Painting A Primer On A Sub-floor

I am a new at home improvement and need a answer to a question about painting a primer, first coat on a sub-floor that is not wood nor concrete. The sub-floor looks a dry wall but much stronger. I found a gallon of latex based semi-gloss enamel paint. It is a light pale yellow color. Could I use this paint for a single primer before putting a darker slate blue floor enamel over it as the finished project? This is for a bedroom floor that will have a large area rug covering all my mistakes. lol

I have searched the internet but not found an answer do to the now worldly craze for wooden floors. If I wanted to pain a wooden or concrete floor to look like a wooden floor I would have lots of answers and opinions on how to do it, but alas, my simple answer must be out there among you home improvement experts.

Can you help I want to start painting soon??

 

I've never used a semi-gloss paint as a primer but I have used flat paint as a primer usually white. Answering as a jimmy rigger, I would hesitate because semi-gloss is slicker than flat paint and applying another coat of paint over it probably wouldn't adhere easily. That's just my thought though. Flat paint has a dry look similar to a primer and is easy to paint over.

 

Uh, yeah.......uh, no......uh........Without looking at it, I believe the sub-flooring you are seeing is a dricoat subfloor used for leveling and smoothing purposes. The main attribute it has is it doesn't have a major shrinking or swelling problem that most panel sheathing does which allows for a good setting for rock or wood flooring.
It's made for mud applications for ceramics or for direct hardwood flooring on top or even for vinyl applications.
The problem is that it can get pretty brittle and might crack due to centered weight rather than the distributed weight of a practical floor on top, but it also depends on the thickness of it. Some of it is as thin as 1/4" and as thick as 3/4". Obviously, the thicker it is the better chance you have of it not cracking.

But, that said, if you like it.......go for it.

Rule of thumb about differing paints. Oil goes on top, always! If you wish at any time to put latex on top of oil, deglaze with bleach or paint thinner first. Enamel is oil based so have fun with your project.

Hope it helps..........

 

@Sandy Wood I know what you mean. I was looking around online yesterday for answers to a home improvement DIY question, and it seems there are always many posts stating the same thing, just using different words, yet these isn't nearly as much variety of information as I'd expect. I wish I knew what was under the carpet on the stairs here. Well, under the carpet in the whole house, really, because now that I'm feeling a little better, I'm tempted to yank it up. Since I have no money to add something else though, other than perhaps a gallon of paint, I'm still hesitant. I know nothing in this house is better than builder grade, and I even question that, so I haven't decided what I'm going to do, but I hope you post pictures along your journey, because I'd love to see them.

 

I used oil based paint on my fireplace. My first time and it's nothing like regular type paints. Clean up was a hassle for me. I threw everything that I had gotten paint on away. Hindsight - I should have worn some gloves.

@Bobby Cole. Thanks for the tip on painting over enamel paint. I have an area that I consider a mudroom that has been painted with a very bright yellow enamel, ugh. I was going to prime it but have been hesitant to do so. Now I know how to prep the area for a color that I like.

 

@Diane Lane. You should do what we've seen on HGTV shows. Find a corner and gently pull the carpet up to see what type of flooring is underneath. Maybe that will lessen the apprehension some and go on to another level toward making that decision to 'yank' it up.

 

Thank you all. @Von Jones, thank you for your suggestion. I have a few gallons of flat white wall paint and was unsure of which type of paint for a primer. What you said makes a lot of sense and also will dry faster, so that I can paint the sky blue enamel paint on sooner, rather than waiting and waiting for a first coat semi-enamel primer coat to dry. I am going to be an expert before this is over.
@Diane Lane, I will be adding pictures of the sub-floor and then my putty job and then my painting. The removal of the carpet was quick with a box cutter removing the carpet in pieces. The wool pad underneath was just rolled up and then trashed. The wooden strips came up easy using the special tool and a hammer. I will take a picture of this tool as well. Us women can get a job done with a bunch of tools and lots of willpower and courage, oh, and this site and youtube, for helpful ideas and instructions.

