I have 2 gallons of cement paint, which I used on my basement. I also have 2 five gallon buckets of exterior wood paint. How well will the wood paint work on cement? It's in the basement, so won't see the heavy traffic that sidewalks and driveways see. I just want to cover the floor and wall, maybe seal it a bit which the cement paint seems to do well. Can I use the wood paint, anyone have any experience with this?
The walls will be best taken care of by the cement paint.
The floors will be far better off with a product designed for that use. In both cases reading and following the instructions about prepping the job will make the difference between success and failure.
I would forget the exterior wood paint and save it for what it was intended.
if you are thinking about moisture. you might want to look at a product called xypex concentrate. i just had a waterproofing consultant recommend this for my basement. after application i do think you would need to use an appropriate paint. most likely not wood paint.
the trouble with sealing a basement from the inside is... well its difficult to seal from the inside. so it seems you need a product designed for just that. i think the pressure from incoming moisture will simply push most pains right off the slab.
Its latex right, it will work fine on concrete.
I'm not really interested in actually making it water tight, I just want to seal the pores so it doesn't attract dirt like it does now. It's a 1948 house, and there are cracks everywhere. If we get a lot of rain, which happens every 10 years or so, the ground water level rises above the basement floor and water comes in through dozens of cracks and seams. Last winter I had 18" of water in the basement before I realized my sump pump was not plugged in. Water poured in through the cracks for almost a week, keeping my pump cycling, until the ground water level dropped.
damn, i though my basemen has issues. :D.
well, as i've never done what you are trying to do. i don't feel qualified to recommend a paint to seal for easy cleaning.
good luck.
Hehe - it's normal in this neighborhood. I did a sounding of my well today, and the water level is at about 12 feet. At the end of spring it was at 9 feet. When it rains a lot for a long time, the water level rises, last spring it hit 5-6 feet. Place is close to being a swamp, or greenland. I'm maybe a quarter mile from the river, so I'm guessing that has some influence on the local aquifer.
AHH BEWARE! Contractor is about to make big bucks off you for very little effort.
NO COATING WILL STOP WATER PENETRATION, ONLY REDIRECTING THE WATER!
The most effective is reslope land around home and a interior french drain with sump pump or preferably gravity drain far away from home to lower area.
any paint coating etc is a useless band aid and a complete waste of money.
concrete breathes and flexes, and still will after coatring.
i don't know. while it seems true that sealing fromt the outside is much better (or redirecting as you say) you should read what is claimed on the xypex concentrate website in terms of hydrostatic pressure. the people that i am dealing with, without naming names, aren't contractors. they are consultants. they don't sell the product and they don't do the work. i can't see how they would stand to do anything except loose money by misleading me. they won't even recommend a contractor or place to buy the products. also, they are widely known and respected in the san francisco bay area where there is a decent amount of rain, many homes on slopes (below grade on one side) and many older homes.
i wouldn't stake my life on it, but no one's making money on this one, so i'm inclined to have faith.
so how do the consultants make money?
may well be on comission by the manufacturer, such things do occur. either with a code they give you by coupon etc, or paid X as sales increase in your area.
did they charge you for the consultation?
any interior waterproffing is only as good as its adhesion to the interior surface. get enough water behind the wall and the paint or whatever will form bubbles, big like a foot or two in diameter and ultimately burst. I have had it occur:(
after spending over 15 thousand on a small ranch for exterior french drains, resloped lawns interior waterproof paint all new landscaping and all new sidewalks steps etc.
the interior french drain with sump pump FINALLY fixed it
should of saved lots of work and expense and got the french drain first.
ME I took the course, paid the tuition in failed fixes and got the degree with the interior drain
as you can see it was a very costly lesson
yeah, i hear that.
the consultants do get paid by me. they aren't cheap at all.
but if your options are limited and your moisture is mild (as in my case) i still think xypex is worth a look. but i'll tell you for sure in about a year. haha.
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