Q: What Kind of Paint Do You Use on Concrete?

A: Concrete floors can be painted with a traditional paint; however, paint is at high risk of flaking and peeling when applied to concrete, especially in garages with vehicle traffic or basements with moisture. When it comes to painting the concrete we would recommend using an epoxy floor coating with a urethane top coat. Epoxies are essentially durable paints. They are two component products that have a part A and part B that are then mixed together and applied to concrete.

Epoxy floor coatings are effective on concrete as long as the surface has been properly prepared. Concrete needs to be etched with muriatic acid or grinded with a floor machine grinder. When concrete is poured it is typically troweled smooth. This can be problematic when applying an epoxy floor coating since there is no “bite” in the concrete for the coating to adhere to. By prepping the concrete it is going to end up feeling like sand paper, the perfect profile for installing a durable concrete coating.

Once the concrete has been cleaned if there are any oil stains on the concrete you are going to want to use an oil stop primer. Oil stop primers are applied over oil stains and they allow the new epoxy coating to adhere to the concrete. If an oil stop primer is not used a concrete coating will not bond to the oil stain. If an epoxy floor coating is going to be applied in a basement that has moisture you are going to want to use a moisture barrier coating to stop any moisture and prevent the epoxy from de-laminating.

At this point the concrete is ready to accept an epoxy coating. Epoxies are available in clear or colored versions and decorative additions like paint chips, oxides, quartz and metallics can be used to achieve decorative effects. Epoxies are sold in kits that need to be mixed with a drill attachment or jiffy mixer prior to application. Once part A and part B have been mixed you can then apply the epoxy with an Epoxy Glide roller. About twelve hours later you can go over the epoxy with a urethane top coat for extra abrasion and staining protection.

Even though they are more expensive, epoxy floor coatings are great options for giving concrete the paint look with a longer lifespan of 5 to 10 years when compared to standard paint.