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How to Paint Concrete Basement Floors Yourself

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Last Updated on December 1, 2023 by lindseymahoney

When we moved into our home two years ago, our unfinished basement was kinda creepy and we mainly used it for storage.

Simple Painted concrete floors tutorial

It wasn’t until the pandemic hit that we realized its untapped potential. You can see in the before images below how large our unfinished basement is!

How to paint concrete basement floors yourself | Building Bluebird #diy

While in quarantine in 2020, we realized that our kids needed a dedicated space to run around and play with their toys.

We created a makeshift playroom in the unfinished basement and it worked out great!

How to paint concrete basement floors yourself | Building Bluebird #diy

This year, I really wanted to give our unfinished basement a more finished look and began planning a budget-friendly basement makeover.

We built a utility room to hide the mechanicals, updated the overhead lighting, sprayed the exposed ceiling black, and painted the concrete floors. 

When going through our flooring options, I decided to use with Rust-Oleum’s Epoxyshield Garage Floor Coating kit instead of carpeting because of its durability and clean finish.

With two kids and three dogs, I wanted low-maintenance floors where we didn’t have to work about spills or accidents.

The floors went from looking like this:

How to paint concrete basement floors yourself | Building Bluebird #diy

To this:

How to paint concrete basement floors yourself | Building Bluebird #diy

*Check out the complete unfinished basement makeover reveal here!

I absolutely love how the floors turned out and am excited to share how I used concrete floor paint to transform our unfinished basement.

Let’s get started!

*Update: Check out how the painted concrete floors look 3 years later!


Painted Concrete Floors Tutorial

*This post is sponsored by Rust-Oleum. All content and opinions are my own.

*To find a full source list of the materials used for this project, scroll to the bottom of the post. Affiliate links are used in this post, thank you for supporting Building Bluebird!

Step 1 | Measure the Room

Make your unfinished basement livable by painting the concrete floors with this inexpensive DIY | Building Bluebird

Measure the size of the space to determine the number of kits to purchase. My basement was roughly 1,500 square feet, so I purchased 7 kits and used 6.

You can find the Epoxyshield Garage Floor Coating kit at your local Home Depot.

Before leaving the store, choose a tint color on the side of the box and ask the paint department to tint each kit.

I chose the paint color, New Concrete, for our floors because it is a light, neutral color that will go nicely with all of our furniture.

Update your unfinished basement by painting your concrete basement floors with epoxy | Building Bluebird

If you want to order the product directly to your house or curbside pick-up, Rust-Oleum offers a premixed option, EpoxyShield Garage Floor Coating Kit in Gray Gloss, Dark Gray, or Tan. They come in 2.5 car kits so you won’t need to order as many kits.

**I accidentally forgot this step and used an entire untinted kit before noticing that it was not the correct color. I don’t think it registered right away because I chose such a light tint. I took it all back to Home Depot and the nice woman at the paint desk let me know that I essentially painted a can of glue on the floors!

Each kit includes one base gallon (Part B), one quart of the activator (Part A), a mixing stick, a bag of concrete etch, and decorative chips.

Step 2 | Clean the Concrete Basement Floors

How to clean your concrete basement floors to prep for paint | Building Bluebird

First, I began by removing all items from the concrete floor and thoroughly sweeping the surface with a broom and shop vacuum.

Clean & Degrease the Concrete Floors

How to clean your concrete basement floors to prep for paint | Building Bluebird

Next, I used the Rust-Oleum Cleaner and Degreaser solution to remove as much dirt and grime as possible.

I followed the instructions on the bottle and mixed the solution with water in a large bucket.

How to clean your concrete basement floors to prep for paint | Building Bluebird

Working in sections, I poured the solution onto the concrete. I used a deck scrub brush to clean the surface to remove as much dirt as possible.

Sometimes a section of the concrete would begin to dry up before I removed the dirty water, so I would pour more water over those sections.

How to clean your concrete basement floors to prep for paint | Building Bluebird

Squeegee and Vacuum Dirty Water

How to clean your concrete basement floors to prep for paint | Building Bluebird

Next, I used a floor squeegee to pool the water together and vacuum up the dirty water.

