step 4: Seal the Floor

Use your regular paint brush and use it to seal the floor surface with water-based latex varnish. Make sure there is no paint residue on the brush bristles.

Gently apply the latex varnish on the laminate surface. Let the surface dry and apply the second layer (you should follow the drying time recommended by the latex varnish manufacturer).

FAQs

Whitewashing laminate flooring is quite easy, right? However, there might be some untold info that you have to look at. Let’s discover the information right here!

Let’s Makeover Your House

After a few decades of application, your laminate floor will start to look dark, old, and dull. So, why not recolor them with a budget-friendly method like whitewashing. Plus, if you like the rustic vibe, you have to try it now.

I hope you are having fun whitewashing your own house. If you find the suggested instructions helpful, hit the subscribe button to update more valuable tips from our site. Thank you, and have a good day.

Reference

1. En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Whitewash – Wikipedia.
2. Resilience. 2022. Use Whitewash Instead of Paint for Traditional Look and No Toxins.