How To Paint Concrete Basement Walls

Painting concrete basement walls can be a little tricky due to a few reasons. First, you've got to factor in what you are painting, concrete. By it's nature, it's a porous product. It gives way to water and water soluble ingredients and basically soaks it all up to let it seep through. Then, you are below grade. This adds to it in that the walls are already surrounding with dampness and hydro-pressures pushing and forcing that dampness into your basement.

That being said, it's not impossible to get a good coat of paint on a basement wall, just difficult. You've got to properly prepare not only the environment but the walls themselves to ensure the paint sticks the way you want it to. Here's some steps to get you down the road to a freshly painted basement.

Special Note: The following step by step guide for painting concrete basement walls assumes that the walls are bare. That is there is no other materials or paint already on the walls. It's a simple, unfinished concrete wall.

1. You always want to paint and primer on a clean surface. So the first thing you've got to do is clean the basement wall. Now, not having ever seen your basement, keep in mind that every situation is different. This could be a fairly quick and easy task or it could be a bit more. I'll leave that up to you to decide. After you've given the wall a good once-over with a broom sweeping all the dust and cobwebs out, you are going to want to wash it down. Don't use just water with this step, remember we are trying to get all the little stuff off and prepare a good surface. You can do this with a good 1% solution. Simply mix up 1 part bleach (or ammonia) with 10 parts water. Use this solution to wipe down the walls really good with a sponge.
2. Now because the concrete surface is porous (means it'll soak up water), you are going to need to let those walls dry really good. The best thing to do is run fans and more importantly a dehumidifier for a while (probably 24 - 48 hours) to ensure everything dries out appropriately.
3. This is the important one, this steps your friend!! You are going to want to apply a good quality masonry waterproof primer or sealant. Remember where your basement is located? This will not only help to prevent and protect from any unfortunate water seepage and accidents but will also help in getting the paint to stick even better. Probably the best one on the market and most widely used is the UGL Drylok. Unfortunately, this isn't the cheapest stuff in the world to buy. Another thing to note about the UGL is that the first coat should be put on with a brush and not a roller. But after that first coat is dry, you can speed it up with a roller application. Personally, I like to wait at least 24 hours between coats. One things for sure though, not knowing the area you live in or the conditions that surround your home, it would still be very prudent of you to check with a local (either contractor or home improvement store) and see what they suggest as well and how to properly apply it.
4. This is the fun step and hopefully by now you've already picked out your paint in the perfect color and are roaring to go. Well, get to it. Other than what I've listed above, there's no other special thing that you would need to do to paint a concrete basement wall. So start painting like you would any other wall in a room. Have fun in your newly painted basement!