How to clean your concrete basement floors to prep for paint | Building Bluebird

Cleaning the concrete basement floors took a full day to complete because of the size of the basement (1,500 SF) and the process of carrying the shop vac upstairs and dumping out the water.

Step 3 | Etch the Concrete Flooring (Optional)

Disclaimer: Etching the basement floor adds durability and increases adhesion, but this step is not required. If you are using his product on your garage floors, etching is an important step for durability with cars driving on it.

Update your unfinished basement by painting the concrete floors | Building Bluebird

Mix the bag of concrete etch provided in the kit with 2 gallons of water in a watering can until it is dissolved.

Using a hose, pre-wet the floors and evenly distribute the etching solution over the basement floor. Vigorously scrub the floors with the bristle brush to loosen dust and dirt.

Once you have finished scrubbing, use the floor squeegee to pool the solution together and remove it with a shop vac.

Step 4 | Rinse the Concrete Floor & Dry

Update your unfinished basement by painting the concrete floors | Building Bluebird

Rinse the floor with water one more time to remove any remaining etch solution.

Use the squeegee and vacuum to remove the water from the floor. Once the floor is dry, rub your fingers over the ground.

If dust or powder comes off, repeat scrubbing and rinsing until the floor is clean. Turn on a few fans and allow the floors to dry for 24 hours.

Step 5 | Mix Part A & Part B Together

Update your basement concrete floors using Rust-Oleum's Epoxyshielf Garage Floor Coating | Building Bluebird

To activate the epoxy floor paint, mix the two cans in the kit together.

Update your basement concrete floors using Rust-Oleum's Epoxyshielf Garage Floor Coating | Building Bluebird

I poured Part A, the activator, into the gallon can of Part B, the base. The two cans should be mixed thoroughly for 3 minutes.

I tried the stir stick with the first kit and quickly upgraded to the paddle paint mixer attachment for my drill.

I purchased the Rust-Oleum Anti-Skid Additive and added it to the epoxy mix. This helps to prevent slipping when the floor inevitably gets wet.

When the epoxy floor paint is mixed, it has been activated and should be applied within the set time frame indicated in the instructions.

Step 6 | Apply Basement Floor Paint

Update your basement concrete floors using Rust-Oleum's Epoxyshielf Garage Floor Coating | Building Bluebird

When you are ready to begin, choose the furthest corner of the room and work your way toward the exit.

Update your unfinished basement by using concrete basement floor paint  | Building Bluebird

Working in 4×4 sections, use a synthetic paintbrush to trim the edges of the basement with the epoxy paint.

Update your unfinished basement by using concrete basement floor paint  | Building Bluebird

Use a ⅜ inch nap and 9” roller frame to apply the floor paint in the 4×4 section.

Update your unfinished basement by using concrete basement floor paint  | Building Bluebird

Continue brushing the edges and rolling the paint until you complete the concrete basement floors.

Update your unfinished basement by using concrete basement floor paint  | Building Bluebird

For the basement design, I decided to skip adding the decorative chips and only apply the paint on the concrete floors.

This product only requires one coat of paint, however, you may be able to see dark blemishes with the lighter tints. 

Epoxy basement floor in light gray | Building Bluebird

Before painting our floors, I filled a few cracks with a dark gray epoxy crack filler.

You can see where I filled in the cracks with a single coat of epoxy paint.

Update your unfinished basement by using concrete basement floor paint  | Building Bluebird

I applied a second coat of paint to this area and the darker spots went away!

Epoxy basement floor in light gray | Building Bluebird

There were a few small spots on the floor that would not take the epoxy paint. I must not have removed all of the gunk from the floors.

Once the first coat of paint dried, I fixed these spots by painting a second coat on the areas where the concrete was showing.

It was an easy fix and they blend seamlessly into the concrete floors!

Epoxy basement floor in light gray | Building Bluebird

After my touch-ups, I allowed the floor to dry for 24 hours and then put the basement back together!


After | Painted Concrete Basement Floor

Epoxy basement floor in light gray | Building Bluebird

Don’t the concrete basement floors look so fresh and clean?! We now have so much useable living space in the unfinished basement.

Here is another angle of the basement before the makeover:

How to paint your concrete basement floors | Building Bluebird

And the same area after!

