Cleaning Concrete Garage Floor Before Painting

Attach a brush or coarse scrubbing pad to an electric floor scrubber.

Cleaning concrete garage floor before painting.

Cleaning garage floors by floor grinding or shot blasting will insure your concrete is profiled correctly. Tape a large piece of plastic over a portion of the old concrete garage floor attaching all edges of the plastic to the floor. For regular cleaning a solution of baking soda and water will loosen dirt and grease and help keep your garage floor clean. For stubborn stains use muriatic acid in combination with your pressure washer set to at least 1200 psi.

Concrete is very porous and will easily collect dirt and grime so cleaning with a power washer or floor buffing machine is best. Moisture will prevent the primer and paint from adhering properly. Wear gloves and make sure the garage is well ventilated. The buffers can be rented and the rental companies often sell the scrub pads too.

Remove all dirt or debris with a broom. For tough paint stains you may need a commercial paint stripper. Check under the plastic. Step 1using a rag wipe off all oil and grease spills from the concrete surface.

Pour dry dishwasher detergent or a concrete cleaning agent on the stain. Dampen the cement floor thoroughly with a hose. How to paint a garage floor clean and prep the floor. An easy way to tell whether the floor is dry enough is to place a small.

New concrete must cure for 30 days before you can clean it or apply a topcoat. Cleaning concrete garage floor with a floor buffer. If you try applying an epoxy floor paint to a smooth unprofiled concrete floor you can expect the epoxy to peel and lift due to hot tire pickup and inproper adhesion. These powered buffers will scour the floor replacing the manual scrubbing with a brush.

Wait until your concrete floors are dry before you prime. Do not skip this part. Leave the plastic on the floor for 24 hours. Let the detergent sit for 45 minutes then pour boiling water on the area and vigorously scrub the stained section with the broom.

Pour some of the degreaser or cleaning solution from the bucket onto the floor.