We bring further practical use of modern – water-based – COLORLAK production materials.
Now we have also begun to restore an older, white painted wooden floor. Based on our own experience, we have again chosen water-based materials. The choice fell on white AKRYLCOL MAT V2045, that will be completed in the final layer with a very durable PROFI PARKET V1509 in semi-matt finish.
Our floor is made of spruce floorboards (no tongue and groove) oriented parallel to the longer side of the room, from the window to the entrance door. Thus, a regularly repeating pattern of contrasting streaks – a white plate and a black joint – can be seen very clearly.
The floor is quite worn out, so the white colour is already grey and sometimes even suffered by abrasion, but mainly it is necessary to unify all the disturbing elements and floor details. In particular, it is necessary to unify the visual aspect of the entire floor – cementing all the board connections with the wall, the edge boards, and the door sill in the direction perpendicular to the board. It is necessary to use a suitable sealant, which is permanently flexible and sufficiently resistant, before filling the floor.
Perfect washing (degreasing) of the floor under water-based paint is very important and can never be underestimated. It is possible to use special degreasers directly or use our own – dish washing detergent, a little alcohol in water and a small brush.
Choosing the right painting tool is a guarantee of excellent results and often saves our time. The choice fell on a small roller (11 cm) with a flock and a soft, low weight foam core. For painting small, rugged and inaccessible surfaces (e. g. edge boards) was used acrylic brush designed for water-based paints.
The roller will create an optimal and even coating and has two uses for us. First – when painting joints
we use it as a spatula. Place the soaked roller in a perpendicular direction on the joint and then spread the paint like with a sponge that does not rotate around its axis. AKRYLCOL MAT leaks into the joints and paint the boards even where you wouldn’t get. Depending on the situation, we recommend using this technique in the first and possibly second coat. This will achieve the necessary colour application.
After the joints have been painted, we change the movement of the roller to the rotating direction of the plates. Spread the paint evenly with a roller, creating a nice, very fine texture of plush on the floor. We had a tactic to proceed in a block of 3-4 boards in their entire length, from one end of the room to another (to the door). Linking the strokes thus goes through the system wet into the wet, longitudinal joining wet to dry occurs in the joint.
The matt floor coating will show you what is already drying and what not. A distinctive advantage is that you have control over where it is painted and where it is not, even with artificial lighting. Drying of AKRYLCOL MAT is fast in a tempered room, so it is necessary to pay attention to the quality of connecting of all strokes. Practical advice – tools can be kept at all times unwashed in well-sealed, plastic bags. In total we coated AKRYLCOL MAT in three layers, and we were satisfied with the result.
For the top layer we have chosen the semi-matt version of PROFI PARKET V1509. It is a quality water-soluble polyurethane floor varnish with a total high resistance, stability and optimal application.
For painting we used a small roller with flock again – and we recommend it as the best application technique. After two coatings, now only in the direction of the plates, we achieved a continuous, tough and very uniform protective film.
The overall result was a pleasant surprise for us, and the combination of matt AKRYLCOL and semi-matt PROFI PARKET is superb. It is literally an optical game where the rays of light pass through a layer of paint and bounce back out of the white paint. The floor lightens up and you feel like it is shining. This is also the reason that semi-matt varnish suddenly gets a glossier character.
We are convinced that even an inexperienced amateur can achieve a quality floor with these two materials, but all recommendations must be followed.
The floor can be lightly walked on after 24 hours, but we do not advise placing the heavy load of the furniture until after the min. 7 days. Water-based coatings are becoming more durable and tough every day, so waiting is definitely worth it.
