Cement Paint – Give your Garage or Basement a Whole New Look
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It’s amazing what a little cement paint can do to enliven a dull, gray basement or garage. However, before you pick the color and paint, you need to be prepared for the process. That is why it’s important to prep the area you are going to paint first. You’ll need to clean and vacuum away any grease, oil spots or dirt and make sure that the floor is pristine. In addition, any paint has to be removed. Therefore, wear protective clothes and gloves, making sure that you are donning pants and shirts with long sleeves. Use stripping solvent and carefully follow the instructions.
Clean the Cement Before Painting
Once you’ve applied the stripping solvent, you’ll want to follow up by cleaning the area with a wire brush. The concrete or cement should then be washed using a minimum amount of detergent, water and a scrub brush. Rinse away any soapy residue.
Use Epoxy or High-quality Latex To Paint Cement
When painting a garage or basement floor, apply cement floor paint, containing approximately 50% epoxy or you can use a high-grade latex paint designed for use on concrete. Take a paint roller, which is affixed to a pole (about 4 feet), and start painting evenly over the floor. Usually, cement floor paint is available in standard colors, such as gray, forest green or brick.
Additives To Add To Cement Paint for Safety
For reasons of safety, include some type of grit or granules to the second coat of paint. This will create a non-skid surface. Just make sure you don’t throw in too much of the stuff or you’ll feel like you are walking on a sandy or gravelly beach or trail. In a basement, painting the floors and walls is a good solution for improving the interior. Even if you paint the whole area in a dove gray, it will spruce up the environment and make it seem less sad or ashen-looking.
Color is the Key To A Great Cement Painting Project
Just one coating of cement floor paint can make you feel a little better about the looks of your garage or basement. After all, what purpose does it serve you to look at a garage or basement day after day that stares back at you without any kind of expression? Give your basement or cement garage floor more of a personality and add some colorization with a can of paint.
And don’t think that battleship grey is the only cement floor paint color you can get. I have known lots of people who were reluctant to paint their floor because they thought that there were only boring colors to be had. Now a days you can find all kinds of colors to choose from to liven up your cement flooring.
Applying Outdoor Cement Paint Is Little Time-Consuming yet Rewarding
Whether you use epoxy cement paint or latex cement paint the prep work is going to be key to getting a good result. Be sure the surface is absolutely clean and dry. If you are outside then the best way to clean off any dirt, grime, or old flaking cement paint is with a pressure washer. I have one that uses a pulsing action and it really blasts everything off. Also, if the existing paint is peeling then you will need to wire brush it in order to get off all the loose pieces. If you don’t, your new paint will also just start peeling and that won’t look very good at all.
Learning how to paint cement is really not all that difficult if you remember to prep. You can get a very good result that can last a long time. When painting cement, though, you have to realize that it isn’t quite as easy as painting a regular wall. Prep time is longer and you have to use more tools and solvents in order to do the job right. But it is, indeed, a rewarding task once it is completed and you view the results. Go ahead! Take time out today and start making some upgrades!
If you want to paint the cement floor in your garage then this can be a good winter project as long as you can get air flow through the space. As with any type of coating, you don’t want to paint cement with the windows closed. The fumes can really get you.
If you are like me then your garage is probably full of stuff and it would be hard to move it all outdoors in winter. But, one thing you can do is paint a section at a time. Clear a ten foot square area or so and then prep and paint this. Once it is dry you can clear another area and do the same thing. It takes a little more time this way but if you have all winter anyway it doesn’t really matter. You can also do this when you paint the cement in your basement.
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