Painting and Staining Concrete

For the longest time, people considered concrete garage floors, concrete patios, and concrete block walls as forever gray. They weren’t really considered good candidates for painting particularly if they were a surface that was walked or driven on.

Fortunately, times have changed and there are a whole range of products that can stain, paint, and seal concrete in a way that is durable and aesthetically pleasing. With a bit of modern chemistry, you are no longer stuck staring at gray!

Of all the concrete surfaces you might find in a home the most common is the garage floor. Now you might think “why bother painting a surface you’re just parking on and leaving behind?” but there are a number of good reasons to consider either painting or epoxy finishing your garage floor. The first one is staining; concrete is very absorbent and doesn’t let go of stains easily short of high-pressure steam cleaning. When your car leaks any of a number of fluids on the floor they form stains on top of stains. You might not care but one day you may want to sell the house and the condition of the floor will leave a bad impression.

With an epoxy finish that is rock hard and impermeable, any leaks that may form can be easily cleaned up. A mop and some soapy water will get practically all of it out. Not only will you avoid staining but you will also be able to seal the floor up in nearly any color you like, and even with a few colored flakes thrown in to create an interesting speckled finish.

Another benefit to painting or epoxy sealing your garage is that fine cracks can be filled in, both as part of the prep work and by the paint itself. Lots of concrete surfaces develop minor cracks which can be points of water infiltration and can trap dirt, again making the floor look bad.

The products for use on concrete and masonry break into a few groups:

Concrete paints for floors and walls – these are fine for foot traffic and can be very durable.

Concrete stains – these are similar to the paints but give the concrete a unique shade while keeping the slightly mottled variations you see in concrete. The stains are highly durable and can make plain concrete look like a unique architectural element. They look very good on interior floors in more modern houses and they also look great around a concrete in-ground pool pad.

Concrete and masonry paints for exterior use – these products are acrylic latex paints that dry with an enamel finish that resists mold and mildew growth and can handle the elements. They come in a range of colors and are a great solution for covering exposed concrete foundations below your exterior siding.

Concrete restorer – used to fill in cracks and irregularities in the surface of your concrete, it’s about 10 times thicker than paint to get the job done.

Epoxy floor coatings – these coatings are great for outdoor patios and garage floors that get heavy traffic or have cars driving and parking on them.

You should always avoid using regular exterior latex paint that you might use on wood siding to cover concrete because it tends to crack and peel off fairly quickly. You should also check to see how much area can be covered by a gallon of each product as they tend to cover less than traditional paint due to their thickness.

With all these options at your disposal you really no longer have to be stuck with plain old gray concrete, whether its interior or exterior and vertical or horizontal. For a complete review of your options feel free to contact us at CertaPro of South Oklahoma City for a free consultation and estimate. We can take you through each option and show you what’s possible to make your concrete surfaces look great.