In today’s post, I’m sharing 3 basement floor finishing options I used on my concrete basement floor. A gorgeous faux stone finish using floor paint and stain, a realistic tile look using concrete stain, and a tough epoxy coat finish.
Preparing Your Basement Floor for Finishing
No matter how you slice it, floor preparation is labor-intensive dirty work. But if you want your floor finish to adhere properly and stand the test of time it is necessary. It’ll turn out right in the end, you’ll see. 🙂 I began by thoroughly vacuuming the floor with a shop vac. This picks up any small pieces of debris that could get stuck in the beautiful finish. It also removes larger sums of dust guaranteed to accumulate on any basement floor.
Mopping and Removing Paint from the Basement Floor
Next, I mopped the entire floor surface using a bit of dish detergent dissolved in hot water. I rinsed it thoroughly being careful to remove any soap residue. After allowing the floor to dry for 24 hours, with the help of a few floor fans, it was time to begin the hardcore floor preparation. One large section of my concrete floor was covered in a coat of beige floor paint applied over the floor stain. I had to remove the paint before proceeding. I used citrus stripper and it did a fantastic job.
Further Preparations for the Basement Floor
After removing the paint, another good mopping was in order to remove any stripper residue. I scrubbed hard. The goal is to get anything off the floor that may keep your finish from adhering properly. With the floor clean, it was time to inspect for any holes or low spots. I chose to fill these problem areas with a Rust-oleum hole patch kit for concrete.
Etching the Basement Floor
With the problem areas filled and set up for 24 hours, I could begin applying a concrete acid etch to the floor. This helps remove any remaining oils from the floor and opens up the concrete on a microscopic level to accept whatever finish you put on top. I spread the acid with a rag mop, let it sit for the specified time on the label, scrubbed it into the floor with a stiff floor broom, then washed, rinsed, and wet vacuumed the floor with my shop vac. The floors need to dry for at least 24 hours allowing the moisture to exit before you put anything on top. I ran stand-up fans to facilitate the drying process.
Finishing the Basement Floor with a Faux Stone Look
Now the fun part begins. For the stone look floor, I worked with what I had in front of me. As mentioned before, the concrete floors were stained from decades of use. I’m not sure if they were ever sealed, but it was obvious that paint, rust, oil, and who knows what else had permanently discolored the floor. Instead of trying to mask the severely discolored areas, I used them to my advantage. By using diluted black floor paint, I was able to outline the border of stained areas creating various shades of “stone.” Making the stone more realistic entailed using a thin paintbrush and slowly dragging branches out from the border creating the effect of breaks and fissures in the stone. I continued this method by adding even smaller twigs and veining. To keep the outlined areas from looking too perfect and make them appear natural, I lightly splattered black and white paint to add highlights and low lights. I took a broad dry paintbrush and worked these spots into the floor. The finished effect tricks your eye into seeing textured areas on the faux stones.
Sealing the Faux Stone Basement Floor
I continued this process for the entire floor area. Once I was satisfied with the overall effect, I left the floor to dry completely. I then sealed it using a crystal-clear polyurethane floor coat applied with a painter’s pad. I applied several thin coats of the sealer for extra protection.
Finishing the Basement Floor with a Faux Tile Effect
I wanted to create a large tile effect on my concrete laundry room floor. After doing all the floor preparation, as outlined before, I measured and applied masking tape in a grid pattern. You could use this method for any size faux tile by adapting the space between your taped on-grid accordingly. Everywhere the tape is applied becomes the “faux grout” for your tiles. I elected to use the natural color of my existing concrete floor. Seeing that it is naturally stained and discolored added to a more realistic grout effect. If you want your faux tiles to have a different color “grout” you would need to stain the floor in your desired color before applying your taped on grids.
Applying Stain to the Basement Floor
I chose a mottled brown color for my tiles. Using a natural sea sponge, I applied diluted dark brown floor stain in a repeated patting motion. It is important to use a heavier hand close to all the taped borders. This helps create a crisp edge once the tape is removed. Once the floor dried, I used a slightly lighter shade of brown floor stain and repeated the process. I concentrated on the center of each tile, sponging on the stain lightly to achieve my desired mottled appearance. After covering the entire taped-off surface with the lighter color, I went back adding a bit of diluted black and white floor pain to add a touch of contrast to each tile.
Finishing the Faux Tile Basement Floor
With everything painted and dry, I was able to remove the taped grid revealing beautiful, realistic, floor tiles! I inspected the floor and touched up any malformed borders. Once it looked satisfactory, I sealed it using multiple thin coats of high gloss polyurethane floor sealer.
Finishing a Basement Floor with an Epoxy Coat
The final floor is in the area originally set apart as my cosmetic formulating lab. I chose an epoxy garage floor coating taking advantage of its durability and coverage. It stands up to harsh chemical cleaners as well as heavy boxes or equipment being scooted or rolled over it. Before mixing the epoxy finish with its activator, I poured all the colored epoxy into a bucket and mixed them thoroughly. This assured a consistent color even though I had to use two kits to cover the floor. Next, I mixed in the activator.
Applying the Epoxy Coat to the Basement Floor
Applying the epoxy coat is just like painting a wall. I filled a paint tray with the epoxy and rolled it directly on the floor with a paint roller attached to a long wooden handle. I ended up using two coats for maximum coverage.
How the 3 Basement Floor Finishing Techniques Hold Up
I am so very pleased with all 3 concrete basement floor finishing options. The floors have truly stood the test of time. After laundry mishaps, spills, pet accidents, and pipe leaks, the floors remain in tip-top condition. The only obvious damage occurred on the epoxy floor where I dragged a heavy desk across, not realizing there was a sharp exposed metal edge under one of the feet. Other than that, the floors look great. They can be swept, vacuumed, and mopped as needed. They add a finished look to the basement.
I hope you enjoyed today’s Blog. You can see the video demonstration of these methods on the Sawdust and Cornbread YouTube Channel. Be sure to bookmark this page for more cost-effective home improvement ideas. Thanks for joining me!
