How Do I Go About Painting or Glazing an Interior Block Wall?
Applying a remedy to a interior block wall is rather different from simply slapping a coat of latex onto formerly painted wood or a sheet-rock wall. Concrete is much more complex chemically compared to these walls, with a pH rating that’s slightly alkaline and inclined to efflorescence. Additionally, it is a rougher and more porous surface, that, in basements, could allow water seepage during extremely rainy weather. Before applying cosmetic paint, masonry waterproofer or masonry glaze, you ought to thoroughly prepare the surface.
Surface Prep
Don a cotton face mask and safety glasses to shield your eyes, nose and mouth in any unpleasant or irritating dust which may be stirred up while cleaning the walls.
Brush concrete or dust deposits from the walls utilizing a stiff-bristled brush.
Mix up a bucket full of trisodium phosphate or an environmentally friendly TSP substitute, according to the manufacturer’s directions.
Slip on a pair of water-resistant vinyl or rubber gloves. Clean the whole surface of the walls with the TSP mixture, with a well-soaked cotton or sponge rag. Follow up by rinsing off the same surfaces using a water-soaked wax or wax.
Eliminate any white deposits — known as efflorescence — which could be visible after the wall has dried, with full-strength vinegar. Thoroughly impregnate a sponge with the vinegar ; then rub it into the surface until the efflorescence is gone. Follow up by rinsing the area with a water-soaked sponge.
Select Your Complete
Pick a basement interior waterproofing paint if you’re coat a room that’s below-grade. This coating acts as a primer for a acrylic latex topcoat should you prefer to pick colors from a designer paint palette. Water-based waterproofing paints can most easily be applied with masonry paint roller or artificial fiber brush.
Pick a interior acrylic latex paint if you want access to the largest assortment of colors for your own wall. These paints can typically be applied to fresh concrete block walls with no primer, however you’ll have to have at least 20 percent more paint per square foot than you’d require pre-primed masonry to cover the blocks’ uneven surface. Apply the paint with a synthetic filament brush or masonry.
Pick a masonry glaze if you would rather a wet-look decorative finish. Glaze can be applied to unpainted masonry block as a clear sealer, or applied over a cosmetic latex paint as a high-gloss protective end. For best results, apply at least 2 coats of glaze having a masonry roller or organic fiber brush.