Part One About Painting Concrete Floors
Why Paint a Concrete Floor?
Our household has an older, sometimes incontinent dog. The result has been a ruined carpet throughout the house. Last summer we started tearing up carpet to get rid of the smell.
I decided that painting the concrete floor would be the least expensive finish for the floor, as well as the easiest to clean. But I wanted a non-breathing, moisture barrier to seal old dog urine in the concrete, and to keep new dog puddles out of the concrete. A single application of sealer mixed with paint would be ideal. I would have liked a transparent, tinted base for a little color that would allow the concrete to show underneath. However, I did not want to look at stripes of glue and concrete patches.
Does Acrylic Work to Seal Against Urine?
Acrylic sealer is a good solution. If you no longer have a pet, the sealer does well at stopping any old odors from coming up out of the floor. If you still have a pet who pees on the floor, you will have to keep up on cleaning thoroughly.
I have to clean and then spray a pet urine enzymatic deodorizer on the urine site, giving the deodorizer time to soak into the pores of the sealer. However, this is much easier than treating carpet. And the house smells much better.
Easy Clean Floor
I am very happy with my painted floor. A dust mop and wet mop are much easier on my back than a vacuum cleaner. Both the floor and the indoor air are cleaner than they were with a carpet. This is a great solution for anyone who is allergic to the dust and dirt that collects in a carpet. Update August 2023, my painted floors have held up well for the past nine years. There are some minor scratches here and there, which can be painted sometime. I doubt the floor would hold up under frequent toy cars zooming across the surface, but this a good solution for some people.
Links to More Information
Why Paint a Concrete Floor?
Our household has an older, sometimes incontinent dog. The result has been a ruined carpet throughout the house. Last summer we started tearing up carpet to get rid of the smell.
 |
| Tearing up carpet last summer. |
I decided that painting the concrete floor would be the least expensive finish for the floor, as well as the easiest to clean. But I wanted a non-breathing, moisture barrier to seal old dog urine in the concrete, and to keep new dog puddles out of the concrete. A single application of sealer mixed with paint would be ideal. I would have liked a transparent, tinted base for a little color that would allow the concrete to show underneath. However, I did not want to look at stripes of glue and concrete patches.
Porosity is a problem. Silicone is apparently the best non-porous sealer. But a non-breathing material can cause problems when the concrete needs to expand or contract. I decided on something that was somewhat porous, but would still do a fairly good job as a sealer.
Another problem with a painted surface was possible yellowing of the floor finish. Our living room floor gets some direct sunlight. Some say that epoxy yellows in the sun, some say acrylic yellows but not epoxy. Who to believe? I almost went for the epoxy sealer/paint. But the process was far too difficult for me to do alone.
Another problem with a painted surface was possible yellowing of the floor finish. Our living room floor gets some direct sunlight. Some say that epoxy yellows in the sun, some say acrylic yellows but not epoxy. Who to believe? I almost went for the epoxy sealer/paint. But the process was far too difficult for me to do alone.
I searched for useful information on a number of blogs and manufacturer's pages. The amount of information was overwhelming. Some of the information was contradictory. Some methods and materials are for professionals only. Some are for big, burly folks who can throw around large equipment with ease. I'm just an emergent little old lady.
A blog written by a young woman settled me on Sherwin Williams Porch and Floor Enamel
Water Base, with a topping of clear, acrylic HC Concrete Sealer Wet
Look. Note to other paint companies: get a blog post out there about your floor products that tells the story as well as this one; http://www.vintagerevivals.com/2013/06/how-to-paint-concrete-plus-my-secret.html .
Because her posts are so detailed, I have left out some details in my posts on this subject. Instead, I have covered certain issues that her posts address differently. Be sure to read her posts.
Because her posts are so detailed, I have left out some details in my posts on this subject. Instead, I have covered certain issues that her posts address differently. Be sure to read her posts.
Does Acrylic Work to Seal Against Urine?
Acrylic sealer is a good solution. If you no longer have a pet, the sealer does well at stopping any old odors from coming up out of the floor. If you still have a pet who pees on the floor, you will have to keep up on cleaning thoroughly.
I have to clean and then spray a pet urine enzymatic deodorizer on the urine site, giving the deodorizer time to soak into the pores of the sealer. However, this is much easier than treating carpet. And the house smells much better.
Easy Clean Floor
I am very happy with my painted floor. A dust mop and wet mop are much easier on my back than a vacuum cleaner. Both the floor and the indoor air are cleaner than they were with a carpet. This is a great solution for anyone who is allergic to the dust and dirt that collects in a carpet. Update August 2023, my painted floors have held up well for the past nine years. There are some minor scratches here and there, which can be painted sometime. I doubt the floor would hold up under frequent toy cars zooming across the surface, but this a good solution for some people.
Links to More Information
Below are a few of the best sites and blogs I read while researching what to do:
http://www.vintagerevivals.com/2013/06/how-to-paint-concrete-plus-my-secret.html
This is the blog I found most useful. The others were good for
reference, but this is the one that discussed tools and paint that
anyone could use. This blog is a good seller for Sherwin Williams,
of course. But I wanted paint products I could easily obtain in
town, and that I knew would work together. This blog also talks about
removing newer, very sticky, carpet glue. (My carpet glue was old and dry.)
Interior concrete floor sealers Discusses
the different sealers, their pros and cons. Follow the link on the
page for a comparison chart of sealers.
Sealing Exterior Concrete
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHAYXFuHM9U` This YouTube video gives you a quick instruction on prepping concrete. There are many videos on YouTube about concrete floors.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHAYXFuHM9U` This YouTube video gives you a quick instruction on prepping concrete. There are many videos on YouTube about concrete floors.
I also used Home Depot, Lowe's, and Sherwin Williams sites as well.
Floor
design ideas:
http://www.concretenetwork.com/concrete/interiorfloors/design-ideas/
There are many great images to browse through.
www.flickr.com,
use a search term such as “painted concrete floors” for some
great ideas.
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