How do you paint an oak floor?

you don't paint an oak floor ! you strip it(sand it down) stain it and then clear polyurethane it

Lightly sand them , remove the sanding dust , and take you a small dust broom and re sweep as you go to cut down on the amount of particles getting on the wet paint , ( it makes the floors feel rough) , You will have to get an oil based floor paint , because chances are the varnish or polyurethane is oil based as well and latex will not stick to oil ,

Or if you can afford to do this , ...sand lightly , remove sanding dust , get a primer made by " Cabot " it is called "problem solver" , it is a low odor , quick dry oil primer , you can put it on the oil base floor , and then when the problem solver dries in one to two hours , use Cabot's line called "The Finish" it is in the same yellow can with a black banner at the bottom that says " The finish " ...this stuff is tough it is a Teflon latex paint , it has a semi gloss finish , and is just as tough as oil based paint , it can be tinted to any color , it lists as a solid color stain , but the latex is better than most paints , it is the only brand I use for boat houses , and decks , and I have started using this brand on all interior and exterior wood . It is good stuff , and is better than anything Bher , or Valspar could ever dream of selling ....7 years ago I painted a house , Cabot wanted me to try their "Finish" with Teflon , they supplied the 500 gallons needed to paint this house free of charge , The house is still looking just as good as when it was first painted , trust me it is good stuff.

And the primer can be tinted to almost the same color as the paint , you do not want it exactly the same , I would recommend that whatever the formula is to tint the paint , get them to use half that formula for the primer , it will help insure the paint covers the primer and if there are any missed places it will show so you can touch up as needed ..

I'm laughing at the guy that says he manages a paint store ..lol..Personally I would never paint a oak floor , but if you must, this is your choice...sand it good with 180 to 220 grit sand paper, just to scuff it up to make a good bond..clean it throughly after sanding.. I sweep them then take "tack cloth" available at home depot, paint stores etc....Then to make a proper bond...you do need to prime it with a quick dry oil base or alkyd primer..then paint it with a good polyurethane deck and porch enamel..sherwin williams has a product that is very good, water based, and durable....I have painted for 37 years and currently hold a Florida license to do so....Benjamin Moore stores get alot of people in trouble with thier suggestions, and thier color matches are inconsistant..I cant believe a store manager simply said to paint it two coats, especially not knowing what product may be on the existing floor..the oil base primer is VERY ESSENTIAL concerning this project

eeeegads! Why would you ever want to do that? Wood floors are very expensive, and add a lot to home as far as the look of warmth, but they also add to the value of the home. Never paint wood. If there are marks on it that would make it look antiquish. If they are just worn, then replace some, strip it and re-varnish it (and therefore you could clean it with only cold water) or cover it with a kind of plastic paint so it would be washable.

I don't think you should paint an oak or any hardwood floor for that matter. If you want to change the look of it, you can strip it and re-stain it. You'd be amazed at all the color choices there are for wood stains!

People pay a lot of money to have an oak floor. If you are trying to smarten it up, have it sanded and varnished, by a professional if you can afford it.

Use scatter rugs after it is dry.

It will increase the value of your house by more than you paid to have it redone.

clean the floor, sand lightly(150 grit should do), then two coats of paint. most floor paints are self priming, so you shouldn't need to do anything else