Advice on painting concrete interior floor

MC
by MC
I recently had to pull up my carpet in my dining room due to doggy accidents. We decided that the cheapest remedy for us at the time was to just paint the floor. However, after reading some posts about this subject, we have come to the conlcusion that we may have made a mistake. We have cleaned the floor really well and painted the first coat. BUT, we did not use a primer before painting. Is it too late? We were going to put a clear coat on top to "seal" the paint job. Will this be sufficient for the time so that it won't peel up? It's not a high traffic area and there are no kids in the house. Your help is appreciated!!!
  9 answers
  • Debbie Harris Debbie Harris on Dec 17, 2013
    Don't know that it will hold up to even one chair being pulled out??? Consider a laminate wood floor, it's another inexpensive solution.
  • White Oak Studio Designs White Oak Studio Designs on Dec 18, 2013
    Unless you have in the floor heating elements, cement is so cold on your feet and body...brrrrr. We live over a crawl space (unheated) and even with a sub floor and linoleum (we have large dogs and live in the country) and baseboard heat our floor is very cold. I hate it! Never again!
  • It all depends on the manufacturer & their system but you maybe ok. I would let it sit for a bit (couple of months) & see if it starts coming up - if so scrape away those & other loose areas & apply the primer. If no issues then you should hopefully be ok to finish up or maybe add one more coat & then the clear coat. As for cold floors mentioned above, adding throw down rugs in strategic spots not only adds to the décor but can make those areas feel warmer / more tolerable to bare feet
  • Terry's Flooring Terry's Flooring on Dec 18, 2013
    I would just stop now and possilbly try to get up as much as possible of what you already painted , and prime the entire floor ..You didn't say if it was an epoxy paint you are using ..If that is what you have then just keep right on painting and put a clear coat on top like you mentioned ...Good luck ..
  • MC MC on Dec 18, 2013
    Thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions. The paint we started using was Glidden's paint for porch and floors. However I just discovered it is not an epoxy paint. The facts: 1) my dog is 15 and has cancer. 2) This is a temporary fix until he is gone. 3) I didn't want to invest $$ in putting down laminate flooring of any kind when I knew that we were going to eventually rip up the carpet in the living room as well and we had plans to put down hardwood all over after my dog is gone. We were concerned that if we had put down another type of flooring that it would become ruined quickly if and when our dog had another accident. 4) One coat of this paint already looks good, but I still have about a half can left. The room is only about 10 x 12 5) Don't care whether or not its cold. The floor is in the dining room which is not used much. We have plans to purchase an area rug to put underneath the dining table and a smaller runner rug under the china cabinet just so the furniture wouldn't get scratched on the floor. 6) removing the paint at this point is just not an option unless I hire someone. 7) I am not blasting anyone here. I appreciate your thoughts and comments, but I am just fed up with the whole project. No matter how simple a project may seem sometimes, this was back breaking work. I am not young as a I used to be and I work full time plus help with the care of elderly parents on both sides. I can't afford to hire anyone and was trying to tackle this myself. Would it be possible at this point to use a primer over the first coat of paint and then paint again? Thanks again!!!
  • MC MC on Dec 18, 2013
    Ok, I just spoke with someone at Glidden paint and they told me that this paint I purchased was a "self priming" paint and that two coats is usually what is needed. I asked about a sealer coat and they said that was just a preference and only if the room had heavy traffic. I still think I plan on putting a sealer coat down just because I think it will look better than just the flat color. I will let you know how it turns out Any thoughts??? Thanks again.
  • Bobbi Perreault Bobbi Perreault on Dec 19, 2013
    Hi, My hubby and I have lived with our painted concrete floors now for almost 10 years. (it was to be temporary, but didn't work that way) After we painted we sealed and waxed the floors with industrial grade sealer/floor wax from Home Depot. This has held up well, dining room floors require some felt on the chair legs. Don't be sad! Make it look like tile using masking tape and then seal it in. It'll work for your needs.
  • MC MC on Dec 19, 2013
    Thanks Bobbi - Your floor looks great!!!
  • Seattle Surfaces Seattle Surfaces on Jan 26, 2014
    Many times coatings on concrete fail due to moisture passing through the concrete. If you see a white chalky powder on the surface (efflorescence) that can be a good sign that moisture is coming through the floor and will cause most coatings to fail.