Painting a concrete floor may seem like a simple job. After all, it’s just a single colour on a flat surface, right? But it’s much trickier than it looks, even for a professional painter.
Industrial applications, including garages and workshops, all need a fresh coat from time to time to protect the surface and keep it looking its best.
To get the job done properly, you need the best concrete floor paint and use the right methods if you want that perfect finish.
The Importance of Painting Concrete Floors
So why do you need to paint concrete floors? Well, most concrete floors are in industrial settings, but other industries use them too, including:
- Factories
- Garages
- Barns
- Warehouses
- Gyms & Sports Halls
- Film Studios
- Classrooms
- And more!
These are what we consider ‘high wear’ applications, meaning that the floors and other painted surfaces suffer a lot of wear and tear during the workday. As well as the usual boot and tyre traffic, spillages are common and many of the fluids being used can damage painted surfaces, such as oil, petrol, and similar substances. The chemicals needed to clean these spillages also wear away at paint, so that freshly painted floors can look awful after just a couple of months.
To avoid this, you need to choose the right paint for concrete floors.
The Best Concrete Floor Paint
Our polyurethane floor paints are the best choice for concrete floors. Because of the high wear risk, durability is the most important factor, and polyurethane paints have it in spades. They are resistant to both spilled chemicals and the heavy-duty cleaning supplies you rely on. But that’s not all, our polyurethane floor paint is also abrasion resistant, meaning the floor will be much harder to scuff or scratch.
For extra durability, we recommend applying a base layer of our polyurethane floor sealer before you start painting. Like any paint primer, this is designed to help the paint adhere to the surface, creating bolder colour and removing the risk of a streaky finish. With a layer of sealer applied, your floors will look great for an extra few years – this is ideal when you only want to paint your floors every decade or so.
If you’re looking for an alternative to floor paint, but still want all the necessary protection, why not try our clear polyurethane varnish? Unlike paint, this is transparent, so that the natural colour and texture of your concrete floors show through but aren’t exposed to the elements.
How to Paint Concrete Floors
Once you’ve picked the perfect concrete paint or varnish, it’s time to get to work. But just before you do, it’s important to know that you have the right tools.
If you thin polyurethane paint with some white spirit (1 part spirit per 5 parts paint is the ideal ratio), you can use it with a compatible paint sprayer. For a large floor, this is the best way to do things, as using a brush and/or roller will add hours, days, or potentially weeks to what is already a time-consuming task.
However, don’t put your rollers and paint brushes away just yet. If you want those professional edges you need to utilise both. Using a sprayer, as you can probably imagine, can get messy. To preserve your pristine walls and other surfaces, using a paint roller around the edges saves you a lot of cleaning later on. For any corners or tricky-to-reach areas, bring out the paintbrushes to ensure even coverage throughout.
Both concrete polyurethane paint and concrete polyurethane varnish will require at least two layers, so make sure you plan out your time so that your application isn’t out of use for longer than it needs to be.
The amount of concrete floor paint you’ll need will vary but is easy to calculate if you measure the floor. 1 litre of paint will cover approximately 6-8m² so 1 of our 20L drums of concrete floor paint should cover about 120-160m². Just don’t forget to multiply the result by two so you have enough for both layers!
We always recommend ordering an extra few litres of your chosen paint. This means that if you need to correct any mistakes you’ll have plenty to hand, and you can save any excess for future touch-ups.
Once you have everything you need, follow the guide below for the best results, guaranteed:
Painting Concrete Floors Guide
Here’s everything you need to paint a concrete floor:
- Concrete floor paint or varnish
- Sprayer, brush, and roller
- Degreaser and/or paint stripper
- Cleaning supplies
Step 1 – How to Clean a Concrete Floor
Rejuvenating a concrete floor takes more than just a few cans of concrete floor paint. The first step is to clean the floor thoroughly. Skipping this step or just doing the bare minimum could ruin the floor or make it look worse than if it hadn’t been painted at all, sending you back to square one with less cash in your pocket.
Using a pressure washer will make the job easier, however some elbow grease is always needed for the tricky parts.
If you’re repainting a garage or painting a factory floor, you’ll likely have some stubborn oil or grease stains that soap and water won’t remove completely. When this is the case, apply a degreaser or some detergent and then scrub thoroughly before the floor dries.
Some pressure washers can incorporate a degreaser already if it is a high-end model.
Step 2 – How to Strip Old Paint
If your floor has been painted before, you should use a chemical paint stripper to remove the previous layers of paint and sealer. This gives you a blank canvas to work with and gets the floor ready to seal and prime.
If you don’t want to use a chemical stripper, you can do it the old-fashioned way! You have two choices: a wire brush or paint scraper. These are cheaper but will need a lot more time and effort. Or you can use a power washer to blast the paint away. If you used a pressure washer for the cleaning, you’ll have done a chunk of the work already!
