When it comes to making the floor look good, we think about painting the floor. Painting the floor also protects the floor. Moreover, it makes the floor attractive in a dull condition.
So, many people paint their floors for these benefits. People also use different types of floor paints.
But you might be confused about how long floor paint takes to dry. You have to know about different floor paint and their drying time.
Moreover, you have to know the properties of floor paint. Besides, knowing about the consequences of applying floor paint is also essential.
How long does floor paint take to dry?
How long the floor paint takes to dry depends on the type of paint. Generally, it takes six to eight hours to dry oil-based paint. But acrylic paint dries faster than oil-based paint. But floor paint needs to cure before use. Even some paints can take seven days to cure completely.
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However, floor paints can be of different types. Different paints require different times to dry. The drying and curing time depends on the type of paint. So, let’s see how long these paints take to dry.
Oil-based floor paint:
Oil-based paint is one of the most used floor paints. This paint takes from six hours to eight hours to dry. However, after this time, the paint doesn’t dry completely. Oil-based floor paint requires more time to cure.
For example, you might think that the paint is dried after eight hours. But you can’t use that floor immediately. You have to wait at least 24 hours to cure the floor paint. Even some oil-based paint takes seven days to cure completely.
Water-based floor paint:
Water-based floor paint is another common paint to apply on the floor. But water-based floor paint takes a little bit longer time than oil-based paint. Generally, water-based paint takes 24 hours to dry.
If you want to apply multiple coats of paint over the paint, you must wait at least 24 hours to dry the first coat. Moreover, it would be best if you waited more time to completely cure the floor paint.
Concrete floor paint:
Concrete floor paint takes more time to dry than other types of paint. Generally, concrete floor paint takes 1 to 2 days to dry. Moreover, multiple coats will need more time to dry.
So, if you want to paint the floor with concrete floor paint, you have to wait at least two days to dry the floor.
Besides, concrete floor paint requires more time to cure. You should wait a couple of days before using the painted floor.
Epoxy floor paint:
How long epoxy floor paint takes to dry depends on the temperature. Generally, this paint takes nine to twelve hours to dry at average temperature.
Moreover, it might take more than this time when the temperature is lower than 77 degrees Fahrenheit. Then the floor paint needs at least 18 hours to dry.
So, high temperatures help epoxy paint to dry fast. Moreover, you should wait at least one day to cure the floor completely.
Polyurethane floor paint:
Polyurethane floor paint takes six to eight hours to dry. But this doesn’t mean you can instantly use the floor after eight hours. This time is to dry the paint minimally so that you can apply a second coat.
But if you want to use the floor, you must wait at least 24 hours. Then the floor will be cured completely. But still, you have to test the paint by touching the floor. If the temperature is lower than normal, the paint will take more time to dry.
If you see that the paint is not dried, you have to wait more time to let the floor paint dry and cure it entirely.
Wood floor paint:
Wood floor paint will take at least 24 hours to dry completely. You might see that after 12 to 18 hours, the paint will seem to be dried. But the paint is not completely cured. So, if you want to use the floor after painting, you must wait some more hours.
If you want to apply a second or multiple coats, you must coat 12 hours after the first coat. But for using the floor, you should wait at least 24 hours.
Latex floor paint:
Latex floor paint dries very quickly. It will dry within an hour. But if you want to apply a second coat, you can apply it after 4 hours of the first coat. But for using the floor, you must allow some more hours so that the floor paint might cure completely.
Acrylic floor paint:
Acrylic floor paint takes 4 to 6 hours to dry. Generally, acrylic paint doesn’t need so much time to dry and cure. If you want to apply another coat, you must do it after 4 hours of the first coat. But after 24 hours, you can use the painted floor.
| Floor paint brands | Drying time |
|---|---|
| Leyland floor paint | 3 hours |
| Valspar floor paint | 6-8 hours |
| Ronseal floor paint | 72 hours |
| Little Greene floor paint | 2 hours |
| Benjamin Moore floor paint | 1 hour |
| Royal porch and floor paint | 4-6 hours |
| Johnstones floor paint | 16-24 hours |
How long does basement and garage floor paint take to dry?
Now that you know floor paints take different times to dry, you might want to know about garage and basement floor paints’ drying times.
Because these two floors have a different texture than other floors. So, let’s see how long basement and garage floor paint take to dry.
Basement floor paint:
Basement floor paint doesn’t require too much time to dry. Generally, basement floor paint will dry within six to eight hours.
But it will not cure completely. You can’t use the basement after drying immediately. Because the basement floor paint is not cured enough and can get damaged.
So, you should wait at least 24 hours to use the painted basement floor.
Garage floor paint:
The garage floor is more likely to be a concrete floor. So, garage floor paint will take a longer time to dry. Generally, the garage floor dries within 24 hours. But this doesn’t mean you can use the garage after 24 hours.
Let the garage floor paint enough time to cure. After seven days, the garage floor paint will dry and cure completely. So, you can use the garage after seven days.
How long should floor paint dry before putting furniture back?
Floor paint has to be cured completely before using or putting furniture back. Otherwise, the paint will be damped and chipped off from the surface. So, you should keep floor paint dry for at least one week.
Generally, when you paint a floor with floor paint, it might dry after a couple of hours. But the floor is not ready to put furniture back. So, you should wait for seven days to cure the floor completely. Then you can put back the furniture.
How long should paint dry before walking on it?
Like the previous answer, you should also wait a couple of days before walking on a painted floor. Generally, you should paint dry for at least one day before walking on it.
The paint on the floor might be dry within 4 to 6 hours. But the floor paint is not fully cured yet. So, you must wait 24 hours to dry the paint before walking on it. Otherwise, the paint will not be durable on the floor.
How long should floor paint dry between coats?
You also should wait for the floor paint to dry between coats. You should allow at least 2 to 4 hours for floor paint to dry between coats. When applying the first coat of paint over the floor, it must be dry before another coat.
The paint will chip off quickly if you don’t wait between coats. So, you must wait a couple of hours between coats.
How many coats of floor paint?
Now that you know you can apply multiple coats, you might want to know about it. So, let’s see how many coats of floor paint you have to apply.
Concrete floor:
Concrete floor paint takes time to dry and cure. But you have to apply multiple coats to make the paint durable. You should apply two to three coats of concrete floor paint to the surface.
Wood floor:
Wood floor paint needs more coats than a concrete floor. You should apply at least 3 to 5 coats of wood floor paint.
Final Thoughts
Floor paint needs 4 to 8 hours to dry on average. But it depends on the type of paint and weather conditions. If the weather is cold, the drying time will be longer. But after drying, you can’t use the floor. You should allow more time to cure the floor paint completely.