What Kind Of Paint To Use On Foundation

After doing some renovations to my house last twelvemonth, it became very obvious that my block foundation walls were an eyesore. I idea about using shrubs to hide them, but I don't have much of a light-green pollex. So I wondered, should I paint my foundation?

Yes, you should paint your foundation walls. The master benefit of the paint will be to provide aesthetic value for your home. Exterior masonry paint also provides a measure of protection against moisture and UV damage. Quality masonry paint tin last from ten – 15 years.

In this article, we'll take a wait at how to paint your concrete block foundation and the benefits and drawbacks. We'll also investigate other products such as concrete stain and paint over other foundation coverings such equally parging and tar.

Should I Pigment My Foundation?

Should you bother painting your foundation? The simple answer is aye. Modern paint products such as masonry waterproofer not merely comprehend concrete for up to x years without peeling merely also come in colors other than greyness or white.

The great enemy of whatsoever exterior surface is non simply h2o, only UV light. Concrete, despite its immovability and strength, is susceptible to sunlight. Over time, direct exposure to sunlight can crusade block foundation walls to deteriorate to the point that mortar can crumble and small cracks or holes can form.

Concrete Foundations

The most common foundation, you lot most likely take a poured physical or concrete block foundation. Visible below your siding and higher up basis level, nearly homeowners opt to but leave information technology solitary.

However, leaving the concrete alone is not e'er the most aesthetically pleasing choice. Luckily for homeowners, it is a straightforward process to pigment physical and there are tons of products available to choose from in all colors.

Brick Foundations

Brick foundations are non brick, merely physical. Somewhere along the line, either when the house was built or afterward, a homeowner decided to comprehend the foundation with brick.

Brick is a fleck more difficult to paint since information technology is more porous than concrete and the surface of brick will likely have more cracks or penetrations. Also, the actual surface of the brick wall has more undulations, making the painting more than difficult.

With that being said, brick tin can exist painted and the finished product tin can change the whole complexion of your firm. Using plenty of primer earlier painting brick – using a sprayer – makes the process much easier.

Pros

Provides aesthetic value to your abode
Protects masonry from UV and moisture damage
Can seal small cracks or holes

Cons

If y'all change your siding, it won't lucifer your foundation paint
Is not a substitute for foundation waterproofing
Paint is non cheap – a five-gallon bucket is about $150

Can You Pigment Over Foundation Coatings?

Chances are your foundation already has something covering information technology. It could exist parging, which is the smooth grey glaze of mortar commonly applied over a concrete cake or poured foundation walls. Or you simply might have a coat of tar, which is the waterproofing the initial builder put around the foundation of your abode.

Whatever you have, sympathize that not every coating or foundation wall covering was meant to be painted. Permit's accept a look at what's covering your foundation and if it tin can be painted or not.

Tar

One of the nearly common foundation coatings, particularly on older homes, tar has been around for decades in terms of providing a seemingly elastic weathertight bulwark between the earth and your foundation walls.

If your concrete cake or poured foundation has tar on it, you cannot paint over it. Your only solution is to remove information technology.

Removing tar requires muriatic, aka hydrochloric, acid. Diluted in water, you can use a heavy-duty scrub brush attached to your cordless drill to scrub the acrid onto your foundation. And then use a scraper – preferably an electric one if you are doing a large area.

Wash everything down with water afterward. This is a very difficult process but is the but solution if you are intent on painting over your concrete foundation.

Parging

Parging is a smooth layer of decorative mortar placed over poured or block concrete foundation walls. Information technology gives a uniform wait to your wall and covers upwardly any cracks or other imperfections in the wall.

Since parging is largely aesthetic, information technology doesn't provide a weatherproof barrier for your foundation wall. Therefore, parging can contain quite a bit of wet, particularly after rain. Older parging can even become water stains after a hard rain, drying when it is sunny.

Painting over parging must exist done with care. Since moisture can build in it, painting with a waterproof paint can trap moisture in the parging and brand it deteriorate faster. On the other hand, not using waterproof paint on your outside foundation could lead to leaks.

