Concrete paint isn’t so much a paint or color as it is a technique. Most people are used to the drab boring grey color of concrete. If they want to spice it up a bit, they have to use concrete paint. Paint can make any room, floor and building look more natural and feel more like home. Here’s the basics of how to spice up your concrete with paint.
Before you start, painting concrete is harder than any other type of painting. If you’re not the home improvement project whiz, it might be more beneficial to hire a professional to do it for you than attempt it yourself. It’ll take a week or so to finish a concrete painting project. Keep that in mind before you start, too.
The first step to painting a concrete surface is to clean the concrete. You can do this with a broom, power washing or using a Trisodium Phosphate mix. If the concrete it outdoors, you’ll want to pull out any weeds or vines, along with other debris before you wash it down. If your concrete has built up efflorescence, remove it as well.
If there’s any paint on the concrete from a project before, you’ll need to strip it before you continue. If not, move on to the next step.
The next step is sealing the concrete’s interior. Since concrete is a porous material, you can do this which will prevent moisture and mold from developing. Use a sealant on the concrete and utilize two coats.
After the sealant has set, you’ll move on to priming the concrete. There’s concrete primer out there and you’ll want to follow the instructions to use it. Once it dries, usually within two hours, you’ll want to wait at least a week before actually painting the concrete.
When you’re ready to paint, you can utilize masonry paint to do this. While others might suggest other paint types, this is the best type of paint for concrete because of the binders within which pair well with concrete. Follow the instructions for the masonry paint. Make sure to let the paint wait 24 hours before applying another coat.
