Tuesday, December 2, 2008

How to paint . . . new concrete?

Unlike in the US where DIY or "do it yourslef" is the regular norm, folks in our lovely island nation are fortunate enough according to most people, to enjoy hiring other more knowledgeable people to perform certain tasks for us at fairly reasonable prices. But nowadays, due to the popularity of numerous home improvement tv shows & the increase in local labor costs, more and more people are getting into the DIY frame of mind. So for the next few entries on my blog I have decided to give a step-by-step guide on the proper priming & painting procedures done on common surfaces in and around your home. First to be discussed in this series is the painting of new concrete surfaces. For some reason, and I am guilty of this as well, it is common for locals to refer to concrete surfaces as cemento, " Ano po ang ipipintura nyo, kahoy o cemento?". Technically cement is the main ingredient in making concrete, so my analysis of this behavior is because let's face it, cemento is much easier to say than concreto right?

step 1 - Priming - from the key word "prime" you might quickly assume that this step is all about brushing on a paint primer or as some would describe as the first coat. But priming for me is the act of preparing the concrete so that it will be compatible with your paint. A practical example would be taking a shower before getting dressed, the taking a shower would be our "priming". After your concrete has dried completely, wipe down the new wall with a semi damp cloth, after this has dried, use bristle brush or roller brush to apply on a layer of diluted masonry neutralizer (some brands like Nation paint sell diluted forms of neutralizer which are ready to use). The reason we need to apply neutralizer is because we want to neutralize the acid that is present on the concrete, this will ensure that your wall will be alkaline which is the ideal condition you are looking for, para siguradong maganda ang kapit ng pintura sa pader. Let the wall dry overnight then wipe with semi damp cloth any residue that has formed. You are now ready to apply the wall putty.