Step 3 – How to Seal Interior Concrete
Next you need to seal the interior concrete. An essential step, as it prevents the floor becoming dusty over time and also stops the coloured concrete floor paint soaking into new concrete floors unevenly.
Sealing the concrete floor first gives a more uniform absorption across the surface and gives a much more professional finish. The method for using polyurethane sealer varies from product to product and depends on the floor you are sealing, so check the manufacturer’s instructions for what they recommend.
Step 4 – How to Paint a Concrete Floor
Now for the fun part. When your floor sealer has fully dried (and isn’t just touch-dry!), start applying even layers. For larger floors its best to split it into sections so you can work continuously. Mark the sections out with your masking tape and apply some to the edges of your floors too.
Make sure the space you’re painting in is well-ventilated as the paint fumes can be unpleasant at best, toxic at worst. This shouldn’t be an issue in a large space but make sure you’re safe to start painting.
Once the final layer has dried, take a step back and admire your freshly painted concrete floors. How do they look?
Here are the paints we recommend:
Our Polyurethane floor paints can be used in sprayers* for a professional finish, (1 part white spirit to 5 parts paint is the ideal ratio for thinning with polyurethane paints).
Quick dry alkyd floor paints can be used in sprayers* for a smooth finish (1 part water to 5 parts paint is the ideal ratio for thinning water based products for spraying).
Using a paint brush or paint roller set may take a little longer by hand but still provide a superb finish and without the need to hire or buy extra equipment.
No matter which option you choose, you’ll need at least two layers of concrete floor paint. Take your time to get an even coverage and give each layer enough time to fully cure before continuing.
*check the airless sprayer you choose is suitable for the job beforehand.
The UK’s Most Trusted Paint Provider
At Paintmaster, we supply the best paints and painting accessories for both professional and domestic painters, so everyone can have the expert-quality results they want.
If you have a commercial or industrial application that needs painting, set some time aside and get it done before the damage becomes too bad to paint over. You won’t regret being proactive, and your floors will look fantastic.
See you next time!
FAQ's
Can I use masonry paint on concrete floor?
Masonry paint does work on concrete floors. However, specialist concrete paint will last longer, as it offers more protection for horizontal surfaces. If paired with a quality primer and sealant, both masonry paint and concrete paints look great on concrete floors.
Do I need to prime concrete before painting?
You need to prime your concrete floors before you paint them. Primer creates a better surface for paint to cling to, which in turn makes the colour bolder and adds extra protection.
Do I need to seal concrete floor before painting?
You should seal and prime your concrete floors before you paint them. If you skip this step, your paint finish won’t look good, and your floor won’t be protected.
Do I need to wash concrete floor before painting?
The first step in preparing concrete for paint is to thoroughly clean the area. Whether you’re preparing old or new concrete surfaces for painting, it’s important to remove any surface debris that can easily be swept up or vacuumed.
How long does concrete floor paint take to dry?
If you’re using any kind of oil-based paint, you can normally expect it to be dry in 6-8 hours. Although it may be dry to the touch, you should leave it up to 24 hours before applying a second coat.
How to remove concrete floor paint?
- Step 1: Give the concrete surface a deep cleaning and allow it to dry.
- Step 2: Apply paint stripper.
- Step 3: Give the paint stripper some time to set.
- Step 4: Scrub the surface.
- Step 5: Follow up the scrubbing with a power wash.
- Step 6: Repeat as necessary until all the paint is removed.
- Step 7: Clean the area to get rid of all paint stripper.
Is concrete floor paint durable?
They are more durable than standard interior or exterior wall paints and can withstand a lot more abuse. Generally, you have two options to choose from: a water-based acrylic latex or an epoxy concrete coating. An acrylic latex concrete paint is easier to work with and is applied similarly to latex-based house paint.
Is masonry paint waterproof for concrete?
Masonry paints offer protection from wind and rain but aren’t designed to repel standing water. For flat surfaces like patio slabs with poor drainage, concrete or patio paint is better suited. Masonry paint should be used on vertical surfaces like walls.
Is painting concrete floor a good idea?
Painting and sealing your concrete floors can increase their durability, extend their lifespan, and transform your spaces.
Is painting concrete floor a good idea?
Bare concrete will wear out quickly, and is more prone to damage, By painting concrete floors you don’t just make them look better, you protect them for years too. Our polyurethane floor paint even repels dust and stains.
What is the best floor paint for concrete?
Our polyurethane floor paint is the best for a wide range of concrete surfaces, including factories, garages, gyms, studios, and more! It offers excellent protection from scuffs, scratches and is naturally stain resistant as well.
What types of Concrete Paint do Paintmaster Supply?
Latex (Paintmaster Quick Dry Acrylic Floor paint)
- 1 pack Polyurethane Based paint (Paintmaster polyurethane floor Paint)
- 2 pack epoxy paint