5 Tips To Painting Exterior Concrete in Omaha, NE
5 Tips To Painting Exterior Concrete in Omaha, NE
In the world of exterior painting, the painting of concrete is one of the trickier things you can do — it’s not exactly like painting other types of surfaces that you can find on a house.
The good thing is that with some advice, you will be able to make the most of a concrete painting project.
With that being the case, here are five tips to painting exterior concrete in Omaha, NE.
1. Remove Debris And Mildew / Mold
The first thing you are going to want to do when you are looking to paint concrete on the exterior of your home is to ensure that the concrete is as clean as possible.
This starts with a simple sweeping of any loose debris that may be on the surface of the concrete as well as a deeper scrubbing if you happen to find some mold or mildew.
Of course, the more insidious one would be the mildew and mold, as it can easily spread and get worse over time even if you paint over it.
Once you have fully removed these, you will be able to continue with the painting process.
2. Use Tri-sodium Phosphate For Greasy Areas
When your concrete has patches of grease on it, you will find it most difficult to paint.
The best solution to such patches is to treat it with a tri-sodium phosphate solution which will quickly and most easily remove it.
Once you have cleaned off the grease, you should rinse it well with water and then allow time for the concrete to properly dry.
3. Fill Scratches And Holes With Concrete Patching Compound
Though your concrete surface may look entirely smooth, if you look closely you will notice some scratches and holes.
These holes absolutely need to be addressed prior to your painting as they will be more noticeable after you paint.
You can use use a good concrete patching compound to fill the areas where you will find such holes.
Make sure that you give the compound time to dry before you continue.
4. Look For Dry Weather In The Forecast
You cannot paint exterior concrete if it is raining outside, even if the concrete is well covered — the rain can still get to the concrete regardless.
The best thing you can do is to make sure that it is not going to rain for the duration of your painting project.
Even though it’s true that weather forecasts are imperfect, you’re going to want to look for at least two to three days of dry weather if you want to make sure you can paint the exterior concrete well.
It is almost always better to paint when you believe that there will be that time period of no rain than taking the chance of there being rain during the painting process.
If it happens to rain at all, not all is lost — you will just have to hold off until you can be fairly sure it won’t rain again to finish the rest of the project.
5. You May Need Two Coats Of Primer
Typically when you paint a surface, you will need to only use one coat of primer.
Sometimes (but not always) this is not the case when it comes to painting concrete, as sometimes you will have to paint concrete that is of a darker color than the color you have in mind for your paintwork.
In those cases, it is worth applying a second coat of primer as it will help to protect the older color and shield it from being visible through the newer color.
If you need a professional to help you with your exterior painting in Omaha, NE, our team at Brush & Roll Painting can help.
TO GET STARTED WITH US, BOOK A FREE ESTIMATE BELOW OR CALL US ON 402-932-9764 FOR MORE DETAILS.
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