Concrete floor painting: do it yourself
Paint on concrete floor in garage room protects the screed from premature wear, prevents the formation of dust from cement on its surface. But for applying to a concrete floor, experiencing increased loads and aggressive chemistry, not every composition is suitable. The article will tell you what paint to paint the concrete floor in the garage.
The content of the article
Garage floor requirements
In such rooms, most often, a concrete floor is used. Its main advantage is its low price and good strength. After pouring the material, the question is, what is better to finish it? The most convenient option for this is painting the floor with your own hands.
Paint will allow:
- Protect the coating from dust, mechanical damage and accumulation of dirt.
- Do not absorb concrete spills on the concrete floor.
In the photo you can see the process of painting the concrete surface.
Before painting the concrete floor in the garage, it is necessary to find out the features of the operation of the coating. Pay attention to the main factors that affect the wear and conditions of use of the paint.
The floor in the garage has its own characteristics:
- A car is standing and driving in the room, which determines the basic requirement for coverage - high resistance to abrasion and mechanical wear from the action of a constant load from the wheels.
- Water can get on the floor from the car, especially a lot of it happens in winter, which requires moisture resistance of the coloring composition.
- In the garage, the flooring is in contact with gasoline or diesel fuel, car oil, various fluids from metal corrosion and non-freezing fluids. This requires a high chemical resistance of the paint.
- Not always such rooms are heated, so the material must have frost resistance and increased resistance to temperature extremes. Have good elasticity and easy to tolerate thermal expansion.
How to choose a material for painting
After determining the requirements for coating in the garage floor of concrete, you can select the desired paint.
The most suitable are:
- Acrylic and latex (cm.Latex paint: how to work with it).
Their difference:
- absolute safety and environmental friendliness;
- high quality color reproduction;
- resistance to premature wear, moisture and chemicals.
The disadvantage of the coating is - high cost.
- Polyurethane enamels and paints. They can be one- and two-component. After application on the floors, an ultra-strong coating is formed.
It is not afraid:
- strong moisture;
- high friction;
- temperature differences;
- the effects of chemical and other factors of wear.
- Epoxy Blends for covering concrete screeds. They can be one- and two-component.
Material Features:
- ultrahigh durability to any types of wear, including winter cold;
- resistance to aggressive environment;
- resistance to high humidity.
- Alkyd-urethane enamels.
Their advantages:
- allow you to get a wear-resistant surface with good gloss;
- evenly applied;
- long enough to operate.
But they are inferior in strength to the previous options.
Tip: Alkyd, oil, organofluorine mixtures and paints made with a base of soluble resins should not be used. When they come into contact with gasoline and other products from the distillation of oil, spreading occurs, the color and other similar troubles can change.
To increase the service life of the coating and maintain a fresh look, some rules must be observed:
- Paint should be applied to the screed after it has completely dried.
To check its moisture content:
- close the cover with plastic wrap;
- fasten the edges with tape;
- the appearance of condensate inside the sheet, after a day, indicates that the composition should still stand.
- After solving the question of how to paint the concrete floor, the foundation itself is prepared:
- all old coatings are removed;
- cracks and irregularities close up;
- the surface is thoroughly cleaned of dirt and dust.
- To obtain a high-quality coating, the paint should be put in a not very thick layer, otherwise it will warp or crack. The optimum thickness is up to three millimeters.
Tip: When using two-component mixtures in finished form, it is necessary to keep in mind a limited shelf life, which requires mixing the composition in portions, and paint the entire area at a time.
How to paint garage floors
How the paint is laid on a concrete floor is shown in detail in the video in this article.
To facilitate the coating process helps specially composed instructions:
- The screed must first be prepared:
- eliminate all existing defects and cracks;
- large potholes and flaws must be completely removed using diamond wheels or diamond drilling for cutting reinforced concrete;
- the surface is primed with a composition recommended by the manufacturer for the selected type of paint;
- there are epoxy compounds that do not need a primer;
- soil is applied with a roller or brush, carefully rubbing it into the material;
- the composition remains until completely dry.
- The paint is diluted according to the operating instructions drawn up by the manufacturer. In this case, two-component compositions are mixed strictly according to the recommendations indicated on the package, be sure to observe its dosage as accurately as possible.
- Prepared paint is poured into the bath.
- A roller is rolled in this container (seePaint rollers: consider in detail).
- A thin layer is applied to the surface of the concrete floor.
- After 24 hours, a second coat of paint is applied.
- The garage can be used in two days, and after painting the epoxy compounds it will take a week or two until the resin reaches its full strength and chemical inertness.
Tip: Before you start painting the floor, make sure that the screed is dry.
When using a paint and varnish covering concrete does not dust and does not soil the car. In addition, it protects concrete from rapid wear, moisture and corrosion, which improves quality and increases its service life.
