Concrete Floors

Do you have an old dingy basement that you are trying to reclaim as living space? Did you have to tear up and haul away the old moldy nasty carpet and padding that had been there for a couple of decades? Do you have near 1000 sq. feet or more of basement area that you need to re-carpet? Depending on the amount of space you need to carpet, it should only set you back another $2-$5K. And then once the job is finished, you can keep your fingers crossed for the rest of the years you live in your house that you never get water in your basement. If you get one area of the carpet ruined from water leakage, then the whole entire area is ruined and the carpet needs to be take up. Aside from water leakage, there is always the concern of developing that nice musty smell due to the mold that has settled in between the padding and concrete. Sure, carpet and padding of today should be mold resistant, and you could coat your floors with a mold resistant sealant before installing the carpet. But there’s no guarantee. 

The concrete in this picture is not stained

Anyways, let’s say you don’t have the $2-$5K to spend on carpet, or just simply don’t want to spend that kind of money, but would like an alternative solution to flooring in your basement aside from other options such as ceramic tile which can run the risk of cracking if you already have cracks in your basement floor. The preferred solution of today would be to stain the concrete floors in your basement. It is most certainly the best way to go for a modern rich look of polished marble that is durable and will last as long as the house does. However, staining concrete floors might be better off left to a professional. And that can be costly as well. And nevertheless, staining your floors would be out of the question if you have old dirty concrete with glue stains all over. The stain needs to penetrate the concrete and every mark and blemish will show.

So…you have a large area of flooring in your basement that is old, dirty, and cracked. Any other solutions? How about painting your floors to mimic stained or marble flooring? Don’t think it’s possible? Well it is and this is exactly what I decided several months ago to do with my flooring and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome. I had near 1000 sq. feet to cover and it was probably one of the easiest jobs I’ve ever done.  The cost: $150.   The advantage:  it can handle water, it’s easy to clean, never develops a musty smell, and will last as long as it’s taken care of.
 

Didn’t think painting concrete could look this good?  I’d say it’s pool table ready!

This was done with 4 different colors of Behr porch and floor paint and then sealed with 2 coats of Behr High Gloss Wet-look sealer for concrete. I used a camel color for a base-coat, and then combined, or “faux” painted with chocolate cupcake, apple crisp, and english saddle brown. The trick is combining the colors just right to achieve the desired look. This is best done with a textured roller, some experimenting, and then the right touch. Do not bother to get down on your hands and knees and faux paint. It would take you forever.  

The Behr wet-look sealer gives it the high gloss finish

In a later article, I will explain how to achieve this look.   There is absolutely nowhere on the web of any examples of how to achieve this look through painting.   Some people have done it, but they don’t explain how.  There are plenty of examples of stained concrete everywhere, but very little for painting.  All it takes it takes is a special touch and a little artistic creativity to achieve the look of stained concrete or polished marble.  But anyone can do it.