Concrete floors are very common in new buildings, garages. When purchasing real estate, each person strives to ennoble it. An important role in the redecoration of a residential or non-residential premises is played by high-quality painting of concrete floors. How to choose the right coating and apply it yourself?
Concrete floor features
Despite the strength of the material, the concrete surface needs additional coating and protection. At the same time, concrete offers several undeniable advantages:
- long service life;
- can withstand heavy loads, such as heavy furniture or a car in a garage;
- simple operating conditions;
- high moisture resistance.
Concrete is poured quickly, the main thing is to let it harden properly. After complete drying, you can not leave the coating in its original form. Concrete tends to form dust and crumble during active use. If for non-residential premises this is an insignificant minus, then inapartment or house is a significant lack of material.
Garage Floor Requirements
Painting a concrete floor in a garage must be done wisely in order for the coating to last for many years. The following requirements apply to the floor surface in the garage:
- Waterproof - during rainy weather or snowy winters, water will invariably drain from the car. At the same time, the coating must endure all hardships and remain in its original form.
- Resistant to chemicals. The paintwork must be able to withstand contact with automotive chemicals, oils and other liquids that may be spilled on the floor.
- Resistant to low temperatures. Garage - non-residential premises, heating in which is not provided. In cold winter conditions, the coating should not crack or deform.
- The car has a lot of weight and rubber wheels, so the paint must withstand a lot of stress, as well as contact with rubber. At the same time, it is desirable that there are no dark marks from the wheels on the coating.
- Decorative appearance. Despite the fact that the garage is considered a technical room, the gray concrete floor looks dull and boring. Floor painting offers the opportunity for creative decoration or just to create a cozy atmosphere with the right shade of paint.
- Coating uniformity. Paint, lying evenly on a concrete surface,forms a uniform layer that fills small cracks, smooths out unevenness and does not prevent damage to the concrete screed.
When choosing a paint for painting a concrete floor in a garage, all these factors should be taken into account, which are the key to the durability of the coating.
Choice of enamel
The right choice of paint for a concrete floor depends not only on the appearance, but also on durability. It is recommended to take into account the following factors:
- Purpose of the premises (residential, non-residential). Different types of paintwork are used for different types of buildings.
- Maximum and minimum room temperature. This is important so that the paint remains uniform and does not crack during use.
- The nature of the load on the floor (shock, temperature or chemical).
- The degree and intensity of the load. The durability of the selected coating also depends on this parameter.
When buying paint or enamel, you should check with the seller the characteristics of a particular type of coating in order to make a choice.
Epoxy paint
Epoxy resin paint is considered one of the most durable and resistant. The advantages of this paintwork is that it creates a durable film that does not break down over time under the influence of the external environment and automotive chemicals that can spill onto the floor. There are two types of epoxy based paints:
- Single component. Paint that is completely ready to use.
- Two-component. Before use, the two components of the paint are mixed, only after that it is ready for use.
Epoxy paint is suitable for both indoor and outdoor applications. Often used for painting balconies, terraces. Its disadvantage is only the high cost and a small selection of shades.
Acrylic paint
Acrylic is often used to paint concrete floors. It contains latex, which makes the coating wear-resistant and durable. In addition, the paint does not react with other chemical compounds, which makes it safe. Acrylic-based enamel has a high drying rate and does not have a strong odor, which makes working with paint as comfortable as possible. Because of these advantages, it is often used for interior painting applications.
Of the shortcomings, one can note the high cost, but it is offset by a large selection of colors.
In addition, the acrylic coating is resistant to high humidity.
Polyurethane enamels
Painting a concrete floor in a garage with your own hands requires a particularly careful choice of coating in order to work as comfortably as possible. Polyurethane paints and enamels have the following advantages:
- economical, i.e. low consumption during application;
- resistance to other chemical compounds;
- strength;
- sustainable.
The nuance isthat it is necessary to apply paint in two layers, and complete drying occurs within two weeks. Therefore, if there is a shortage of time, such a coating should be abandoned in favor of quick-drying paints.
Alkyd-urethane enamels
Alkyd paints have a low cost compared to the options described above and have good hiding power. However, their strength is much lower, and after a few years, the coating may become unusable and require replacement. User reviews note ease of use, a large palette of shades and a smooth glossy surface after application.
Materials for painting
Before painting the concrete floor with your own hands, you should have everything you need with you:
- paint or enamel in sufficient quantities, which will be calculated by the seller in the store, taking into account the area of \u200b\u200bthe room and the average consumption of the selected material;
- several rollers of different sizes;
- paint brushes;
- handy paint container;
- comfortable shoes with non-slip soles;
- protective gloves;
- respirator if the paint has a strong odor;
- masking tape.
Before you start painting, you should make sure that all the necessary tools are available, otherwise you will have to stop the process and run to the hardware store.
Primer application
Before applying any paintwork, it is recommended to use primersformulations. At the same time, the concrete floor for painting must be completely hardened and cleaned of dust (for this, a vacuum cleaner and a stiff brush are used). It is recommended to use primers based on acrylic - they do not have an unpleasant odor and quickly harden. The algorithm for applying the composition is as follows:
- You need to read the instructions for using the soil and, if necessary, mix it or add water.
- To prevent slipping, you can mix it with a little quartz sand.
- The primer is applied to a clean, prepared floor with a roller or sprayer.
After application, it is important to leave the primer to dry for the time indicated by the manufacturer on the package. At this stage, the preparation of the concrete floor for painting can be considered complete.
Primer varieties
Traditionally, two types of primers are used to cover concrete floors:
- Polyurethane based. They are considered ideal for paint or enamel with the same composition. This type of soil is able to fill all the smallest pores and cracks in the concrete floor, leveling the surface. The material is characterized by increased strength, high solidification rate, but has a high cost.
- Epoxy based. As well as polyurethane primer, it has high characteristics of strength and durability of the coating. Can be used both as a preparation before painting and as a final coat. It hasthe following useful characteristics: creates a waterproofing layer, has high strength, high wear resistance, resistance to chemical compounds.
Both varieties of soil have similar parameters, so it does not matter which one to cover the concrete floor. It is important to stick to the technology while doing this.
Painting
After the stages of preparation for painting the concrete floor, the paint should be applied directly. Most often it is necessary to create two layers of coating. This is done using a wide roller. The concrete floor painting technology is as follows:
- Paint masking tape around the perimeter of the room. It will provide protection from paint on the walls, as well as a smooth outline.
- The paint must first be stirred, because the coloring matter in some varieties settles to the bottom of the can.
- The substance is poured into a container designed for this. It is important to choose a large diameter so that it is convenient to dip a large roller.
- Painting in progress. It must be remembered that the thinner the layer, the faster the coating will dry, and since several layers are often required, the work will take a minimum of time.
- With the help of paint brushes, hard-to-reach areas are painted over, as well as baseboards, if any.
- After the paint is completely dry, the masking tape is removed.
The drying time depends on the selected enamel and is often indicated by the manufacturer on the packaging. When applying 2 andmore layers should wait for the complete drying of the previous coating.
Drying conditions
The key to high-quality painting of concrete floors is the proper drying of the coating after application. The optimal conditions for this process are air humidity of about 70% and an ambient temperature of + 18-20 degrees. If the room does not have a heating system, then the concrete floors should be painted in spring or autumn. If it is necessary to carry out work at other times of the year, care should be taken to heat or cool the room. Use of the premises is only allowed when the coating has acquired final stability.