 

Well so much for bright ideas in this project. The paint I intended on using well needless to say the lids were rusted on so tight I could not pry them off. So off to the local paint department at True Value hardware store to buy a gallon of primer. I bought white and more putty to fill nail holes and smooth rough spots. I learned it is better to fill all the nail head holes instead of letting them go. My first coat showed the nails I had missed so more putty was smoothed on to make the floor look better.
So of course you let the putty dry and then lightly using sandpaper smooth any bumps or ridges from the putty applications.
This sanding part has been put on hold as I had another bright idea, which was to touch up the woodwork. So I had bought a quart of paint that I thought matched what I had. Well it didn't. So I painted all the woodwork a creamy white instead of a antique yellowy cream. I got the second coat on the base boards and door frames, and closet door done today. I still need to finish the window frames. taking pictures as I go.
So the white paint has really brightened up my bedroom and now I can get back to working on the floor. Can hardly wait.

 

I promise I will upload pictures of this entire project. I started up my old computer over the weekend and naturally the monitor I had attached to it had died. So I need to move my good monitor over to the old computer to put the pictures on a disk so I can then put the monitor back on my good new computer and post them here.
The project is finally done. I went to paint the window frames and woodwork only to discover I could not remove the windows as they were held in place by metal straps and cored weights. So I complained loudly and called a friend to ask what to do and finally just painted. I had removed the wooden strip that normally holds the windows in place and so was able to wiggle the windows to keep them from being painted closed. That done as I raised the lower window to be sure it worked, after painting of course, the metal strap came off. Now I need help to get it back on, but that's another day and another story.
So back to the floor and it's sparkling white primer. I opened the can of floor paint called "Sassafras Tea," expecting it to be a medium tan, it wasn't. It was very very light tan not my color. I pounded the lid back on and took it to the store and explained my problem. Don't worry Sandy, they said we will darken it. Well one squirt of dark brown mixed, nothing happened. Second squirt of dark brown, still nothing in fact it looked lighter in color. Finally a squirt of black, mixed in. We looked at it and he decided to mix it a bit more. Then when he removed it from the machine I said don't open it again I will take it home and try it. If not right bring it back they said. Well I started painting and decided to go with the color. It is sort of tan but kind of looks a bit wild blueberry as well. Darned if I know how that happened. Maybe it's greyish, you decide when I put the pictures up.
Anyways, I let it dry good and today I laid my brown carpet down and the room looks great. Even my younger brother said so. Look forward to your opinions as well. It always seems the best laid plans have a bunch of hitches in the mix. Has this happened to you? Share if you will it would improve my mood. lol

 

It's done, @Sandy Wood. I'm looking forward to the photos.

Our living room was painted white before moving in after a year I decided it was time for a change. I went to Sherwin Williams and found a five gallon of yellow paint, a very bright yellow. The price was right but the color wasn't. It was suggested that a darker tint may help. After several squirts there wasn't much of a change but I purchased it any way. My mother loved it even before I had decorated the walls. (I had a plan.) Any way it took a while for the color to grow on me but after I decorated the walls I found that I loved it too. I believe that the limited lighting help create a very warm and homey atmosphere.

 

Wow! All in all it sounds like you did a fantastic job!

I do, however, have a small suggestion that might make your further projects a little less hard on you. I thought about not telling you because you already worked so hard and I really do not want one sprinkle of rain to touch your parade. But alas, I obviously opted to let you know a little trick that might save you and others a bunch of time.
When you are doing a window, if it does not come apart as a part of the design do not worry about it in the future.
Paint away and have fun. After 3 or 4 hours of drying time, come back with a new razor knife or an exacto and simple run it down between the casing and the window frame. This will separate the two and the Windows will then become free to move up and down. It is extremely hard to mess it up! I have had to do it when folks have moved out of a house and the Windows have been stuck for years with layers of paint.
It's easy, looks professional, and there is less mess and time spent.

Looking forward to the pictures!!!

 

Thank you for the suggestion @Bobby Cole, I will use that to help my upper window that is painted shut. I was wondering how I was going to fix it.

 

First Picture shows bare sub-floor mess.

 

Next was putty over nail heads and board edges all rough spots.