Online it reads that there is a chance that it can pull up fibers from wood flooring. Based on that info, I would not want to put it down on anything other than concrete or tile flooring. You have to FULLY seal the wood floors if you want to put this product down on top of it.

If it were me, I would stick with the wood floors you already have.

Jessica

myorangecouch.blogspot.com

if it comes of easily then it will come off with use. if it doesn't come off easily then it won't come off when you want to move.

Yeah, this sounds like a horrible idea that's sure to end badly no matter how you slice it. Decorate around what you've got, or forfeit your security deposit and risk landlord wrath.

I think the fact you already have a wood floor is probably fabulous enough. The amount of your security deposit is probably going to be a whole lot less than the amount you devalue the property/the cost of fixing what you've done if this stuff sticks everywhere, or the floor is poorly painted black without all the neccessary prep. And I have a hard time understanding why you would do that to someone.

If what you want to do is have it professionally stripped, sanded, and stained ebony . . . and it's going to up the property value, your landlord would possibly be okay with it. If that's not the case, then when you buy your own floor, by all means, paint or stain it black. It does look quite nice.

What do you guys think about black/dark-stained floors in general? I'm on the fence...

I would be too worried about the landlord suing me to mess with the floors without written permission. I don't know about other states but as a renter in Massachusetts, any damage you do to your apartment above the amount of your security deposit is still your responsibility (not just morally, but legally).

I would not mess with the wood floors, especially if they are original. Depending on the age of it, you may destroy it by having to refinish them

I wouldn't try this without the consent of your landlord. If it damages the floor, you could be out quite a bit for the repairs.

As a landlord, I would be horrified if someone did this to a unit I owned.

this sounds too scary to try! i agree with erinorea...if it comes off easily, its going to peel anyways, and if it stays put through the time you live there, it's not coming off without a fight.

talk with your landlord about what he might be willing to let you do...good luck!

One more vote for "wait until you are the owner".

I think black floors are stunning (gray is kind of cold and industrial a lot of the time), BUT I would not want the maintenance. I have a chocolate brown area rug that shows every speck of dust or popcorn or bunny fur (yeah, we DID think of that ahead of time -- I just vacuum a lot...). Even a hard surface black floor would need to be spotless to look good, and dustbunnies occur in corners almost before you finish cleaning them, so I could never live with black.

If you like the look of black how about a large area rug or using carpet tiles from Flor? They have tons of colors that could give you the black look you want without ruining the hardwood floor.

I have black painted wood floors and while lovely when clean, they're kind of a pain in my butt to keep clean. I love them in photos but man oh man cleaning sucks sometimes.

It's not something I would ever do unless i owned the house because the product may not come up the way it says it does. ... Just like my Rustleum whiteboard paint was kind of a crappy whiteboard...

The Black wood floors you've seen in magazines, etc aren't painted - They're stained.

I also loved black flooring, or so I thought. Six months after I had all the hardwoods in my house stained a deep shade of matte finish ebony, I regretted it. Every spec and hair shown 100 times worse than had the floor been white!! If you have black or dark wood floors, make sure you have a staff to keep it clean. I'll never do it again. I'm now happy with hickory all the way, and I'll never go back.

@ sturgeongeneral

They need cleaning EVERYDAY! If you have a live in maid where the entire house gets cleaned everyday except weekends, then YES, do a dark floor! Otherwise, be prepared to go batty!

Painting your landlord's hardwood floor strikes me as being uncomfortably close to vandalism.

Also, a product that's designed to be temporary, to be peeled off at the end of a photo shoot, seems exceedingly unlikely to hold up long under the everyday wear and tear that a regular floor is subjected to.

So unless you can work out some kind of deal with your landlord about having the floor refinished and stained black (which is both expensive and permanent), I think you'd better leave it be and work around it.

Thanks for reminding me why we never ever want to be landlords again!

Seriously people - quit it with your need to "make it fabulous". Your "fabulous" is my nightmare. If it's not what you want, don't rent it. Did you hear me - Don't rent it! It is not yours to make what you want. You are renting the space to live in - not a space to practice your DIY disasters.

Here's what you should invest time and money in as a renter: good quality classic furniture pieces, your clothing wardrobe, quality dishes/cookware/flatware, quality bed linens and towels. Rugs yes: flooring finishes no. Artwork yes: wallpaper or paint no.

All of these things go with you when you leave. There is plenty to invest in without crapping up someone else's investment property.

Just speak with your landlord. I work in an apartment community with carpeted apartments, and we allow residents to replace the carpet in their apartments as long as they pick up the tab. Like the comment above, if you presented the idea of staining them ebony, I bet your landlord might go for it.

Like some others above, I used to be so afraid of losing deposits until I actually started working for apartments. Then I realized if you just speak to the landlord first, and get the OK, theres actually a lot that you can do, and not worry about it being considered damage to the apartment.

Potpie, your comment about "DIY disasters" made me laugh.

