Painting the floor of your basement

Video: How I Painted My Concrete Floor! DIY Budget Friendly Basement Floor Option

Content

To step
Tips
Necessities

A painted basement floor improves the appearance of your basement, conceals surface imperfections and is easy to keep clean and maintain. However, you will need to take certain steps to ensure that you can paint the floor neatly and beautifully. The surface should be cleaned thoroughly before you start painting. The strong paint you need for the job has certain properties that ensure that you have to complete the job within a day. You will also need to consider other restrictions before you can start. Follow the guidelines below to find out how to paint your basement floor.

To step

Make sure you have the right conditions before you start the job. Concrete can be difficult to paint. It must be treated so that the paint sticks to it, and it should only be painted at a certain temperature and under dry conditions.
- Test the humidity in your basement by sticking a sheet of plastic to the floor with masking tape and letting it sit for 24 hours. If you see condensation on the plastic, moisture is pulling through the floor.
- If you see moisture on the outside of the plastic, it means the room is too humid. Use a dehumidifier to dry the room enough to start painting.
- Water at the bottom of the plastic means moisture is pulling through the concrete. Clean your gutters and downspouts to fix the problem.
- Do not paint the basement floor if the room is warmer than 32 degrees Celsius or colder than 4 degrees Celsius.
Thoroughly clean the basement floor. A concrete floor must be properly prepared to ensure that the paint adheres to it.
- Move all furniture away from the area you will be painting. The strong paint that you will be using to paint your basement floor contains a chemical ingredient, so the paint must be applied quickly. You will have to paint the entire room at once, so place your furniture in a different room.
- Sweep the floor and baseboards. Make sure there are no dirt and dust particles that could ruin your paint job.
- If necessary, use a degreasing agent to remove oil and other substances from the surface.
- Scrub the floor with a mixture of water and detergent and use a stiff brush. The floor must be free of dirt for the paint to adhere to it.
- Mop the entire floor with clean water and let the surface dry.
- Repair cracks and other irregularities in the floor with a trowel and a special concrete repair kit. You can buy such sets at a hardware store.
Protect baseboards and electrical outlets with masking tape. By taping the floor all around you will be able to finish the job faster.
Choose the right paint for the job. Expoxy floor paint is ideal for concrete floors. Such a paint is resistant to abrasion, adheres well to concrete and is easy to use.
- Mix the floor paint with a catalyst. The catalyst ensures that the paint hardens quickly. So when you have mixed the paint you will have to start the job immediately.
- Use your brush to brush along baseboards and sockets.
- Use a paint roller to paint the rest of the surface. Work towards the door from the furthest corner of the room.
- Let the surface dry thoroughly before applying a second coat of paint. Don't forget to mix the epoxy with a catalyst every time you paint a concrete floor.

Tips

Try dripping some water on the floor before mixing the paint. The floor must absorb the water. If the drops of water remain on the floor, you may need to treat the floor with a hydrochloric acid solution to help the paint adhere better to the floor.
Interior designers recommend staining concrete floors rather than painting them to give them a unique look. Pickling is done in a similar way to painting. Make sure to use a stain that is suitable for concrete floors.