12 Painted Wood Floor Ideas to Transform Your Space

12 Inspiring Rooms That Will Convince You to Paint Your Wood Floors

From colorful checkerboard designs to subtle white, these painted wood floor ideas invite you to get playful in your interior design.

Wendy Rose Gould

Published on May 22, 2024

Kitchen with dark wooden floors and dark cabinets — Photo:
Aaron Leitz Photography

Paint holds an immense amount of power. It offers a Cinderella moment to a dated kitchen or bedroom, lends a burst of drama to a jewel box bathroom, and can even breathe new life into a piece of furniture. Wood floors are a place you might not have considered wielding your paintbrush, but the effect here can be quite transformative.

You’ll definitely want to prepare your floors via sanding and primer—and you must seal it afterward—but there’s so much room for creativity. Ahead, see some beautifully painted wood floors from designers; let them spark your imagination for what’s possible in your own space.

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Gray and Cream Checkerboard

Go grayscale with your painted floors by combining charcoal gray (or even black) with cream in a bold checkerboard pattern. Designed by Kristin Hampton of KDH Creations, this stunning space pairs the floors with gilded frames and comfy seating for extra oomph.

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Graphic Patterns

For a bold painted wood floor idea, draw some inspiration from this striking design created by interior designer and painter Jess Kollar. A graphic pattern featuring white, beige, and dark blue makes for a major wow moment.

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Dramatic Black

Black painted floors — Bjorg Magnea/PJC Architecture

Travel to the opposite side of the color spectrum with an elegant black hue, as pictured in this dramatic design. The black travels up the twisting staircase and sits against white for some bold contrast.

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Neutral Plaid

Those with strong creative muscles may want to consider a more detailed painted floor design. Here, Cara Newhart revived old, slightly damaged flooring with a neutral custom plaid design using tape and custom paints.

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Colorful Floral Motif

Floral Painted Wood Floors — Jenny Westenhofer

Those who love to infuse their world with color should take some inspiration from artist Jenny Westenhofer. This sunny entryway really comes alive with a floral motif featuring pink, yellow, and black flowers against a dusty blue backdrop.

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Eggshell Blue

Porches are the perfect place to flash a bit of color, and the paint allows you to refresh tired floors, as well. A pale eggshell blue was selected in this open-air space for a serene and welcoming feel.

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Painted Staircase Runner

A faux stair runner is a sneaky and creative way to incorporate painted wood floors into your home. This design, created by Kindred Interior Studios, features a gray-toned paint with crisp lines on either side.

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Subtle Whitewash

Dining room/kitchen with whitewashed floors — Getty Images

Like the idea of white but still want your wood grain to peek through? Opt for a whitewash finish, instead. This is done by dipping a sponge into a whitewash stain and applying it in the same direction as the grain. After about 15 minutes, wipe off the excess.

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Blank Space Design

graphic painted floor designs — Jess Koler

You only need a little bit of color to make a bold statement, as proven in this painted floor design by Jess Kollar. It features a pattern of black-lined white octagons and a small black diamond in the center of each, keeping much of the natural wood on display.

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Inky Blue Geometrics

Blue Cutout Painted Design Floors — Jess Koler

For a spin on the same idea, opt for a single color. Kollar chose a deep, inky blue hue in this space and created a dazzling pattern with octagons and diamond shapes. Note how the painted floor also creates a nice natural division between the two rooms.

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Simple White

White painted wood floor in elegant living room — Martin Barraud / Getty Images

One of the simplest approaches to painted wood floors is to go with a single neutral color, like the white pictured here. It offers a bright, crisp backdrop and allows for all your furniture and decor to pop in the space. Opt for a creamy white, blue-tinted white, rosy white, or something in between.

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Blue and White Diamonds

blue and white checkers diamond painted floors — Jaana Berlingieri

Consider combining white with a pale blue and paint a smaller checkerboard pattern onto the floor, as done in this foyer designed by Jaana Berlingieri. The smaller pattern set on the diagonal creates more of a diamond shape.

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