[yellowsnow]

Posting this because I have had dismal results in the past. There must be something about the weather here that causes concrete paint to fail? Or all bubble up the first time you try to wash the floor. Anyone know of a concrete paint that works here and actually stays on the floor?

Thanks!

[unf0rgiven6262]

Have you tried armorseal?

[SportyandMisty]

Indoors or outdoors? Hhow old is the concrete and what is its condition?

[yellowsnow]

Indoors, old concrete and other than that good condition. I will look up Armorseal too!

[SportyandMisty]

OK, preparation of the concrete is the key.

1) You'll need to get all the old paint off. Power wash it so everything that flakes comes off.
2) When concrete is poured and troweled, the top layer of the concrete -- about the thickness of 3 or 4 sheets of laser printer paper -- are not well bonded to the rest of the concrete. This top skim layer is called "laitance" I believe. You have to remove the laitance so that your new paint will adhere to the strong concrete below. Again, this is a MUST and you only need to remove about the thickness of 3 or 4 sheets of paper. There are 3 usual ways to do this: (a) use a weakened solution of muriatic acid (swimming pool acid). The acid eats the laitance and becomes neutralized. It is not that much work but you must read up on the proper procedure, wear rubber boots, wear a respirator, etc. (b) use a mechanical grinder - either handheld or walk-behind, together with a vacuum cleaner with a filter to capture all the concrete dust. This is a lot of work. (c) use a walk-behind shot blaster - basically it shoots metal shot at the concrete, again removing that top layer of laitance.

3) Since it is indoors, I would not use paint. Instead use a 2 part epoxy. Paint drys by evaporation and sticks to the concrete mechanically. A 2 part epoxy will form a chemical bond with the concrete, and doesn't "dry" but rather chemically "cures" because of the interaction of part A and part B (a resin & a hardener). Because it adheres to the concrete through a chemical bond, it won't flake off. The chemical bond is much much stronger than a mechanical bond of normal paint. The application process is similar to painting except that you mix part A with part B in a bucket using a drill with a paddle mixer, then you pour the whole bucket on the floor in a long ribbon, and then you use a roller to spread it out covering the concrete.

There are many sources for good epoxies - but do not use one from Home Depot or Lowe's. Instead go to a real paint store . My personal preference is ICI Devoe. Specifically, 224HS (epoxy) with a topcoat of 379 (clear coat that makes it shiny). Also, to learn more about how to do this & get supplies to do it, go to a place such as http://www.concreteaccessoriesinc.com/location.php as they are really knowledgeable.

If you want to know more, DM me.

[irishspy]

HI when paint blisters and bubbles it means their is moisture pushing from the the inside out. Instead of paint try H&C solid stain. Google it I know Sherwin Williams carries it and they can direct you on how to prep and apply it. Solid stain on concrete looks the same as paint. H&C is made for concrete. You may also want to investigate to see if a outside water source is present such as water irrigation with sprinklers and etc. Let us know how you make out OH! H&C is water base vs Epoxy a few things to keep in mind One you can not paint or stain over epoxy once it is applied Second be prepared for the smell of epoxy coating when applying and curing Third clean up with epoxy requires more smelly chemical products.

[yellowsnow]

I was tending towards paint because at some point I want to tile over this surface. Just can't afford to do it right now. Please correct me if I'm wrong but I think you can't tile over epoxy? Maybe the stain would work and the stain wouldn't fail...I think!

I have seen some beautiful epoxy floors. I have been watching videos on how to do all this stuff on utube.

If it wasn't for the extensive prep work I might have used the epoxy and just left it permanently. I don't want that much work for a temporary job!

[ScoopLV]

If you plan to tile it eventually, why not do nothing and save the money that you would spend for a temporary solution that you do not really want?

Painted concrete doesn't look all that much better than bare concrete, after all.

[winter-rabbit]

I would just do a mechanical concrete polish so that it would be super smooth. No paint no sealers no chemicals.

[SportyandMisty]

Originally Posted by yellowsnow

...Please correct me if I'm wrong but I think you can't tile over epoxy?...

You're mistaken. There is no problem with tile over epoxy. The epoxy surface will be quite smooth, so prior to putting down the mortar bed, you need to scuff up the epoxy surface so the mortar bed has something to grip to. You would do this with a grinder as well (not sand paper).

Originally Posted by ScoopLV

If you plan to tile it eventually, why not do nothing and save the money that you would spend for a temporary solution that you do not really want?...

I agree with Scoop. If you want to put down epoxy, and you are doing it yourself, all that prep work I mentioned is a LOT of work. If you are paying someone else to do it, the labor of all that prep work will be expensive. SOooo.... if it were me, I'd try to just do the tile and forget about the epoxy.

Originally Posted by winter-rabbit

I would just do a mechanical concrete polish so that it would be super smooth. No paint no sealers no chemicals.

This can look really nice. In fact, you might want to do a multi-colored decorative concrete stain, and then a high gloss polish, and finally coat the surface with a wax to protect the concrete (not slippery when done correctly).

Take a look at this as an alternative to tile. NOTE: you probably won't do the stain & polish as a DIY project, whereas a tile floor could be a DIY project.

If you decide to do this as a DIY project, don't underestimate the amount of time it will take you.