breaking the ancient seal of my basement floor

October 22, 2006 8:26 AM

We want to paint the floor in our basement office. Having removed the dark red 1970s shag, there is cement underneath, but it is sealed. 1. Is it worth it to remove the concrete sealant to use a stain? 2. Can we paint over the concrete sealant using an epoxy paint? 3. Would it just be cheaper/easier to slap down some linoleum squares? Thank you, Metafilterians, for your words of home improvement wisdom.

Bonus question: how do I hide the ugly seams in paneling that show up after you paint it?

posted by craniac to home & garden (12 answers total)

You can paint over the sealant with epoxy paint. I did it at my Mom's house with no problems for 3 years so far. The stuff is nasty though, and you should ventilate the hell out the space, as well as invest in some real masks...not the cheapo paper ones. Also, the mix drys quickly, and you cannot save it, or your rollers and brushes for the next day, so only mix what you can use within a timely manner.
posted by lobstah at 9:01 AM on October 22, 2006

Going for the Bonus:
A bead of caulk shoud do the trick. It you are painting a light color over dark paneling, you should prime first with Kilz or Bin, probably two coats, then two coats of finish.
posted by lobstah at 9:04 AM on October 22, 2006

I can attest to linoleum squares sucking and would advise against them.

The cheapest/easiest solution would be to polish and enjoy the sealed concrete. Polished concrete is (in my opinion) awesome.

Good luck.
posted by _aa_ at 9:09 AM on October 22, 2006

See, I've had the opposite experience with linoleum squares, so I would say they don't suck (take that!). Concrete floors, on the other hand, are meh.
posted by Hildago at 9:39 AM on October 22, 2006

You could always put down Flor carpet tiles.
posted by MsMolly at 9:43 AM on October 22, 2006

I don't know how much time and money you want to put into this, but.. Concrete basement floors are truly awful.

At Home Despot I've seen subfloor that consists of a wood/strandboard type product laminated to vinyl molded to provide air space and drainage. Presumably you get most of the benefits of raised subfloor in less than 1" of height.

I live in a basement apartment. The raised subfloor (in my case plywood raised by at least 2") is what makes it acceptable.
posted by Chuckles at 10:37 AM on October 22, 2006

Here is a link about it: Water-Resistant Polyethylene Subfloor Systems.
posted by Chuckles at 11:12 AM on October 22, 2006

Sounds expensive, I should have known :P
posted by Chuckles at 11:12 AM on October 22, 2006

This isn't quite answering your actual question, but cork makes a pretty nice cover for concrete. This is an underlay, but you can also get similar stuff that provides a walking surface. I put it in our hallway in England years back, and it was kind to feet and lasted well, besides looking good, and not costing too much.

In fact I'm planning to use cork (over ply not concrete) in the cabin we've almost finished building because it has an organic warmth as floor cover. (Fwiw I slept in the cabin for the first time yesterday ... magic place to spend a night.)
posted by anadem at 12:20 PM on October 22, 2006

You can paint the sealed concrete. You don't have to use an epoxy paint. There are many durable, non toxic, low or zero voc floor paints available. Expect wear marks though.

You can also just simply wax the existing slab.

If you want to stain the slab you will have to grind off the sealant, then reseal after staining; an expensive, messy and time consuming proposition, so make sure that is what you really want. In any case, you may want to consider area rug(s) with pad(s) to ameliorate the unforgiving qualities to which Chuckles refers.

Generally if one is painting wood paneling the first decision is whether you want it to look like painted wood or a regular wall. (You may want to consider removing the paneling and replacing with new drywall.) If the latter, fill seams with caulk then skim coat with drywall compound. A light texture over will make your life easier. Don't skimp on a good bonding primer. If the former, perhaps painting the paneling with a semi transparent paint that allows the grain to show.
posted by xod at 2:06 PM on October 22, 2006

Thanks all. It sounds like we will use epoxy or some other paint over the existing sealant. We are looking for a cheap, water-resistant solution because the room has flooded a couple of times in the past due to sprinkler problems.

Do we use that acid etching stuff right on the sealant, or just clean it by hand and hope the paint sticks?

(thanks to anyone still checking this thread)
posted by craniac at 8:24 PM on October 22, 2006

If you paint with the epoxy stuff, you don't need to prepare the surface, beyond a really good cleaning. Check out your local Sherwin Williams store...they are quite helpful, and their products are superior...you can always tell them you are just wondering about options before you buy.
posted by lobstah at 8:57 PM on October 22, 2006