Floor paint and floor varnish

Floor paint and floor varnish are used interchangeably and in practice mean the same thing: a hard-wearing finish that can take foot traffic. This page brings our floor products together. Which one you need depends on two questions: water-based or solvent-based, and clear or opaque.

Water-based or solvent-based?

Water-based floor varnish is low-odour and dries quickly. That is pleasant in a lived-in home: you can do a room in a single day without it smelling of paint for days. For parquet, wooden floors and stairs indoors, this is usually the choice.

Solvent-based is the right choice as soon as concrete or exterior work is involved. Our solvent-based floor varnish also makes a concrete floor dust-free and easy to clean, something water-based does not. At 13 m² per litre it also goes the furthest.

Clear or opaque?

Clear shows the wood grain, opaque turns it into a solid area of colour. With a beautiful oak floor you usually want clear; with a concrete floor or a floor with lots of repairs, opaque. Our clear varnishes come in matt and satin, the opaque ones in almost any colour. The clear varnishes have their own category; this page shows the opaque floor paint and floor varnish. Looking for a transparent finish? Take a look at clear floor and parquet varnish.

Go to the right category

• Water-based floor varnish: for parquet, wooden floors and stairs indoors, clear or opaque
• Solvent-based floor varnish: for concrete and exterior work
• Clear floor and parquet varnish: transparent, the wood grain stays visible

Before you start

The surface determines the result more than the paint does. Concrete must be at least six months old and thoroughly dry. Sand wood and remove all dust; degrease oily wood species first. If you do not know the surface, do an adhesion test on an inconspicuous spot first.

Not sure which floor varnish suits your situation? Drop in at one of our shops in Centrum, West or Noord and we will look at it together.