Wanting to freshen up paint in my basement. What’s some prep and paint ideas for unfinished basement?

Submitted by Big-dingaling78 t3_122prac in DIY

I am getting ready to repaint my basement which was painted over 20 years ago. I’m looking for something down and dirty quick and easy just wanting to freshen it up. How do you guys go about prepping the walls and concrete floors to paint and seal any cracks? What type of durable paint to use and what’s some good ideas for color options for the floors and walls? Don’t know if I want to go white this time. I am planing on spraying the walls and rolling the floors and paint the structural columns and wooden girder that runs the length of my basement. My basement is not acclimated really well and gets damp. The house is over 100 years old. Not planning on emptying out the entire basement to paint. I have a lot of tools and was just going to move to one side of the basement and cover in plastic and move again to paint the other side. Tips and tricks would be great. Preferred paint is SW. Thanks

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party_benson t1_jdrwt03 wrote

Radon mitigation first. If it's that old it was not designed as livable space. It was designed to store things and root vegetables.

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MehKarma t1_jdsfrz9 wrote

I recommend drylok paint for the walls. Anything moisture that comes through the wall will wick up, and either evaporate, or come down the wall. This will help with basement smell. A dehumidifier is always another solid idea.

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Big-dingaling78 OP t1_jdswt3a wrote

I was just looking at that stuff and it looks like a pretty good paint for my scenario. I see Home Depot has it in stock. I assume you can get it tinted? Can you use the same stuff for the floors? The issue I have with moisture is I have a hairline crack in the foundation wall that I get moisture from a heavy rainfall comes seeping in. I was going to use some hydraulic cement to hopefully take care of that problem.

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MehKarma t1_jdsx9fz wrote

I’ve never tinted it. It comes in gray, or white. I use hydraulic cement for cracks in my foundation, and recommend it. It’s drying time is excellent, it doesn’t have to be dry, and tinsel strength is higher than concrete.

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Big-dingaling78 OP t1_jdsxyw0 wrote

Nice. How do you handle the cracks? Did you open the chisel out the crack to make it wider to pack in the cement? I was just watching a YouTube video of a guy working in the basement of an old bank and he used what looked like a demo hammer and widened the crack and bored out some holes and then packed it with cement. My crack isn’t as bad as what he was dealing with.

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MehKarma t1_jdsy8c3 wrote

With a toothing chisel, and hammer to get all the weakened stuff out. Make sure you check both sides of the wall.

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Big-dingaling78 OP t1_jdt3mrb wrote

Nice! Thanks for those tips. I was going to do a perimeter check. My basement is about 5’ below grade. And the exterior side of where I have the crack is a concrete slab.

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MehKarma t1_jdt3tv6 wrote

Caulk between the slab & the house. The expansion joint may not be in the best condition

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Big-dingaling78 OP t1_jdt4vhq wrote

That’s what I was thinking. Just hitting the areas with some good caulking. What’s a good preference for caulking?

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MehKarma t1_jdt56f2 wrote

I used caulk I found at Home Depot that is used for concrete. I tucked backer rod behind the crack. I’ve had no problems for 4 years

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Sluisifer t1_jdsbnfp wrote

Use a wire brush to scrape off any loose or flaking paint. Ask SW what product they recommend and use that. Any light color is fine, that's totally up to you.

As others point out, nothing is going to stick especially well. But if the old paint took many years to degrade, you may find it acceptable.

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allangee t1_jdruzg9 wrote

If your basement is damp, pretty much anything you put on the walls and/or floor is going to come off in short order.

If your yard grading is causing water to flow towards the house, you need to fix that by re-grading. The proper way to avoid dampness in the basement is to seal the exterior of the walls and make sure your drain tile is clear.

A stopgap solution might be some of the sealing products you see advertised for the interior walls, but I don't no anyone having any long-term success with that.

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Ok-Apricot-3156 t1_je0ki5m wrote

I am not a fan of those (at least in my climate) it traps moisture inside the brickwork causing the heads of the stones to crack and eventually fall off in harsh winter. Brickwork should have one damp open side at all times. If the damp open space is the inside of a house, the solution should be ventilation.

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