Brighten Up Your Basement With Floor Paint
There are countless brands of basement floor paint, all offering different colors and qualities of finish. You should be aware that using regular interior paint, or deck paint, for your basement floor, which is probably concrete, is simply not going to cut it. Concrete has a limited number of ways in which it can be painted, among them methods utilizing leveling overlays, chemical stains, epoxy coatings, paints, dyes, and even stenciling. All these treatments can be combined to create a finish that will be unique and add to the appeal of your home. Whatever your choice of basement floor paint, it should combine sound reasoning on both practical and aesthetic terms.
Before painting your basement floor, make sure that the concrete is not damp. If it is, you’re going to need to bring in a fan or dehumidifier to dry it out. Next, clean it thoroughly and check it for grease. If there is grease present, use steel wool to remove it – paint doesn’t adhere to greasy surfaces.
If you plan to paint the basement yourself, remember that your work will be drastically reduced if you go for a paint that only calls for a single coat. Epoxy basement floor paint can seal, harden and waterproof your basement floor, all in one go. Epoxy paint seeps into the pores of cement, forming a waterproof barrier as it dries. It can even be applied to surfaces that have been sealed or painted before. You can use it on both floors and walls, and it’s an effective paint for stone, concrete and wooden surfaces (on which it’s particularly nifty, as it’s flame retardant).
There are plenty of advantages to using an Epoxy coat. It can be easily cleaned with water and detergent. You only need one application and in 18 hours you have a dry floor you can walk on. It is self-leveling, and has superior chemical and abrasive resistance. Cycloaliphatic Epoxy is the best thing for basement floors, as it enables you to achieve a thickness and damp resistance that is unmatched by competing products. Behr 1-Part Epoxy Acrylic Concrete Floor Paint is a water-based basement floor paint with a finish that is highly resistant to chemicals, and reduces the maintenance of hard to clean basement floors. It can be applied with equal efficacy to porous concrete, masonry, stone or brick.
If you’re not to conservative in terms of your taste in interior décor, you could get a little more adventurous and try making patterns. For instance, you could stencil a colorful border or create a false rug area on the floor with Modellos (adhesive masking patterns). Alternatively, you could install a stamped overlay so that your basement looks like slate, stone or hardwood floor. Paint can be also be used to mimic the appearance of marble and tile.
The possibilities when it comes to basement floor paint are literally endless, both in terms of colour, quality and design. By spending a little time online, browsing through ideas other people have brought to life, you’ll soon find yourself inspired to produce a basement expresses your own personality and taste.
