Concrete paint suggestions

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Mom and dad are wanting to spruce up their concrete floor in the laundry room.  Before we go balls deep on things like tile, vinyl plank, or linoleum, there are several caveats that prevent those things from happening.  First, they are pushing 80 and doing all the work themselves.  They tried for over a year to find someone to do epoxy and had no success. (well, that's not true... they found one guy who quoted them $16k and they had some tasteful expletives for him)  Second, the laundry room has a washer, dryer, two freezers, a heating oil tank, a monster gun safe, and other stuff.  There is no way they can remove all of that stuff through a 32" door and up 8 steps to the outside.  They might be able to slide out the freezers and washer/dryer, but the gun safe was lowered down the basement steps on a plywood chute with a small crane.  Third, mom is set in her ways.  She refuses to do anything with grout, seams, or gaps.  That's when water gets in, bacteria and mildew start to grow, and satan wins.  You can't convince otherwise.

So they have decided to paint it.  They know that it will chip, wear, and may need periodic recoating but they're OK with that.

I recall when I was still in high school, we painted the carport with disastrous results.  The paint didn't last 2 months.  It was supposed to be a special concrete paint and it sucked.  I'm hoping they have come up with better stuff.

I could probably convince them to do something like an epoxy as long as it can go on like paint.. i.e. with a roller or a brush.  That is to say, I might sway them toward something with a hardener mixed in instead of just a one-step can of "concrete paint."  They won't try a poured epoxy themselves, mostly due to the special tools needed and the fact that the floor is sloped into a central floor drain.  Just too much for seniors to attempt.  I can likely find a couple days to go help, but I'm so busy at work that I can't be reliable help.

What might you all suggest?  They want it to be opaque and they'll probably pick a neutral color like grey or tan.  What prep?  I'm assuming TSP or something similar?  The current concrete is relatively rough.  It wasn't milked up super smooth to start with and 60 years of use has left it about like 80 grit sandpaper, so it's relatively rough.  I think if there is any bonding issue it won't be from texture, it will be from whatever dirt and foot oils have soaked into it over the years.

What do you guys think?  I'd like this to last as long (forgive the bluntness) as they do, or at least long enough that they're not lamenting that they're too old to touch it up when they're 90.

TL;DR... good concrete coating that isn't laminate, linoleum, or tile.  Something you can apply with a paint roller.

I used something along these lines with good results. The price is right. Maybe etch with some kind of acid first?

Big box store epoxy flooring kit? I know those aren't considered to be up to the task in a real garage, but in an indoor room, they'll probably last forever.

Just don't get any on your hootus.

My experiences, your mileage may vary:  My 60 ish YO house had had various paint colors slopped on the concrete floor in the basement and younger more ambitious me wanted to make the floor in my shop one color instead of a mix of red and yellow.  Gray concrete floor paint it is.   It looked great until the first time we got some seepage during the spring and it peeled in sheets. Likely a combination of a somewhat slick existing finish, a latex base and youthful impatience.  I’ve had better luck more recently with a Behr single part epoxy for concrete but it’s still sensitive to moisture.  ( I fixed the seepage problem some time ago but it’s still a basement.)

I think Wheelsmithy is on the right track with the concrete stain recommendation. That and follow the label instructions to the T.  

In reply to wheelsmithy (Joe-with-an-L) :

Stain won't cut it.  Needs to be opaque.  Too many stains already in the concrete

Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) said:

Big box store epoxy flooring kit? I know those aren't considered to be up to the task in a real garage, but in an indoor room, they'll probably last forever.

Just don't get any on your hootus.

They've nixed that idea due to the amount of labor involved and the fact that the floor slopes to a drain in the center.  

Before doing anything, you need to do a moisture check.

Take a foot square layer of heavy plastic and tape it down to the concrete.  Give it 24 hours then peel it up.

If there's condensation on the plastic or there's darker concrete from moisture in it, nothing you do will work as a coating.  The moisture coming up will delaminate all coatings, full stop.  If it's dry then you're good to go.

In reply to Honsch :

Sweet tip, thanks.

I'd try to talk them out of it...as you said, painted concrete will eventually need to be redone, and who's going to see it anyway?  It's not like you bring visitors to the laundry room.  If they can't be convinced, maybe they could use some of those plastic snap together tiles people put down in their garage, like Racedeck or Swisstrax.  They come in a variety of colors and are easy to install.

In reply to stuart in mn :

I'll give you mom's number.  If you have any better luck than my sister, dad, and me, I'll buy you a case of your favorite beer.

What if they did something like a urethane auto finish without reducer.  Just add hardener and roll it on.  Maybe more durable than something latex-ish?

Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) said:

Big box store epoxy flooring kit? I know those aren't considered to be up to the task in a real garage, but in an indoor room, they'll probably last forever.

Just don't get any on your hootus.

This sounds like good advice all the way around.  Especially the hootus part.

I had very low expectations when I painted our back porch slab, a piece of concrete about 22' x 12'.  I went to the big orange box and got some Behr "Part Epoxy" Concrete Floor Paint.  It went down pretty easy.  Looked pretty good.

That was way over ten years ago.  Probably closer to twenty years ago.  It's still there, and after a good cleaning, it's presentable.  It can be a tad slippery when it's wet, so I'd recommend the traction additive, which appears to be very much like sand.  I bought it, but didn't add it.  Not sure how that would affect product life.

Heed the advice about water.  There are a couple quarter-sized places where the paint has lifted, and it's where it tends to stay wet if it gets a lot of rain blown in on it.  The slab itself is a couple feet above grade, so it's a near-ideal application.

Edit:  Regarding cleaning before paint, there is a product specifically for that application.  Concrete Floor Cleaner and Degreaser, or some such.

Be super careful about how slippery the finished surface is.  Falling on wet concrete is going to break old people.  Heck, young people too!

There is a new granite paint made especially for floor.  Don't know how well it works.  Looks like pebbles.  You could also trowel on some spread rock.  Another product I haven't tried.  

Rustoleum Epoxy kit.   They get badmouthed all the time for people who use them in garages and I'd have to guess a majority of that is due to poor prep.   I've done 3 shops with them now and they've all held up fine unless I did something really stupid.  In a laundry area the stupid levels would be reduced greatly.   Goes on easily with a roller.   Prep is key.   Clean clean clean.  Acid wash and etch.  Wait for it to dry, then paint.  

In a garage I'd tell you to avoid the anti skid flakes as they make it impossible to find small dropped parts but they DO look good and are easy to apply.  If that look isnt to their liking then add some sand or other anti skit material to the paint as it can be slippery.

And as others have mentioned doing a moisture test first is key, next to poor prep moisture is probably the leading cause of failure.