How to darken vinyl plank flooring?

Nonica2605

hi everyone! 

I have vinyl plank flooring all over the house in a light woody tone which is in great condition. I just really dislike how light it is and want to find a way to darken it. I have no other issues with it and not sure if replacing the whole floor is worth it. Do you have any suggestions for a gel/ water based wood stain/ varnish that would adhere to vinyl? I have uploaded some pictures for reference. 

EricL

Hello @Nonica2605

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's fantastic to have you join us, and thank you for sharing your question about painting your vinyl flooring.

Generally, vinyl flooring is designed to be hydrophobic or water-repellant. The surface treatment applied to its top makes it 100% waterproof. Due to this production process, the only way to paint anything on its surface is to destroy it by sanding it down. You then use specialized primers and paint to go on top. But despite this preparation, most of the paint will only last anywhere from 6 to 12 months before it starts to deteriorate. 

When you consider the time and effort to prepare the vinyl surface, replacing the entire flooring with something you like would be more cost-effective. However, as an alternative, I suggest introducing other elements such as dark-coloured carpets and hallway runners to break up the light tone of your flooring.   

Let me call on our experienced members @prettyliving, @Peggers and @lifestylebymari for their recommendations.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric