Last Updated on January 30, 2025 by lindseymahoney
One of the most common questions I get from people who followed our unfinished basement makeover is, “How are the painted concrete floors in the basement holding up?”
Today I thought it would give a detailed update on our basement makeover, including the floors, three years later. Let’s have an honest conversation about the floors are looking after a few years of heavy activity!
Table of Contents
- Painted Concrete Floors Update
- How are the painted concrete floors holding up?
- Damaged Areas of the Concrete Basement Floors
- How long will a painted concrete floor last?
- Is it better to use paint or epoxy on concrete floors?
- Painted Basement Stairs
- More Content You Will Love
*For a complete list of materials to paint concrete basement floors, check out the detailed tutorial here!
Painted Concrete Floors Update
How are the painted concrete floors holding up?
I am happy to report that the painted concrete floors have held up beautifully!
While there are a few chips and scrapes (I had to really look for them), overall, the floor is in great condition. The light paint color was a great choice for our basement and camouflages any damage really well.
For our floors, I used Rust-Oleum Epoxyshield Garage Coating that requires only 1 coat of paint. Unfortunately, the paint color I chose is no longer available with this epoxy kit, but I did like using the product.
Workout Area
The workout area is very active in our basement with Chris utilizing it daily. To protect the concrete floors and our backs, we laid down padding across the floor.
The gym area now has more equipment, but other than that it looks pretty much the same.
TV/Gaming Area
The kiddos hang out in the basement TV/gaming area every day. The area rug is great for muffling noise as well as protecting the painted concrete floors. They often move the coffee table to play games or for sleepovers and the rug prevents the table from scratching the flooring.
We recently added a basketball pop-a-shot game in the corner and I did find a few scrapes under the game. Like any floor, if you drag heavy items across them, they may become damaged.
Ping Pong/ Play Area
The concrete floors in the ping pong area are the least protected and the paint looks great. When I looked closely I could find a few small chips here and there, but nothing noticeable.
The basketball game took the spot of this circular table, so this is the new spot for the table and the function is great.
Damaged Areas of the Concrete Basement Floors
The floor directly under the pop-a-shot game has a little damage to the painted floor. The damage is minimal and not obvious, so I’m not worried about it! This is the kids play area after all.
One area of the floor did get a few small paint chips. Shortly after the basement makeover, we had a plumbing issue and needed the drain line cleared out.
Unfortunately, the main line access is in a very visible location in our basement. The tools required to pry off the cap did chip a few small spots around the access point.
Last summer, we experienced a violent storm that caused a tree to fall on our house. The tree roots disturbed the surrounding soil and with the strong winds and heavy rain.
Because of this, we did have a small leak on the side of the basement where the tree was located. The floors, however, were not damage at all, just a little staining on the walls.
Since the storm, we haven’t had any issues with water leaks in the basement. A fresh coat of paint will clean up the brown water stains on the front basement wall.
How long will a painted concrete floor last?
It really depends on how much wear and tear it gets every days, but in general around 7-10 years before it needs new paint.
3 Tips to Keep Your Painted Concrete Floors Looking Great
- Choose a paint color that isn’t super noticeable if it gets chipped. While this is one great benefit of our floors, it is prone to showing dirt more easily
- Don’t drag heavy objects across the floor if you can help it. This will prevent scratches and scuffs.
- Utilize rugs and mats on the floors to soften the space and protect the painted concrete.
Is it better to use paint or epoxy on concrete floors?
While both options improve the look and durability of the floor, epoxy paint is more durable and therefore my preference for all floor paint.
Painted Basement Stairs
A year after the basement makeover, I tackled the basement stairs and painted them black.
Using leftover paint from our laundry room floors, I updated the staircase for $0. I am happy to report that the painted stairs have held up perfectly as well.
The only downside of the painted staircase is that the black steps make it difficult for people with depth perception to see individual steps.
I am hoping to install a stair runner or paint a stair runner in the coming year to help with this issue.
Overall, our basement looks a little more lived in with a few dings here, but it continues to be a space that our family uses daily and enjoys. I love the painted floors and would do it over again in a heartbeat. If you are on the fence about painting your floors, I say go for it!
My favorite part of our basement makeover is how great it is for entertaining at our home.
Our friends or family bring over 12 kiddos? No problem!
There is so much to do in the basement that it keeps the kids occupied and allows us to hang with the adults uninterrupted (mostly).