If you were not having any issues with water coming through your foundation walls before painting, then wait for a dry spell and paint your parging. Otherwise, consider using a non-elastomeric exterior masonry paint on top of your parging.

What Kind of Paint to Utilise on Foundation?

There is an excessive corporeality of pigment products for exterior masonry. Below we'll briefly go over each to give you a improve idea of which product you should use for your abode.

Concrete Stain

The first option isn't fifty-fifty pigment, merely a stain. Concrete stain is either water or acid-based. Acid-based stains last longer and are permanent – advisedly consider the colour before applying because it is for life.

Applying stain requires an airless sprayer, lots of pressure washing, and a concrete sealer applied later. The water-based stain is easier to apply, but will non concluding as long every bit the acrid-based stains. Notwithstanding, h2o-based stains take more than color options.

The semi-transparent concrete stain likewise comes in a multifariousness of colors but allows more of the surface texture to come through. This typically gives off a more "rough" appearance, merely nevertheless applies in the same mode as a regular concrete stain.

Waterproof Pigment – Elastomeric

Elastomeric acrylic masonry paint is waterproof and many brands come with a lifetime guarantee. This is not to exist confused with standard waterproof masonry paint, which we'll look at side by side.

As the word might suggest, "elastomeric" just means that this product has rubberband qualities. Information technology fills into the minuscule pores of the concrete and tin can shift equally the concrete shifts. This product tin expand to 500% or more, thus retaining its seal over your concrete wall.

This paint is only meant to comprehend vertical surfaces to a higher place grade because it is "breathable" and will permit moisture beneath it to escape.

Put below course and the waterproofing seal of the product fails. Therefore, this makes for a great option for painting above form foundation surfaces.

Waterproof Pigment – Acrylic

Acrylic waterproof paint is very similar to elastomeric masonry paint – they are both acrylic – just this non-elastomeric version is meant to be utilized in above and beneath-form applications.

This means that the waterproofing ability of the pigment is more effective than the elastomeric paint since this pigment provides a true "seal" – no moisture in or out.

Nevertheless, unlike elastomeric products, these paints typically come with merely a 10-year guarantee. And then you may have to re-paint eventually. Both elastomeric and non-elastomeric acrylics come in various colors.

Latex

Latex masonry paint is available in various colors and is a cheaper option than the acrylic products used for the same applications.

The difference between latex and acrylic is that, in full general, latex does not offering the weatherproofing capabilities that acrylic does.

A benefit of latex, other than the lower price, is that it does non require a primer and is very uncomplicated to apply. A roller will use latex easily – no sprayer required.

Latex offers guarantees up to 20 or even 25 years, only it does not offering the same protection for your physical walls as acrylic masonry paints.

Do I Demand To Prime number?

If your product is "self-priming", and so you don't need to prime. Otherwise, priming your surface is always a skilful idea. If you don't, then you can expect to void any warranty the product offers, and see poor results besides.

Acrylic-based paints typically are not self-priming, while the latex products are, which is some other consideration when trying to decide which blazon of paint to purchase.

What Colour to Paint Foundation

Choosing a colour may be even more than hard than choosing which blazon of paint to buy. Unfortunately, siding manufacturers do not provide matching pigment colors to go along with their products, which leaves homeowners trying to mix and friction match colors.

Instead of trying to match the identical color of your siding with your masonry paint, choose an accent colour. You want your masonry paint to accentuate your siding by drawing attention to it.

How do you accentuate your siding? Choosing a neutral color, any hue of greyness or something darker that matches the color of the earth near your foundation. That manner, people will exist drawn to your actual house and not the masonry.

Conclusion

Roofing your outside foundation with paint can add incredible curb entreatment to your home. If y'all accept problem choosing a colour, in that location are numerous color matching sites all over the spider web that can assist, or only go to the paint department at a local home reno store.

Also, carefully consider the type of product you use on your masonry. For some of these products, such as the stain, is that once they are applied, they don't' come off hands. Choose wisely and carefully to avoid costly repaintings or stain removal in the future.

Thanks for taking the time to read the article – please leave a comment with any questions or comments you might have regarding your side by side exterior masonry painting project.