How to Paint Cement
The natural color of cement or concrete is a bland gray, unless you take the time to apply colored cement, which costs more. Make your cement surfaces look more attractive by painting over them. Here’s how.
Tools
Mop or extended broom
Detergent
Warm water
Masonry coating
Hydraulic cement
Concrete-safe primer
Concrete-safe paint
Concrete-safe paint sealer
Paint roller or sprayer
Scrapper
Wire brush
Procedure
If your cement has already been painted on previously, remove all remnants of the old paint using a paint scrapper and a wire brush.
Use a mop or an extended broom to clean the surface of the cement and to get rid of oil, grease and dirt. Use warm water and detergent to make a thorough cleaning. Let the cement dry completely.
Before you start painting, you have to ensure that you have a smooth surface to paint on. Use hydraulic cement to fill in all the holes and cracks in the cement. Let it harden and dry completely. Follow the instructions on how to use the hydraulic cement, and how long you should let it dry.
Masonry coating is needed to ensure that moisture won’t bubble up from beneath the surface and affect the paint. To check if your cement has masonry coating, put plastic wrap on one area of the cement surface. Leave it overnight. If there’s condensation on the plastic the morning after, your cement doesn’t have masonry coating on it.
Seal the concrete completely using masonry coating. Coat the cement area fully and let dry. Follow the instructions on how to use masonry coating, and how long you should let it dry.
When buying concrete-safe primer and concrete-safe paint, go for one that complements the masonry coating. Safest bet? Buy those under one label.
Apply the concrete-safe paint primer on the cement using either a paintbrush or a paint roller. Let it dry for the recommended period of time in the label.
Apply a coat of concrete-safe paint using either a paintbrush or a paint roller. Let it dry for the recommended period of time as instructed in the label before putting another layer of paint on. Remember to let each layer dry completely before putting another one on.
When you’re satisfied by the number of coats of paint you’ve put on, allow the last layer to cure completely as recommended on the label.
Apply the last coat of paint sealer on top of the cement’s paint and let it cure completely as per the instructions on the label.
As an additional note, the article How to Paint with a Roller can help you more on this project. Good luck.