What to Paint a poured basement wall with

Submitted by jdraconis t3_yv2b87 in DIY

Hello Fellow DIYers,

I'm looking to make my basement look at little brighter with a coat of paint. I'm also in the process of adding can lights, electrical outlets (conduit on the wall face), and then we plan to epoxy the floor. We have half insulation down the walls that I want to leave and want to paint just lower half of the walls. We do not have any moisture issues at this time, but I want to make sure we don't introduce any by painting over the walls.

This is where my question lies, what should I paint the walls with? Searches online about painting seem to focus on fixing water issues, but that does not apply to my situation. I was looking into masonry flat paints, example https://romabio.com/masonryflat/. These claim that they remaining breathable after coating. Any one use this or something similar? What else has everyone used to paint their basement walls that don't have water problems?

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Comments

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DragonsBane80 t1_iwcdtle wrote

Anything meant for stucco/masonry should be fine, although in theory cement basement walls should have an exterior sealant, so it really shouldn't be a worry.

Make sure you prime before paint.

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BrobdingnagLilliput t1_iwcj63c wrote

The first rule of basement waterproofing is that waterproofing isn't and sealant doesn't. The future possibility of water infiltration is always a worry unless the water table is always below your basement floor.

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nomoreheroes t1_iwdm4rw wrote

I painted our partition wall (middle wall between 2 houses, and is not exterior facing), because it already had 3 layers of paint, but I would advise against painting exterior basement wall that are not vapour proofed from the outside.

Wouldn't the vapour eventually just bubble up your paint? Try putting clear plastic over a 2foot by 2foot spot, and seal it with tape. Does moisture collect? That could be a good test because even though you don't have water issues, "water" in the form of vapour could still be coming in.

Again, not an expert, but I was told to leave stone alone in the basement if the wall is not waterproofed/vapour proofed from the exterier.

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Syndicofberyl t1_iwchbaz wrote

Put up stud walls, vapor barrier and insulation then drywall. Then you can paint it with whatever you want

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Duckbilling t1_iwcir4b wrote

San Marco concrete art acrylic plaster is what I'd do.

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imoutohere t1_iwckjzm wrote

We use a product called drylok it works pretty well and it would be perfect for your application.

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Darkn3ssVisibl3 t1_iwefhqm wrote

While not a perfect moisture seal (dry lock is not waterproof), it’s the opposite of what OP is asking for - a breathable paint. Another comment has recommended anything suitable for masonry, which is what they want.

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Spinaccio t1_iwee6tk wrote

Did this last summer. For part of the wall that is a storage closet we used primer and regular interior paint, looks fine. For the more finished area we used plaster weld, skim coated with compound, sanded, then primer and paint. Came out great, looks like the Sheetrock walls.

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