Old basement floor

mdlbldrmatt135

I have some peeling / chipping paint ont he basement floor.. what's the best way to "prep" it to patch some pitting & repaint it?

joewho

The very best way would be to remove it.

Alternatively, scrape the bad areas. What you see is an indication of more loose paint and possibly moisture under it.

Age, moisture and condition of the current paint all play a part. I assume, once the pitting is addressed, you'll want to repaint.

It may be better to address any moisture issues and cover it with something else.

mdlbldrmatt135

I knwo the owners before me Kept Dogs down there (which I believe is why it's peeling & Pitting) I pressure washed it when I moved in.

I'm thinking Wirebrushing the real bad areas and only Resurfacing a few areas where Chairs ar on the floor. (I've set it up as a Hobby room)
and then repainting it. I'm just unsure of what to repaint it with. Will a Epoxy based finish stick to a prev. painted surface?

slickshift

Do you know what kind of paint is on there now?

mdlbldrmatt135

That I'm not sure..... is there a easy way to tell? I'm sure I could scrape some up.

joewho

Didn't know you were able to powerwash down there.

First thing I would do is look around the house for an old can of paint that matches the floor paint. If not, it's going to be difficult to know what's on there. Maybe ask the old owners.

You should be able to epoxy right over the old paint. I'm not suggesting primer because the paint that's on there now is your base and anything that goes over it won't help it stick to the concrete.

To be safe, prime bare concrete or new patches to get a uniform finish when you lay the epoxy.

mdlbldrmatt135

There was nuttin when I moved in. I got the place dirt cheap on a Forclosure... and it was cleaned out before they winterized the place.

I'm more worried about a leveling compound sticking that the paint.
The good thing is there's a Sump it in the corner... so I went ahead and powerwashed before I setup the workbenches. my Wheeld Chair doesn't move too well in the rough spots.........

joewho

I don't have an answer for the leveling compound. Are you talking about thinset, like mortor? or pure latex, that's used under sheet goods?

My best guess is that thinset will stick and that is what you should use.

Wow, you doing this work from a wheelchair? Right on brother.
I understand about the sump and powerwashing, and also that the dog's may have caused the paint to fail in some areas. That being said, I still want to make sure you know that an old house with a below grade basement is prone to moisture/humidity in the concrete. Cracks and other breaches may also be a factor. It will be important to make sure the basement is dry and will remain dry before you do all the hard work on the floor.

Good luck.

mdlbldrmatt135

NOOOOO it's like a desk setup in the basement........ I have a Office type "wheeled chair" The basement stays dry as long as the sump's plugged in...... I have a decent Dehumidifier running in there as well.. I'll try to take a pic of the Problemed area tonight.

joewho

Well, hey, I'm glad to hear you recovered and don't need the wheelchair any more.

Thought it was a typo.