
How to Paint a Concrete Floor
MATERIALS AND TOOLS Available on Amazon
– 3″ Extra Heavy Duty Chisel Extension Pole Scraper ( available at hydestore.com )
– Extension pole
– Protective eyewear
– Protective invest
– Chemicalresistant gloves
– Concrete degreaser solution
– Masonry rust remover solution ( if necessary )
– Stiff bristle advertise broom
– MAXXGRIP PRO® High Carbon Steel 6-3/4″ Wire Brush ( available at hydestore.com )
– MAXXGRIP PRO® High Carbon Steel 9″ Wire Brush ( available at hydestore.com )
– Pump sprayer
– Wet/dry void
– Masonry fracture filler
– Caulking gun
– 2″ Stiff BLACK & SILVER® Putty Knife ( available at hydestore.com )
– 100grit sandpaper
– Plastic wrap ( optional )
– Painter ’ second videotape
– Richard Tools ’ 4-Piece Paint Roller Kit ( available at arichard.com )
– Extra roller covers
– Paintbrush
– Masonry primer
– Epoxy paint for freemasonry
– Masonry sealer
– BLACK & SILVER® Paintbrush & Roller Cleaner ( available at hydestore.com )
– Soap ad
STEP 1: Prep the Surface
tied after your concrete floors have been covered with a newly tinge, their condition will remain visible. Lumps, cracks, and early imperfections that you didn ’ triiodothyronine softwood with before you painted will retain just enough texture that their shadows will attract attention. That ’ south why you want the surface to be as legato and clean as possible before you begin painting concrete floors .
Get rid of the gunk.
garage and basement floors are ill-famed for stuck-on paint splatters and adhesive residue. fortunately, scraping away accumulated sludge doesn ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate have to be a back-breaking tax if you use a scraper that attaches to an extension pole, such as Hyde Tools ’ 3 ” Bent Chisel Scraper ( available at hydestore.com ; $ 11.84 ). This heavy-duty hand instrument features a rock-hard, high-carbon sword blade that makes immediate work of scraping off hardened remainder. Thread a standard extension pole into its red cover, and you ’ ll find that the blade is bent at just the correct slant for you to scrape standing well .
New paint sticks only to a clean, dry surface.
For best results in the long run, with minimal desquamation, start with a concrete degrease product that ’ mho suitable for your floors ( depending on whether they ’ rhenium interior or exterior surfaces ). Because concrete degrease products are often applied to damp concrete, befit up in protective eyewear, dress, and gloves, and spray down the floor .
- On patio and garage floors—which can dry out in the open air—it’s easiest to wet the surface with a garden hose. Then, apply the degreaser following the instructions on the label, scrub the solution into the floor with a stiff-bristle push broom, then hose off the solution. Remove any stubborn rust spots left behind by applying a rust removal solution designed specifically for use on masonry and scrubbing the stain with Hyde Tools’ MAXXGRIP PRO® High Carbon Steel 6-3/4″ Wire Brush (available at hydestore.com; $14.24). The brush can be held in the hand—its soft, ergonomic handle makes it easy to grip—or you can attach it to an extension pole so you don’t have to crouch on your hands and knees while you’re scrubbing away large stains. Its tempered carbon-steel bristles will maintain their shape even if you have a floor full of rust to remove.
- Cleaning indoor floors is a little trickier since you can’t spray them down with a hose. Instead, use a pump-type sprayer to saturate the concrete with water, then apply the degreasing solution (following the instructions on the label) and scrub with a push broom. Keep a wet/dry vacuum handy to remove excess liquid. You may need to spray the floor a few times, vacuuming up the water each time, to completely rinse away the degreasing solution.
Finally, fill any cracks that could mar your finished floor.
Concrete filler adheres best to clean cracks, sol scrape away any crumbling concrete using a wire brush like the MAXXGRIP PRO® High Carbon Steel 9″ Wire Brush ( available at hydestore.com ; $ 13.71 ). Its narrow-angled tip off makes it easy for the tempered carbon-steel bristles to reach into cracks—even in corners. And, like Hyde Tools ’ threaded wire brush, this one besides features an ergonomic soft-grip treat that ’ mho easy to grasp for reduce hand tire. Vacuum away the debris and fill the cleaned-out cracks with masonry crack makeweight ( which is typically dispensed using a criterion caulk gunman ). Smooth away any excess with a BLACK & SILVER® 2 ” Stiff Putty Knife ( available at hydestore.com ; $ 5.41 ) and, after the filler dries, sand the crack lightly with 100-grit sandpaper. ad Get a pro to do it for you Receive barren, no-commitment estimates from pro painters near you.
