# Concrete Floor Paint and Primer questions???



## Sellncars (Nov 21, 2005)

Hello guys,

I had just removed a carpet from our basement, there was some backing that was left over. I rented a floor sander and did the concrete floor, vacuumed the entire area. Now i would like to know which Primers and paints are best for a concrete floor in a basement?

No water in the basement floors. We are getting a sum pump system put in because *once every other year or so we do get ground water coming in*. This company will dig up a 2 ft wide area of the concrete floor in a 40FT X 13Ft cut. They will recover with new concrete, so i have to wait awhile for the concrete to dry.

What would everyone use??


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## AAPaint (Apr 18, 2005)

If you're just going for a solid color, my product of choice would be SW Armor Seal 1k waterborne urethane floor enamel coating. It's made for industrial use like hospitals, factories, etc, and is FDA approved I believe...(don't quote me on that though) It has good abrasion resistance, chemical resistance, gloss retention, and excellent adhesion. It's industrial specification makes for a rock solid coating for residential applications. 

On clean, unpainted concrete surfaces you don't have to use a primer, just two coats of the sealer. They specify either do one to two coats without primer on unpainted concrete, or to do one coat of ArmorSeal, Floor Plex 7100 primer and two topcoats of the ArmorSeal WB urethane. Personally, I always prefer a primer...but this is all per their own specifications.


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## Brushslingers (Jul 28, 2006)

If you get ground water every other year, you may want to check the Ph levels before even attempting to paint concrete, anything above 6 and you'll have to rethink your primer. However, sounds like AApaint has a good plan for residential.


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## AAPaint (Apr 18, 2005)

Yeah...I didn't even see the ground water part. I just read "no water in floors".


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## lmcgrew79 (Apr 25, 2005)

Like AA i says except used armour seal 1000 hs, stinks like hell, but a great epoxy product. Use armour seal 33 under as a primer sealer. We just finished a toyota dealership with it. Ive used it a few other times in chemical plants and power houses as half of my background is industrial painting.


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## Wilco (Jul 28, 2006)

Both are good products epoxy cost alot more money.


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## Sellncars (Nov 21, 2005)

Wilco said:


> Both are good products epoxy cost alot more money.


I bought some Epoxy Paint for the garage and it was expensive. I'm looking for something that will be a little better priced, our basement is larger then our garage. I would say probably 2 gallons of each maybe even 3 of the paint.


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## Brushslingers (Jul 28, 2006)

Sellncars said:


> I bought some Epoxy Paint for the garage and it was expensive. I'm looking for something that will be a little better priced, our basement is larger then our garage. I would say probably 2 gallons of each maybe even 3 of the paint.



Your probably looking for Drylok. It's a latex concrete decor paint that comes in colors, fairly durable.


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## lmcgrew79 (Apr 25, 2005)

Yes epoxy paint is expensive but it is a one time fix for your basement i would say. Unless of course you enjoy scraping up peel paint ever once in a while. For the armour seals we pay 57 a gallon, and coverage is somewhere from 200 to 350 sq ft. Actually its One part A to one Part B. So if your basement is around 3000 Sq Ft you looking at around $600.00. Not to bad IMO for something that is gonna last a long time.


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## Sellncars (Nov 21, 2005)

lmcgrew79 said:


> Yes epoxy paint is expensive but it is a one time fix for your basement i would say. Unless of course you enjoy scraping up peel paint ever once in a while. For the armour seals we pay 57 a gallon, and coverage is somewhere from 200 to 350 sq ft. Actually its One part A to one Part B. So if your basement is around 3000 Sq Ft you looking at around $600.00. Not to bad IMO for something that is gonna last a long time.



No i hate scraping paint. I 'm gonna do this one time and that's it. I would rather carpet the basement again, but once again, the old lady win's. I hate losing to a woman, but she has that special thing that we men don't. So i guess it will have to be an epoxy. What are some other good Epoxy brands out there?


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## SSP1 (Jul 25, 2006)

Sellncars said:


> No i hate scraping paint. I 'm gonna do this one time and that's it. I would rather carpet the basement again, but once again, the old lady win's. I hate losing to a woman, but she has that special thing that we men don't. So i guess it will have to be an epoxy. What are some other good Epoxy brands out there?


I do alot of epoxy and anti-slip coatings and there are a few things to keep in mind 

Vapor Barrier under the concrete.........(probably not in a residential basement) Good question for the GC and typically there isn't one which only leaves you with a waterborne products which I believe some manufactures say the product will allow vapor transmission

Prep........... Preferred method "Shot Blast or Bead Blast" whichever term you prefer you must remove the "Clear Coat" and create a "profile"

Primer..........it adds to the cost but you have to remember it's part of the data sheet and "Coating System" and it will be your best friend in the end.....

Part A & B The "Mix Man" is one of the most important people on the job if it's mixed to fast or you don't watch your "sweat time" it will be certain disaster and very expensive.

Mil thickness ...........have to have the right application tools and methods in order to acheive the proper gal per sq ft

Suppliers........ I use nothing but General Polymers ...you have to take the class to buy direct... however if you have a SW rep they might be able to help you out. 
The stuff at home depot is (in my opinion) not worth the money and since it's primarily designed for garage floors it wont' help you much 

I don't know how much flooring you have done but I hope this helps

Brett


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## AAPaint (Apr 18, 2005)

Oh....dunno why I didn't think of this the first time, but you can stain the concrete and get a durable finish that way. I don't mean acid staining, unless you're into that idea....but, a xylene based stain like H&C Shield Plus Ultra would work well because it penatrates the surface some and should not peel or wear off easily. You want to make sure that slab is DRY first though. There are also a number of colors available in this type of product...I would think it would do well for your particular application. 

EDIT: Just looked up the specs on it to refresh my memory. It says won't peel, chip, or flake (obviously) but also says it is good for laundry rooms AND basements.


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## Brushslingers (Jul 28, 2006)

I still say hes looking for drylok but, ya a good xylene stain/paint would most likely work well... there was this company that ran through Duron, I keep wanting to say Rhino... had a darn good xylene based concrete paint. Just don't expect to re-use anything in xylene, less expensive to just buy throw aways.


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## Gordo (Feb 21, 2006)

What do you guys use if a "garage floor" has already been painted? Home is 10 years old.

A potential client called today with this senario. Have not seen the job yet.

Does BM have a good epoxy product? A BM rep will be meeting me at the home to do spec analysis.

What are my possible 'prep' senarios?

Thanks.


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## Brushslingers (Jul 28, 2006)

really depends on what is on it now Gordo... crete is funny at times, holds water for 30 years and such. If the floor is NOT peeling and is coated with a xylene based paint, id just go over it with the same. Epoxy will work over a latex product and even an oil but, is it peeling or not?  the most important thing is the base.. sorta like building a home, if the first mofo pouring the foundations is drunk that day and gets things crooked, the walls go up crooked, the sheetrock goes up crooked, the finish looks like a$$.


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## Gordo (Feb 21, 2006)

I will see the finish tomorrow. Thanks Brushslinger.


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## Gordo (Feb 21, 2006)

Garage floor had coat of paint (grey) that was flakeing in small flakes when scraped with a key. BM rep suggested sanding entire floor, sealing, then two part water-bourne finish coat.

BM will fax specs tomorrow.

Also, the floor was recently flooded by the sprinkler well pipe that had busted. Everything looked dry but looks can be deceiving.

Anymore input is appreciated. Thanks.


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