A  Comprehensive Guide On Painting Concrete

“Can you paint concrete?” is a question we get asked frequently.Indeed, concrete can be painted to breathe new life into it instead of leaving it covered in a sea of gray. Even if you don’t want a new color, it’s still beneficial to minimize dust. By nature concrete has porosity, so painting is not the easiest task. To achieve the ideal finish, we’ve put together the comprehensive guide on painting concrete.

Painting directly onto concrete

Can you paint concrete? You can paint concrete, but for the best finish, some preparation is required first. If you take a little more time in the beginning, your freshly painted surface will look better for longer. It’s especially crucial if you’re painting the floor of the garage or another area with a lot of traffic. Minimum two coats of paint are required if you’re directly painting onto the material. For complete information, consult the label. Generally, the first coat should be mixed with 20% or less thinner. Consider the first coat as a primer even though a large portion of it will get soaked into the porous surface and appear uneven. Even results can be achieved with one or two more coats.

How do you prepare the floor for painting?

With these steps, preparing a floor will become an easy task. Make the concrete clean. The porous surface of grease and grime can allow these substances to seep into the paint, hindering its adhesion and potentially changing its color. Sweep away dust and loose debris. Depending on the level of contamination, you can use concrete cleaner, also called descaling acid. Using the proper wire brush, sandpaper, or stripper, remove the leftover old paint. For optimal results, it’s a bit of a chore, but well worth it.

Once dry, fill in any holes and smooth them out. It is best to start with a smooth surface because paint has a limited coverage area. Let it dry completely. 

Apply paint to concrete

You are prepared to paint once your surface has dried and been prepped. When painting recently laid concrete, allow it to dry completely for three months. If the surface you need to paint is bare concrete, you will need to use the appropriate thinner and dilute it to 20% for the first coat. After the paint has been catalyzed, add thinner if you are using a two-pack epoxy paint. Allowing the first coat to fully dry before the second coat is advised. 

After finishing, give the paint three to four days to fully cure before using it and seven days before reassembling the furniture.