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Sarah Hearts

Sarah Hearts

diy, home
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May 16, 2018

How Not to Paint Concrete Floors

sandals | rug

As promised, after the big reveal of my new garage home studio, I’m sharing all about the process of painting the concrete flooring. So if you’re considering painting your garage or any concrete flooring, keep on reading because I learned a lot from this experience. And I’m hoping you learn from my mistakes!

But before I jump into the process and tell you how terrible it was, first, let’s just see how pretty it is when it’s clean. Yep, I mopped the floor before I shot the photo above. If you want to see what it looks like while I’m writing this post, here you go…

Dirty, chipped, and bubbled up. That’s the reality of painting concrete floors a bold color.

Here was the process:

Finished drywall and painted white ceiling

Step 1: mopped the floor twice to remove all the dust from hanging the dry and applying the paster. I let this dry for a day before I started painting.

Step 2: Paint 7, yes 7, coats of porch and floor paint. Why did I choose this paint? Honestly, because I had a big gift card balance left over from a previous project and I wanted to do this reno as cheap as possible (since we rent our home). That was my huge mistake. Last year, I painted the front step of our porch with Benjamin Moore’s Regal Select Exterior paint (not even a flooring paint) and it’s held up perfectly. No chips or bubbles and it only 2 coats.

The color I chose, Valspar’s Sun Spark, had terrible coverable. The photo above is after the first coat and the photo below is after the second coat. While it looks like it covered pretty well, it didn’t. The paint was extremely transparent and it ultimately took 7 coats to get opaque coverage.

Why didn’t I use a premier you’re probably thinking. Well, funny thing, the paint associate had so much confidence in this paint they said it wouldn’t be necessary. Hah.

If I ever did this again, I’d use an epoxy-based concrete primer to create a better surface for the paint to adhere too and to require less coats. Live and learn you guys.

I waited 3 days for the paint to cure, as per the instructions on the paint can, between each coat. So yes, that means this took forever. And we happened to get the first long rain storms of the year during this time when all the contents of the garage we strewn about the patio so Kevin ran out and bought and borrowed tarps to cover everything while the floor dried.

Another huge blunder was after going through 2 gallons of paint (and 6 coats) I realized I needed just a little bit more for one more coat. So I drove across town about 45 minutes and they refused to mix the paint for me. They said they wouldn’t mix bright colors in the porch and floor paint. Wait, hold up! I already used 2 gallons that another store mixed for me. Also, who says floors have to be neutral colors only? But that’s another fight.

The next day I drove all the way across LA to another store with the empty paint can in hand and they mixed the paint, no questions asked. Hmm.

What are my qualms about it? Well, funny you should ask. First, it shows dirt like crazy. Which I knew was a given on white concrete floors but I naively thought the yellow would be a little more “user-friendly” to this. Nope, it shows every dusty foot print and dog hair. The good thing is that it can easily be swept and mopped and cleans up really well.

A couple areas bubbled up without anything being on top these areas. No idea what caused it but it’s super frustrating because this can lead to my third complaint…

Peeling. The paint has already, in fact, peeled up in several areas. Even after allowing it to dry the full time between coats.

So do I regret it? Kinda. But at the end of the way, it’s cheerful and makes the space so fun. And since I’m in here working all the time, why not make the space the way you want it. But maybe next time I’d choose a dark teal or deep pink color, at least to hid the dirt a little bit better.

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5 Comments
  • Amy | Delineate Your Dwelling
    May 16, 2018

    Soooo interesting! I would have guessed some of these issues for outside painted concrete, but wouldn’t have thought indoor it would be an issue, too. Great honest post, regardless!

    Reply
  • Roll the ball
    May 18, 2018

    amazing! I have never seen a floor painted in such a prominent tone, perhaps after building the house will also try this design. Thanks for your sharing!!

    Reply
  • Arlene
    May 31, 2018

    It could be a moisture issue. Our garage floor does the same thing. It builds up moisture under the paint (I believe it wicks up from the ground through the concrete).

    Reply
  • Concrete Floor
    February 14, 2020

    Concrete floors has durability and is easy to clean.

    Reply
  • Concrete Floors
    May 5, 2020

    Wow, it looks good. Concrete polishing is also an option.

    Reply

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Hi, I’m Sarah

Hi, I’m Sarah

Hi I'm Sarah Rivero Khandjian and I'm a graphic designer turned maker. I find joy in creating things and helping others do the same!

