Would you like to add a new dimension to your basement or other room that has concrete floors? You can use paint to transform your ordinary concrete floors into bright, colorful surfaces. Not only will paint add to the beauty of your concrete floor, it will also help to protect against moisture related problems such as mold and mildew You can let your imagination run wild when painting your concrete flooring. Explore the potential of using a variety of different colors to help open up the space or you can go with something more decorative such as interesting faux finishes.
Before painting your concrete flooring, it's important to correct any moisture problems that might prevent the paint from sticking to your floors. If there are serious moisture problems such as water seepage, this needs to be corrected and the floors allowed to dry completely before painting. You also need to be sure your concrete flooring will accept paint. Some concrete floors have hardeners added to them which may prevent paint adhesion.. To correct this problem, you can use an acrylic concrete sealant before starting the painting process. Here's how to paint concrete flooring:
Thoroughly clean the concrete surface
Clean the concrete flooring to be painted with a concentrated detergent and water solution to remove any dirt and grease. If you have any areas of mold or mildew, it's best to follow up with a weak concentration of bleach and water. Be sure to use good ventilation when working with bleach and don't mix it with any other chemicals. The cleaning process needs to be repeated until your concrete floors are completely free of dirt and grease. If grease problems persist despite repeated cleaning with the detergent solution, you'll need to purchase a heavy duty degreaser from your hardware store. Allow your concrete flooring to dry.
It's important that your concrete flooring be completely dry before applying paint.
Check the texture of your concrete flooring
As previously mentioned, some concrete floors have hardeners added which cause them to resist paint. Check the texture of your flooring. To accept paint readily, your floors should have the feel of sand paper. Try placing a drop of water on the floor, if the water forms a bead, your concrete flooring may not accept paint in its present state. In this case, you'll need to use an acid etcher to prepare the floors prior to painting. After etching, your concrete flooring will need to be cleaned again to remove any acid residue.
Fill in any pores, cracks, or holes
Use a resin filler to fill in any open pores, cracks, or holes before painting your concrete flooring. A resin filler can be purchased from your local hardware store.
Choose your paint
It's best to choose a paint designed for concrete to prevent the possibility of peeling. Most latex paints will work well for this purpose, although they may react with rubber. If you're painting an area where you store items with rubber tires, you'll want to elevate them off of the floor. Check with your local hardware store to get help in selecting the best paint for your particular concrete flooring.
Paint your concrete flooring
After applying a primer, use a roller to paint on several coats of your chosen paint color. Remember, you don't need to settle for a solid, one color surface. There are a variety of artistic looks you can give your concrete flooring using special brushes and stencils. Painting concrete flooring can bring out the artist in you.
Seal the paint
Apply a sealer to protect your newly painted floors following the instructions on the bottle. Allow this to dry thoroughly before walking on your new floors.
Now you can stand back and admire your newly painted concrete flooring. When you paint concrete floors, it gives the whole room a new look and feel that you can enjoy for many years to come.
