You could skip most of that prep work if you acid stain your floors instead of painting them. You can get an Acid Stain Overlay Kit and acid stain from www.DCsurfaces.com . Acid stain is pretty easy to do, fairly quick (2-3 days of not too much labor), and VERY cost effective. You can acid...
If you have concrete floors you could do an Acid Stain Overlay and acid stain the floors. The company I work for has all the products to do the job yourself. You can view photos and order materials at www.DCsurfaces.com. It is VERY easy to do and always turns out great! For about $1/sq. ft...