How to paint your concrete basement floors | Building Bluebird
How to paint your concrete basement floors | Building Bluebird

Before:

How to paint your concrete basement floors | Building Bluebird

After:

How to paint your concrete basement floors | Building Bluebird

Before:

How to paint your concrete basement floors | Building Bluebird

After:

How to paint your concrete basement floors | Building Bluebird

This was a pretty physical DIY project, but totally worth it to get these results.

By choosing a basement floor paint that can be used in a garage as well, I know they will be durable and withstand the wear and tear of our family.

I hope you found this DIY helpful and that it gives you the courage to try it yourself!

**Check out the awesome basement stairs makeover using only leftover materials in my storage room!


Project Source List:


Common Questions When Painting Concrete Floors

How much did it cost to paint the basement floors?

Based on the paint product alone and for the size of my basement. (1,500 SF), the cost was around $1,300.

The remaining cost will vary based. on materials you already own, for example, I did not need to purchase a wet vac. Check out the source list above to see all of the materials needed and a link with their cost.

In full transparency, I partnered with Rust-Oleum for this DIY project, so the cost was minimal to purchase the remaining supplies (less than $100).

Does the basement floor paint smell bad or have fumes?

In my opinion, the fumes from the concrete paint were not bad at all. I had fans going and the two basement windows cracked so it was not a super strong smell.

There is definitely an odor but it is not as strong as an oil-based primer, for example.

How have the painted basement floors held up?

It has been over three years since painting the concrete basement floors and they still look great! We are in the basement every day either working out or the kids running around and playing. There is a lot of activity on the floors and I haven’t noticed any wear and tear.

Yield: Painted concrete floors

How to Paint Concrete Basement Floors

How to Paint Concrete Basement Floors

Learn how to paint your basement concrete floors with this detailed tutorial!

Prep Time 10 hours
Active Time 10 hours
Total Time 2 days 12 hours
Difficulty Medium

Materials

  • Rust-Oleum Epoxyshield Garage Floor Coating Kit
  • Anti-skid additive
  • Paintbrush
  • Paint roller
  • Paint mixer extension
  • Extension pole
  • 5 gallon bucket
  • Rust-Oleum cleaner and degreaser
  • Deck brush - to wash the floor
  • Squeegee - to remove water

Tools

  • Wet vac - to clean up the water
  • Floor fan - to dry the floor
  • Electric drill - for the paint mixer extension

Instructions

  1. Measure the room to determine how many gallons. of paint are needed
  2. Clean the concrete floors using the Rust-Oleum cleaning solution and a deck brush.
  3. Rinse the floors with clean water. Use the squeegee to pool the water together and suck it up with the wet vac. Set out the floor fan to help the concrete dry
  4. Fix the epoxy together in a large bucket and mix in the anti-skid additive
  5. Apply two coats of paint to the basement floors

Notes

Allow the floors to cure for at least 24 hours before putting the room back together.


More Content You Will Love

Ms.Floor

Friday 7th of April 2023

Nice! Painting your concrete basement floor with high-quality paint will help preserve it from moisture while also giving it a polished look. https://epoxylouisvilleky.com

Juan

Tuesday 29th of November 2022

Nice job and good explanation. Cost approximately?

Juan

Tuesday 29th of November 2022

Nice job and good explanation. Cost approximately?

lindseymahoney

Wednesday 30th of November 2022

The cost will depend on the size of your basement and how many kits are needed. For my basement I estimated 1,500 SF (6 kits) and the cost of the paint materials was about $1,300.

Meredith

Thursday 29th of September 2022

Hello! I'm considering using this product on our basement floor, and I'm wondering if you can comment on how it has held up now that it's been in use in your basement for a while. Thanks, and thanks also for your super detailed tutorial on how to apply!

lindseymahoney

Friday 30th of September 2022

Hi there, I have not had any issues with the painted floors in two years. Our kids play down there every day and it still looks great!

Susan

Sunday 28th of August 2022

How bad is the smell?

lindseymahoney

Monday 29th of August 2022

Not bad at all. I had fans going and the two basement windows cracked so it was not a super strong smell. There is definitely an odor but it is not as strong as an oil-based primer, in my opinion.

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