Concrete floor paint for basement - The Hull Truth

salty_dog · 03-22-2007, 12:02 PM

Need your recommendations. I just finished painting the poured concrete walls with 15 gallons of masonry paint. What a job until I went out and bought an airless sprayer. This is a new house; foundation was poured late last summer. I have shop vac'd and mopped the floors once. I plan on mopping one more time to make sure they are as dust free as possible. I am also going to fill in some minor blemishes with Quick-Crete cement/vinyl patch to get the floor as near perfect as possible. I prefer a latex paint for ease of clean up and was told by some local paint guys to stay away from oil based paints. I do not want to kill myself doing this project. 50% of the space will eventually be finished. The remainder will be a shop area, utility space, and storage. I would prefer a product that can do the job in one coat and doesn't require any mixing of products. The basement is approximately 3,700 square feet. The floor/basement is dry (hasn't leaked yet - and we have had a couple of real soakers), but my sump pumps do run non stop this time of year. I would almost guarantee that if I taped down a piece of plastic, there would be some condensation on the plastic after a couple of days. This area will be a "go down stairs and do that" for my three kids. I imagine there will be a lot of little people foot traffic, bikes, skate boards, lacrosse balls, etc.

Let me hear your recommendations. Product, prep process and how well it has held up.

Thanks

trapit · 03-22-2007, 12:10 PM

Go to Home Depot and get some Behr latex base concrete paint. We do a process called "Spray Crete" around the decks of some of our pools and that is the paint we use. Good High quality stuff. You pick the color...they mix it...you roll it on. If your mopping your doing more than we do. As long as there is nothing "loose" (aka dirt or other trash) it'll be fine.

abeal2 · 03-22-2007, 12:12 PM

Have you looked into that epoxy stuff? Not sure how well it would work in a basement but I have seen it in shops, garages and factories and it has held up a lot better than the painted concrete I have seen. Just something to consider.

salty_dog · 03-22-2007, 12:28 PM

Thanks guys. That was quick. I used the Behr Masonry paint on the walls. Looks good. Time will tell how long it holds up. One of the local paint shops siad to use Benjamin Moore paint for the floors. He recommneded either the Latex Floor & Patio Enamel - Epoxy reinforced or the Alkyd Porch and Floor Enamel - Urethane reinforced.

Which of those two would be a better choice.

trapit · 03-22-2007, 12:35 PM

Is that epoxy stuff rolled on then the "texture" sprinkled is over it?? I'd get something that looks kinda cool. Paint is bland

Garett · 03-22-2007, 01:02 PM

My principal concern here would be, has the floor cured enough yet?

I've got concrete steps leading downstairs which are painted. We've always used Sterling Paint...I'm not sure you will be able to get it in your parts? Either way it is a semi gloss enamel paint that stands up incredible well!

Might I also suggest you hold off from painting the floor until the dog days of summer...there will be less moisture in the concrete and therefore you should get a bet bond.

Brad1 · 03-22-2007, 01:07 PM

I did our cement patio a few years ago with H&C Concrete Stain. The product is sold at Sherwin Williams. The product was easy to apply and it has held up perfectly. The patio is exposed to sun and weather.

MAXIMUM B · 03-22-2007, 01:39 PM

It depends on what type of protection you want.
2 part garage floor epoxy will give you the best protection. If you are using part as a shop and would have oil grease etc. , epoxy would be the way to go. If you use epoxy wait until temps warm up. The cold will slow the dry.
If it is more for looks, use Alkyd modified w/ urethane. Both are solvent based but are high flash (mineral spirits) so flash is not a real danger. Do open doors and windows w/ a fan for odors.
I would stay away from latex or the concrete stains.
Valspar 2 Pt Garage fFoor Epoxy(Lowes) is very high quality.

mb_24 · 03-22-2007, 01:56 PM

I used Duron latex on my floor. Got three boys and routinely send them downstairs to blow off steam.

It's held pretty well considering I didn't etch the floor first -- lazy of me, but I was only looking to keep dust down, not for aesthetics.

With all the prep you did, the Duron latex can also be a good alternative.

Trayder · 03-22-2007, 02:16 PM

We had our basement acid stained and then coated with a clear epoxy. It came out real sharp, is very easy to maintain and has not shown any wear in 5 years.

do a google search for concrete stain and a ton of options come up. Ithink we went with a company from Texas?

coastboater · 03-22-2007, 05:09 PM

Quote:

abeal2 - 3/22/2007 11:12 AM

Have you looked into that epoxy stuff? Not sure how well it would work in a basement but I have seen it in shops, garages and factories and it has held up a lot better than the painted concrete I have seen. Just something to consider.

My neighbor just did his garage floor last weekend with a water based epoxy. Came in gray and tan - he used the gray. All he did was vacuum the floor, roll it on, and periodically sprinkle the vinyl chips which were blue and white. It cured in 24 hrs., no smell to speak of (probably a good thing in your basement), and he parked his leaking Harley on it the next day

Good luck!

Mr.Mike · 03-22-2007, 07:40 PM

I recently painted my shop floor with water based Rustoleum Epoxy Sheild. I added sand to it for traction. It really looks great with the chips sprinkled on it. Im amazed at how tough this stuff is considering it's water based. Ive dragged all kinds of equipment, metal shelving, etc, on it. You CANNOT Scrape it. I had a Jeep leak automatic trans fluid on it and it sat for 6 weeks. I cleaned it up and it didn't stain. The stuff is unreal. And they make a similar product for basement floors.

autobaun70 · 03-22-2007, 11:32 PM

we did our shop floor with ppg epoxy at work about 9 months ago, went on extremely easy, just clean good and actually pour the epoxy directly on the surface and spread with a squeegee. When I describe this as being a shop, I mean heavy equipment shop, regularly has 30K lb + equipment on it, some with metal tracks. The surface is holding up amazingly well. Probably a little more expensive than the stuff from the home improvement center, but definitely a lot more durable.

Elusive · 03-23-2007, 07:38 PM

It's a good move. It makes the basement feel drier & more finished. Not only cuts down on dust but provides a vapor barrier

Don't forget to get a dehumidifier. If you have a basement, you need one

KJS · 03-23-2007, 08:20 PM

I just purchased a dehumidifier for our basement a couple weeks ago. Man they are expensive.