How to Use Gritty Paint on a Horse Trailer Floor

Horse trailer floors are often made of wooden floorboards. When the boards need fixing, finishing or a change, one option is painting the wooden floors. Using a gritty paint, or a paint with sand texturing that has a gritty feel and appearance, can prevent slips on smooth paint and provide better footing.

Things You'll Need

  • Bucket
  • Mild detergent
  • Scrub brush
  • Wash rag
  • Towel
  • Sandpaper
  • Wood filler putty (optional)
  • Putty spatula (optional)
  • Primer
  • Gritty paint
  • Roller or paintbrush
  • Paint tray
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Instructions

    • 1

      Remove any items from the trailer floorboards. Move everything out of the trailer before starting the project. Open the doors for good ventilation before starting to prevent breathing in fumes from the paint.

    • 2

      Clean the flooring. Use hot water and a mild detergent with antibacterial properties to remove dirt and grime. Scrub with a scrub brush to get into small spaces and remove anything stuck to the flooring. Rinse the soapy water off by pouring a bucket of clean water on the floor and pushing the dirty water out of the trailer. Use a wash rag and wipe down the trailer floors to remove excess water, soap and dirt. Dry the floors with a towel until most of the water is up and allow the rest to air dry. Never paint over a wet wooden surface to avoid rot.

    • 3

      Look over the flooring for any cracks, chips or similar damage. If there are chips, small holes or damage to the floor that does not require full floor replacement, such as a chip in the wood from horse hooves, get out wood putty and fill the space. Use the putty spatula to fill in the damaged area according to the putty directions, smooth it and allow it to dry. If there are no damaged spots, the putty is not necessary.

    • 4

      Sand the wood smooth. Sand along the grain of the wooden floorboards in either a back and forth or up and down motion. Use a fine grit sandpaper, such as 400 grit, for the best results. Brush all of the wood dust out of the trailer and run a hand along the wood to check for rough areas. When it is completely smooth, wipe down the floorboards with a slightly damp cloth to remove any remaining wood dust.

    • 5

      Paint an appropriate wood primer onto the floorboards. Wood primers are designed to protect the wood from damage. Use a paintbrush or roller to put down the primer. Allow the primer to dry.

    • 6

      Stir the gritty paint according to the paint directions. If the paint requires adding sand texturing, add according to the paint directions and mix it into the paint. Pour the gritty paint into the paint tray.

    • 7

      Roll the paint roller or dip the paintbrush into the gritty paint tray. A roller is faster and easier to work with, but a paintbrush will work as well. Paint the flooring with the gritty paint by either rolling the roller onto the wooden boards of the horse trailer or painting with a paintbrush. Start from the front of the trailer and work toward the door to prevent accidentally stepping in wet paint. Allow the paint to dry and add a second coat. The floor will have a textured and gritty appearance and feel when the second coat is completely dry.