Painting Concrete Floors - FAQs
October 14th, 2022
Whether you have been contracted to paint a domestic or commercial concrete floor, there are several questions to ask before you can determine the right product and application. Here are the top questions you should ask before painting concrete floors.
1. Is the floor bare concrete or previously painted?
This will determine the right coat system for the job.
2. What is the approximate age of the floor?
If known, this will help you assess what type of prep work is required.
3. What is the condition of the floor?
Ensuring the floor is free of contaminants such as grit, dust and lose material is essential.
4. Has the floor been layered with a screed or a self-levelling compound?
If the concrete floor is bare, this is a key consideration. Not all screeds and self-levelling compounds can be painted. Finding out who manufactured the material will help you determine this.
5. Is the floor power floated or sealed?
A power floated floor is created by buffing a freshly set concrete floor with a power float machine, creating a mirror like shine. This makes the surface less prone to cracks. The porosity of bare concrete floors should be tested using an easy porosity test.
6. If it is bare concrete, is the concrete completely dry and ready to paint?
Conducting a sweat test is a simple and effective way to check the dryness of a concrete floor. Tape a polythene sheet to the floor and leave for 24 hours. If condensation appears then it is not dry enough to paint.
7. If the concrete is previously painted, is the coating single pack or twin pack?
If you are unsure, score the previous coating with a sharp point. If this breaks the back of the floor coating, then it is single pack.
8. What ‘traffic’ will the floor be subjected to?
Consider whether it will be mainly foot traffic, tyre traffic or both.
9. Choosing the Right Product:
Single pack floor paint could be used for light to medium footfall whilst twin pack floor paint should be used for heavy footfall, including tyre traffic.