One of our tenants recently "customized" her bathroom by painting little fish everywhere, covering a professional paint job. Let's just say she's not a natural artist.

In my experience, temporary black floor paint will only completely peel off an already slick surface, like poly-sealed sheet flooring or epoxy-painted concrete. And then, it will peel off completely for about 4-5 days or so, depending on temp. and humidity.

Better to get a large dark area rug.

I am a big fan of dark stained floors, as well, so I understand your urges! but, it will not be more than a week before you're in trouble with the landlord.

Dear Justin,

Put down the crack pipe and start saving for a house of your own, which will have floors that you are entitled to modify and/or deface in any way you so choose. (P.S. How old are you? I know kids who would ask this question, but no adults.)

Second Potpie in being glad I'm not a landlord anymore. I thought being gifted with an entire unit full of dirty gym socks, rotten food, boxes of non-virgin porno mags, a heavily used litter box, various abandoned bits and pieces of crappy furniture, and a filthy, disgusting fridge was bad, but if someone had painted my floors, there would have been nowhere for said someone to hide.

I agree that this sounds like a product not worth trying.

This has me terrified to ever ask a question though, do the commenters usually belittle the OP so much?

I'm pretty surprised that nobody has mentioned this, but what about just doing laminate flooring on top of the wood flooing. It wouldn't damage it, and you can take it with you to the next spot...

Check this stuff out, it starts at just over $1.00 per square foot, and any handy individual with some basic tools can install it in a weekend.

http://www.academyfloor.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=972

yer as someone else said, the black wood floors you see in magazines are stained, not painted. thats pretty permanent so this option is out.

maybe just get some black floor carpet tiles if you're that desperate for a black floor. then you wont damage the floor below (which if you did you could end up not only losing your deposit but could also be face being sued, which might include replacing the entire floor and paying court costs) and you can take them to another place if you decide to move.

either that or just save your money to do it properly in your own house one day.

Mishy, only the ones who forgot to take their meds.

I vote for a large, black area rug!

Love my espresso floors, hate the dust bunnies, tolerate swiffering.

How about Vario portable dance floor vinyl? I have the red as a flooring in my kitchen, and had blue in the entryway in my old apartment and it was great! It's a lovely matte surface with a rich color that lies flat and cleans easily. It's available in black.
http://www.gi-info.com/dancefloor.html

I think some of the best advice is some that hasn't yet been listed: live in your apartment for a bit first. See how you like it. You'll realize what you really want to change (add pizazz to a large, white wall with artwork) and what really turns out not to matter (the floors.) I'm all for personalizing a space and making it yours (with furniture, rugs, etc. as has been mentioned -- even paint, if this is allowed in your lease or has been approved by the landlord/super.) But some things just aren't worth it; it's a rental.

Also, this is more personal, but I think designs that embrace what's there are more appealing than those which try to completely alter the original space.

@Mishy: my answer, perhaps not a great one, is that I blame the "Good Question" post title. I read that and (understandably, I think) expect a good question. If it were "Reader Question," my expectations would be lower. However, such is not the case, then I read what is in my opinion a dopey question, and...you know. "You kids get off my lawn!" Belittling isn't the intention...period, end of sentence, new sentence...but I do wish the "good questions" were chosen more selectively. Which ties into the quantity-vs.-quality thing in the comments on the fewer-posts-on-AT post.

Don't paint the floor, its not yours to paint.

The end.

Almost anything you do may damage the floors. As another former landlord, I'm sure you'd not only lose your deposit, but get sued for damages.

Floor cloths. Buy canvas, prime it, paint it. Canvas has texture, so it won't be the same as the picture, but you could have your black floors.

A better option, since you already have wood floors as a surface to work with, would be to lay down that temporary wood floor boards that snap together on top of a flat surface. You can cut it to the size you need and take it with you when you leave. Sorry, I have not heard about the "FloorPeel" idea you mentioned...however I can't imagine that looking very natural or wood-like...and since "Jessica" above said that it can pull up wood floor fibers, that doesn't seem like a great option that would still get your security deposit back. :(

danimal- my thoughts exactly!

@shanalulu - It might not be a good question but I am glad it was asked. I am a renter (who would never in 100 years dream of painting the floors!) and have really benefited from the insights that other landlords have written in response to this question. Yes, there is such a thing as a dumb question, but the responses can still be very insightful.

Rental. Not yours. Deal.

Instead of painting it black or using FLOR tiles, I would suggest buying oversized bamboo floor mats that have been stained black, which you can find online. I have one in my dining room that is large enough to nearly cover the entire area. Buying two or three would likely cover an entire studio apartment. It gives you the look of streamlined wood flooring (but it also re-affirms what many people have said - you notice every little speck of dust!)

Another former landlord here- if you paint/recover the floors without express written permission from your landlord, you stand to lose a lot more than just your security deposit. Most landlords would be well within their rights to bill you for the full cost of having the their floors professionally restored. Not a worthwhile risk.