Painting Concrete

[Chillbilly]

I have old concrete in southern Florida which is pitted and full of small cracks. It does have character. I want to paint it with an inexpensive coating. I don’t want to spend the money for the epoxy coverings. Paint dealers claim their concrete will not chip, although there are many in this park with painted patios which are very chipped. I will take the chance, even if I have to touch it up every couple of years. My problem is, over the summer when no one is here, the concrete gets very dirty. It gets mildew and mold. Will the paint seal the concrete? Or, should the concrete be sealed before painting? If so, with what? What paint would you suggest? Any help will be appreciated.

[Ford Idaho]

You will need to clean it first, how will depend on what kind of stains it has on it.

After a good cleaning and allowing it to dry apply a primer/binder to the concrete before painting other wise the paint may not stick well.

Personally I would stain before painting because the end results are better looking IMO.

[donanddona]

I have used a soil remover that you scrub and flush with clean water. Now that I'm more seasoned I use the power washer. You can rent them or borrow from a friend!

[AquaMan]

I would spend the extra and go epoxy on an old surface. Not only will it last longer, it will help slow the decay of the concrete. Paint just isn't going to do that, unless you're just wanting to make it look good for a very short period (selling).

[RPAspey]

I stained my shop floor with an opaque pigmented stain. 17 years of power tools and machines rolling around and it still looks good.

[Campin Cajun]

Stain is the way to go. There is no cheap paint product that last on concrete. Even the expensive stuff will either chip or wear off eventually.

[rockfordroo]

Once you paint concrete, you will be forever painting concrete. Don't do it.

[MillerTime]

I agree with all the above.
My shop floor at work that's painted chips like crazy, i wish they hadn't done anything. Now its even harder to sweep and keep clean and looks like crap too.

[Phil57]

If dead set on painting at least least real epoxy not the latex kind. Everything else well only last a short time. At the very least use a oil based enamel and prep the surface with an acid wash. If you stain it it will last a long time.

[donanddona]

Its easier to repaint than any of the above!!

[MillerTime]

Paint gets really slick if any moisture gets on it, unless you can add texture to it somehow. If the cement is outside, you might take that into consideration, maybe ?

[donanddona]

I have heard of adding sand to the paint can for texture.. I just can't remember the type of sand.

[Ford Idaho]

https://www.google.com/#q=non+slip+paint+for+concrete

Bit more money but you just apply it.

[realebill]

I use a product that I purchased from home depot. It is made by Behr. Solid color concrete stain. I used it on my preformed concrete patio blocks after 3 years still looks great.

[jtstromsburg]

I am a believer in concrete stain when outside. Not sure if an epoxy is OK in warmer climates like Florida or not. The behr product seems to work pretty good. I have a good friend that has a gym size auditorium he rents out for wedding receptions and it's held up for two years now, with tables drug around etc. I think prep work is the most important part. I sanded and then acid etched the whole floor, then neutralized, prior to him applying the single part coating.

[Semperfi24]

Walmart sells gallon cans of cement paint, I used it on my front steps about 5 years ago, still looks perfect. It only comes in "battleship gray" (that I was able to find, which is fine because we wanted gray) and it has the texture already in it (some type of sand). You have to mix it good because of the texture, but because of that it is never slippery. It was like $9 a gallon (tho it could be alot more now, like everything else).