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LIVE SEWING WORKSHOP! Have you ever wanted to learn how to sew in-seam pockets into a skirt/dress/top? And what exactly is the difference between all the different types of elastic available? I’m going to show you—I’ve teamed up with @fiskars for my next live @michaelsstores class! In this $10 class you will learn how to sew an elastic waist skirt with in-seam pockets. And after signing up you will be emailed the pocket pattern I created just for you Plus we are going to get technical and talk all about different seam finishes and choosing the best elastic for your project. Join me next Friday evening, June 3rd at 7pm ET and let’s create something together! Link to sign up in stories and on michaels.com #MakeItWithMichaels #fiskars #sarahheartssews
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I’m so excited to share that my next live @michaelsstores online class with @fiskars is coming up! It’s this Saturday 4/30 at 1pm ET and we will be making a multipurpose apron and focusing on lots of technical skills. The class is $15 and you have access to the video recording forever. You can find more info and the link to sign up in my workshops highlight! #MakeItWithMichaels #sarahheartssews
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LIVE SEWING WORKSHOP! Have you ever wanted to learn how to sew in-seam pockets into a skirt/dress/top? And what exactly is the difference between all the different types of elastic available? I’m going to show you—I’ve teamed up with @fiskars for my next live @michaelsstores class!

In this $10 class you will learn how to sew an elastic waist skirt with in-seam pockets. And after signing up you will be emailed the pocket pattern I created just for you Plus we are going to get technical and talk all about different seam finishes and choosing the best elastic for your project.

Join me next Friday evening, June 3rd at 7pm ET and let’s create something together! Link to sign up in stories and on michaels.com

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LIVE SEWING WORKSHOP! Have you ever wanted to learn how to sew in-seam pockets into a skirt/dress/top? And what exactly is the difference between all the different types of elastic available? I’m going to show you—I’ve teamed up with @fiskars for my next live @michaelsstores class! In this $10 class you will learn how to sew an elastic waist skirt with in-seam pockets. And after signing up you will be emailed the pocket pattern I created just for you Plus we are going to get technical and talk all about different seam finishes and choosing the best elastic for your project. Join me next Friday evening, June 3rd at 7pm ET and let’s create something together! Link to sign up in stories and on michaels.com #MakeItWithMichaels #fiskars #sarahheartssews
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For Mother’s Day I asked for a day alone and here’s a peek at how I spent my time…making this top out of pillowcases from the 60s and 70s. More details to come! #sarahheartssews
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#babylockambassador #babylocksewing #isewmyownclothes #memademay2022
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For Mother’s Day I asked for a day alone and here’s a peek at how I spent my time…making this top out of pillowcases from the 60s and 70s. More details to come! #sarahheartssews . #babylockambassador #babylocksewing #isewmyownclothes #memademay2022
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I’m so excited to share that my next live @michaelsstores online class with @fiskars is coming up! It’s this Saturday 4/30 at 1pm ET and we will be making a multipurpose apron and focusing on lots of technical skills. The class is $15 and you have access to the video recording forever. You can find more info and the link to sign up in my workshops highlight! #MakeItWithMichaels #sarahheartssews
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I’m so excited to share that my next live @michaelsstores online class with @fiskars is coming up! It’s this Saturday 4/30 at 1pm ET and we will be making a multipurpose apron and focusing on lots of technical skills. The class is $15 and you have access to the video recording forever. You can find more info and the link to sign up in my workshops highlight! #MakeItWithMichaels #sarahheartssews
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I’m excited to announce my first live workshop of the year!!! 🎉 Who’s going to join me? I’m partnering with @fiskars to teach a @michaelsstores workshop where you will learn how to make a quilted wall hanging like this one—from start to finish! The class on Saturday, March 26 at 1pm EST is $15 and includes access to a recording of the class.  Check the “workshops” highlights on my profile page for the signup link!
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I’m excited to announce my first live workshop of the year!!! 🎉 Who’s going to join me? I’m partnering with @fiskars to teach a @michaelsstores workshop where you will learn how to make a quilted wall hanging like this one—from start to finish! The class on Saturday, March 26 at 1pm EST is $15 and includes access to a recording of the class. Check the “workshops” highlights on my profile page for the signup link! . If you’re new to quilting or have been wanting to dip your toes into quilting this is a great place to start. Please leave a comment below if you have any questions. Cannot wait to create with you! #makeitwithmichaels #fiskars #sewingworkshop #quiltingclass #sarahhearts
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We left the bagel shop and she kept saying, “sculpture! sculpture!” and we had no idea what she was saying until she pointed and then said “paleta! popsicle!” and asked to take a photo 😆 #junehearts
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We left the bagel shop and she kept saying, “sculpture! sculpture!” and we had no idea what she was saying until she pointed and then said “paleta! popsicle!” and asked to take a photo 😆 #junehearts
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