topic Re: Painted concrete? in Community Chat

Painted concrete?

Demitra1 — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 20:56:16 GMT

We have a covered back porch with a concrete floor. It is in good shape other than rust stains from metal furniture legs. I want to paint the floor, and upon checking out available concrete paint, I discovered there are a number of finishes from which to chose. We have a painted garage floor with "confetti" chips in the paint. I do not want that for the porch. There is a finish called "Granite Grip". Looks really nice and comes in a lot of colors. I understand preparation of the concrete is key to doing a good job.

My question...do you have any experience with painting concrete and especially that particular finish? I know it's a long shot, but thought I would try. My concerns are 1) chipping off and 2) if dirt, grass clippings, and pet hair would grip to the surface.

Thanks for your thoughts,

Demitra1

Re: Painted concrete?

hoosieroriginal — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 21:18:53 GMT

I used concrete stain for a room down in my basement, but I didn't like the results. It was watery and dripped and was hard to use. I too am looking for a paint to use in the rest of the basement. People tell me paint chips, but if you go to a paint store, they tell you it doesn't. I'm interested in the replies you might get also.

Re: Painted concrete?

ROMARY — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 21:25:51 GMT

I'd try to find something that soaks deep into the concrete, so it won't chip. Lots of folks painted their walkways, and have had to re-paint them every couple of years or so. BUT, I'm thinking that there are stains/paints that have been improved and that soak in, now-a-days.

Re: Painted concrete?

GCR18 — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 22:04:34 GMT

Years ago my father painted his cellar. It chipped and needed to be repainted yearly. After he passed, I ended up having to scrape the floor. Granted my father likely didn't use a concrete paint, but it was enough to sour me on the idea. Maybe there are better paints today.

Re: Painted concrete?

goldensrbest — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 22:12:11 GMT

This house was built 3 years ago,i could not afford to tile the basement,so the builder hired a person to do a paint on the concrete, they scored it ,to look like large tiles, it is awful, it has faded, the grout is chipping, my advice don't do it.

Re: Painted concrete?

Europeana — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 22:15:32 GMT

I'm doing that project right now!

We paint our front porch concrete and patio concrete every fews years. It really looks beautiful! Go to Home Depot they have Behr concrete paint in a lot of colors to choose from. We always do a dark forest green that looks very nice.

Make _sure_ that the concrete is very clean. I pour either TSP or a good laundry soap in a bucket of warm water and scub away with a tough brush. Rinse and repeat if needed.

Make sure you don't try to cut corners like I did a few years back by not buying the Behr contrete primer. If you don't, your paint might lift and bubble in a few spots (like mine did)

And let it dry completely before putting any heavy items back on your patio or the paint might stick to the bottom.

You will be very happy with the outcome!

Re: Painted concrete?

CelticCrafter — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 22:18:13 GMT

We have two different style houses in the neighborhood.

We are in a Cape Cod, one step up into the front door.

The other style has three or four steps with a landing up to the front door and all the houses that have painted the concrete look awful, they are all peeling and chipping.

Re: Painted concrete?

Europeana — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 22:24:43 GMT

@GCR18

I know what you mean! My grandfather also used to paint his cellar and it chipped and looked bad pretty fast!

I could bet my life that my grandfather just used any leftover paint he'd end up with or maybe something someone was going to throw out. I know he would never of spent the extra cost of concrete paint, as it is it a bit more pricey, but worth it!

Re: Painted concrete?

GCR18 — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 22:30:42 GMT

@Europeana wrote:
@GCR18

I know what you mean! My grandfather also used to paint his cellar and it chipped and looked bad pretty fast!

I could bet my life that my grandfather just used any leftover paint he'd end up with or maybe something someone was going to throw out. I know he would never of spent the extra cost of concrete paint, as it is it a bit more pricey, but worth it!

@Europeana your grandfather must have known my father!!! Why waste good paint. LOL

Re: Painted concrete?

Ibby114 — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 22:36:16 GMT

You need to prep the concrete before you paint it- I can't recall what product you need to use but my BIL advised me when I was going to paint my basement. It kept me from doing the job!!

Re: Painted concrete?

gardenman — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 22:37:10 GMT

The challenge in painting concrete is the inability to completely seal the concrete on every side. Concrete is porous and moisture will enter the concrete through any unsealed area and then accumulate and eventually push off the paint. If you can completely seal anything concrete on every side, the paint will last for many years. The problem is you can very rarely completely seal anything concrete.

Re: Painted concrete?

Demitra1 — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 23:41:56 GMT

Thanks, everyone for your opinions.

i know we had to acid wash (etch?) our garage floor before it was painted. I am a firm believer in the necessary prep despite the cost and the work. (My husband would agree with your dads who would use up left over paint on the porch...grrr!) I also know myself well enough to realize that if/when the paint chips, I'll be so bummed.

Demitra1

Re: Painted concrete?

Lyttlewyng — Tue, 01 Mar 2016 00:09:44 GMT

I recently watched an episode of Ask This Old House and they used something called

Reclaim, Beyond Paint. The manufacturer claims it will paint on any surface without the need to sand or prime, including concrete. Cleaning the surface first is recommended. (the home owner used it on her pine kitchen cabinets and backsplash tiles) Google the name for their site and further information. I did and was pleasantly surprised what this paint will cover. The down side is that it's very pricey but the good news is they claim it will cover any surface. By the way, when I Googled the product, I also found that the quart size was sold on the other shopping channel. It might be worth it to test it on your surface. Hope this helps.

Re: Painted concrete?

fthunt — Tue, 01 Mar 2016 00:27:23 GMT

Contact a swimming pool company - after it's installed they to the around decking and that's an area that gets all kinds of weather. My husband painted the garage floor years ago and it flaked - no good. We hired a company that does swimming pool work and they did our garage - our screened porch and the front porch floor. That was 15 years ago and it's still beautiful and I picked the pattern for both porches. This guy trained in Florida but had to adapt the material to cold north country elements. You can pick any pattern or color you want. No paint - no paint.

Re: Painted concrete?

Demitra1 — Tue, 01 Mar 2016 01:50:38 GMT

A swimming pool company is an interesting idea. There isn't one very close to here, but I do know where one is. It would be worth seeing what they have to say.

Thanks!

Re: Painted concrete?

Lila Belle — Tue, 01 Mar 2016 02:53:40 GMT

I stained a small patio to resemble bluestone by blending several shades. I etched it first and it turned out great. I taped off sections for a block pattern. It camouflaged rust stains and blends in and adds to the stone look.

It was easy. I just watched a video and went ahead.

Just want to add that new rust and other stains makes it look better as it ages.