Painting linoleum - add color to your floors
But before you start, there is something you would want to be sure of, and that is ...
Your linoleum floor should not contain asbestos
Some linoleum floors contain asbestos, and floors with asbestos should not be sanded at any cost. Sanding floors with asbestos may release potentially harmful asbestos fibers into the air, and air borne asbestos fibers are serious health hazards.
If you are not sure whether your floor contains asbestos, you might find out by submitting a sample of your flooring to a laboratory for analysis.
If your floor does contain asbestos, then you might want to leave it alone, or install a new flooring on top of it.
Painting linoleum - the process
Surface preparation - Like any other paint job, painting your floor begins with surface preparation. The floor should be completely free of wax, and you will have to wash the floor with soap and water, and rinse later to remove soap and dirt. If your floor is glossy, then you will have to sand the floor with a medium sand paper to remove the gloss. The sanding dust will have to be vacuumed to remove the sanding dust before you can proceed with the paint job.
Apply a primer - You might apply an oil based primer after the floor surface has been prepared for painting. If you plan to use a darker shade on your floor, then you may tint the primer before applying it.
A finish coat of paint may be applied afterwards. You can find the best time to apply the finish coat in the primer instructions.
One the paint cures, you will have to sand it with fine sandpaper and apply several coats of a non-yellowing urethane. Without this coating, the paint layer could get worn off relatively easily, especially in high traffic areas.