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STEP 2: Prime and Paint
Priming before you paint concrete floors helps ensure that your new front will stick. Select a fuse that ’ s compatible with both concrete and the epoxy paint that you ’ ll manipulation as a end coat. ( epoxy paint is the best option for floors, which take a lot of maltreatment. You ’ ll get the most durable results from epoxy, and it will hold up better over time than latex paint key. ) Be certain that both the fuse and rouge are suitable for the placement of your floor, whether it ’ s an inside or outside come on .
Wait until your concrete floors are dry before you prime.
moisture will prevent the fuse and paint from adhering properly. An easy way to tell whether the floor is dry enough is to place a humble piece of kitchen fictile wind ( about 12 ” squarely ) to the surface of the concrete floor. Seal all edges with tape. Wait overnight and then check the formative. If moisture has condensed on the bottom of the plastic, let the concrete dry another 24 hours and test again. When no condensation is present, you ’ rhenium good to go .
For large projects like this that require a few different applicators, double-check that you have everything you need.
If you have to stop to pick up something mid-job, you risk having the paint dry out and ending up with visible brush or roller marks. Make sure you aren ’ metric ton forgetting anything necessity before you get started—and save a little on your supplies, too—by consolidating some of your purchases into a single kit. The 4-Piece Paint Roller Kit from Richard Tools, for exemplar, comes with all the basics for rolling on the primer and the paint : the key tray and liner, a cage inning, and a polyester roller cover. Bonus : The thread cage skeleton attaches to a standard extension pole so you can roll on the flat coat and the paint while standing .
Mask the bottoms of columns, railing posts, or baseboards with painter’s tape before applying any primer.
Use a paintbrush foremost to apply the fuse around the floor posts and along the edges of the shock. then, once you ’ ve cut in around the edges, you can apply the rest of the flat coat with a paint roller. Remember to start rolling on the side opposite the door so you don ’ metric ton paint yourself into a corner, and exercise in minute swaths, about 2 feet wide. When applying the primer and the paint, keep a “ moisture edge, ” in other words, don ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate let the swath you ’ ve merely applied dry out before you roll the future one. This helps prevent visible roller marks on the finish up floor. ad
After the primer coat has completely dried, apply the epoxy paint.
Epoxy paint comes in two parts, and you ’ ll need to mix the parts together according to the instructions on the label before you paint the floor, using the lapp method you used for applying the flat coat .
STEP 3: Seal the Deal
once the epoxy coat dries ( check the label for drying time ), your floor will look amazing, but for the longest-lasting results, it ’ s a good mind to apply a sealant. Choose a sealant for outside or inner use ( depending on the placement of your floor ) and one that ’ s compatible with the epoxy paint you applied .
Heed the manufacturer’s instructions for ventilation, temperature, and humidity.
otherwise, you risk the product lifting off anywhere from a month to a year down the agate line. many fine-looking jobs have been ruined by not paying attention to the remedy temperature needed .
Use the same application method you used to apply the primer and paint.
Brush the sealant around the edges and then roll the floor. Let it dry wholly before walking on it. The sealant will add a glistening ending, provide a durable protective coating, and prevent the paint from fading so your floor will look just adenine good five years from nowadays as it does today.
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Cleanup Tips
- Most of today’s primers, sealants, and even epoxy paints can be cleaned up with just soap and water. Keep a bucketful handy, and soak paintbrushes and roller covers promptly to prevent the paint from drying on.
- You can often reuse the same roller cover for both priming and painting concrete floors if you clean it thoroughly between uses. Cleaning a roller cover is simple with Hyde Tools’ BLACK & SILVER® Paintbrush & Roller Cleaner (available at hydestore.com; $5.14). It features an easy-grip nylon handle and a curved stainless steel edge that’s designed to push paint down and off the roller. It also has a tined edge that resembles a comb for pulling even the stickiest paint from paintbrush bristles.
- Toss out disposable pan liners, but save the plastic paint roller pan for future use.
- When the sealant dries completely, use a sharp utility blade to cut along the edge of the painter’s tape before pulling it off. Cutting it makes it easier to pull off, leaving a crisp, clean edge. It may help to hold a straightedge along the tape while you cut.
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