Painting Concrete Floors

Painting concrete floors doesn’t have to be limited to just the basement.  You can also paint your garage concrete floor or even a patio.

Painting a concrete floor, however, requires some up front analysis and preparation. First if your concrete floor has moisture or water issues, they must be addressed prior to attempting to paint the floor.

In some cases, if there is high moisture percolating up from the concrete floor, it may be impossible to paint the floor. You may want to call in a basement waterproofing professional to see what your options are for eliminating the moisture issues.

Once you’ve decided that you can paint your concrete floor next comes the prep work. It is critical that the concrete floor be spotlessly cleaned prior to painting it, as otherwise the paint will not stick to it. All dirt, dust, grime and grease must be removed from it. In addition, any cracks in the floor need to be sealed with an appropriate concrete sealer. Also, if there is existing paint on the concrete floor it will need to be sanded off. One of the best products for removing grease from a concrete floor is kitty litter. Simply pour it on over the grease spots and let it work in for a few hours. Then sweep the area thoroughly with a broom prior to picking up the kitty litter.

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To wash the concrete floor use a bucket of warm water and Trisodium Phosphate (TSP) and scrub the floor thoroughly with a mop or broom. Then mop it clean with clear fresh water. Allow it to dry for several days before proceeding forward with the prep work.

To wrap up the prep work vacuum the concrete floor well. Then sweep the floor one last time with a tack cloth to ensure you got every single piece of debris off of the floor. The first step in painting concrete floors is to seal them with a primer. Kilz primer works great for sealing and blocking any stains on the concrete floor. Apply two coats of the primer and allow it to dry thoroughly in between coats.

Now the actual painting of the concrete floor begins! First, use a high quality latex flat paint. Don’t waste your money on a cheap brand or product as you’ll end up with an unsightly chipping floor in just a couple of years.

Apply the paint to the concrete floor using either a roller or a paint spray gun. Make sure to apply the paint thoroughly and evenly to the concrete floor.

Finally, allow the paint to thoroughly dry for a couple of days. Then apply two coats of paint sealer over the painted concrete floor to complete the project. Again, allow plenty of time in between coats to allow the sealer to fully dry.

To provide some warmth to your newly painted concrete floor place some throw rugs around it. The rugs will help provide texture and contrasting colors to your new floor.