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[B193]Basement Concrete Floor Paint

by Paul Thomas, Pau

Preparation is important when applying floor paint. You can only expect a surface to stay in place, if its substrate is permanent. If the substrate crumbles or moves, your surface and floor paint will move with it. After 40 years of application practice, flooring experts have developed application preparation procedures that minimize the risk of substrates moving. Floors that are new are especially vulnerable and require extra preparation before painting the floor. While a new concrete floor is dusty for the first couple of years while the latent of concrete on the surface are kicked, walked, or driven off. The latent must be removed before quality topcoats are applied; or the topcoats will move with the latent as they break free from the substrate.

Cleaning first with a high pH or alkaline degreaser attacks oil and grease contaminants while moving the floor pH higher will do wonders for the floor paint finish. And afterwards you put on a low pH acidic cleaner that attacks minerals, rust and other particles. That makes your pH jump 10 points or better to shock contaminants loose from substrates. An acidic cleaner should have detergents, rinse agents and water softeners blended into it so that it is formulated to do the best job possible. It is very important to bring the pH back to normal 6.5 or 7 pH after cleaning, using a scrub rinse.

If you have ever tried to run your fingers across your car after pressure washing it; you know that it still has a thin layer of road film on it. That is because surface tension holds even high pressure from penetrating the road film. You must break the surface tension with contact during all three steps of cleaning. The more aggressive the contact the better for removing concrete latent, small particles of concrete that are ready to break of to become that endless dust coming off unquoted concrete floors.

You should be careful relying on retail store clerks alone, to help you with a floor that will be used for the next 10 to 20 years. Now a day's factory-direct kit of materials including step-by-step instructions and a 24/7 online help are now on hand. With these resources, you can put quality floor paint down in your garage that will last for many years. Like with a car finish, you may get some scratches and marks, but likewise a car finish, a little touching up can keep the floor paint looking good for many years.

A concrete floor as it is can accommodate people and heavy equipment for a long time. Many buildings including homes, warehouses and manufacturing plants have concrete flooring. But in its natural grey color, concrete can look lifeless and therefore, not pleasing to the eyes. For this reason, using concrete floor paint can make your floor look attractive.

Yes, floors can be painted with the right paint and coat. The process can take some time especially since the floor needs to be prepared beforehand.

Preparing the floor
Before concrete paint can be applied, the floor should be properly cleaned and degreased. The type of degreaser to use depends on how the floor will be used and where it is situated. Basically, there are two types of degreasers ? the general purpose and the heavy duty degreaser.

The next step is to check for the curing compounds used on the floor. This is important as some curing compounds may not result in the proper adhesion of the floor coating.

The presence of moisture should also be checked. If the floor has moisture, find out the source and make sure to solve the problem first. Cracks and holes should be fixed right away before you start painting. Using concrete patch or hydraulic cement will help.

Acid etching is vital as well as this allows the concrete painting to strongly adhere to the floor when applied. This process can be done using acid etchers. The floor, however, needs to be rinsed with water afterwards to remove any acid residue.

Applying the paint
Once the floor has been prepared and completely dried, it's time to begin painting the concrete floor. There are numerous floor paints and coats available in the market today but the best material to use is the epoxy-based paint. If you want to achieve a skid-free floor, you can mix silica sand with the epoxy.

Epoxy floor coating lets your floor achieve that look of a showroom. For many years now, this has been used on most industrial floors mainly because of its durability and resistance to oil and other harsh chemicals. Concrete floor paints such as the epoxy can be used for floors in your garage and basement as they're best for protecting the the concrete surface from spills and leaks.

Floor finishing also comes in different types such as the gloss and flat ones. Glossy finishing is ideal if you want your concrete floor to be well protected from chemical spills and abrasion. Normally, a glossy finishing makes use of a top coat that has two components.

Article Source : Pg. 96

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Both Paul Thomas & Rokai Kolam are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Paul Thomas has sinced written about articles on various topics from Entertainment Guide, Home Management and Spa. Find more information about on this website. See for your self.. Paul Thomas's top article generates over 33100 views. to your Favourites.

Rokai Kolam has sinced written about articles on various topics from Culture and Society, Teeth Whitening and Home Management. In applying the paint, do it in thin layers. Two to four layers of paint should be enough. For convenience, you can use a roller or a . You may also use a br. Rokai Kolam's top article generates over 550000 views. to your Favourites.