How long will it take? Painting floors isn’t a quick weekend DIY. When you factor in the time it takes to thoroughly clean and prep your space, the painting, plus the amount of dry time per coat of paint (Luis Zambrana recommends at least three to five coats and each should have 12 to 24 hours to dry), it could stretch over quite a few days. Think about if you have that time available and also if you can take the space out of commission for that long.