How to Paint Precast Concrete

Since precast concrete has become popular for different types of construction – from small residential repairs to big, city-wide projects, you must wonder how to you can make it more aesthetically pleasing. Concrete, in general, is a plain, gray wall that may not suit everyone’s taste, so you can paint over it with any color, design or pattern you’d like. However, you have to make subtly different decisions from your usual painting checklist.  With Permacast precast concrete, we offer many finishes and colors that are actually prebuilt into the concrete during the casting process, meaning you don’t need to paint them, and the color actually lasts longer.  However, if you find yourself in the situation where you need to paint precast concrete, there are a few things you should know.

 Tips for Painting Precast Concrete

To ensure that you paint your precast concrete the best possible way, here are some steps you should follow.

Pick a paint that suits precast concrete.

The first step is the most crucial step. You need the pick the paint that’s resistant to moisture and, if the precast wall is outside – which is often the case, choose one that can withstand constant sun exposure. You can either go for paints that are specifically designed for the outdoors or get an oil-based one, which is just as good. For an interior precast wall installation, opt for an interior acrylic paint.

Make sure the precast wall is clean and hole-free.

Painting over an uncleaned and unrepaired wall is one of the worst things you can do because the paint has the power to magnify rough concrete and holes. It doesn’t matter how many times you go over them. You get the same result.

With an outdoor precast wall, take the time to hose down your wall and rid it from dust, dirt and other elements it was exposed to. For indoor walls, scrub it with soap and water. While doing that, check if your wall has holes that require patching. Once the wall is dry, fill them with concrete patch mixture then smoothen it.

Check if the wall is sealed.

To find out if your wall is already sealed, cover the wall with a plastic sheeting as tight as you possibly could for at least 24 hours. If there’s moisture, then the precast wall has not been sealed. If there isn’t, then you can move onto the primer. To seal the wall, simply apply a coat of concrete sealer and let it dry overnight. Once that’s dry, you can move on to the next step.

Go in with primer, paint and more seal.

With either a brush or a roller, apply one coat the primer evenly, and let it dry for 24 hours. You can now apply a couple layers of paint, 3 at the minimum until you’re happy with the color. You need to let it dry for another 24 hours before applying a concrete paint sealer. Apply two coats of this, and give each coat some time to dry. This increases the durability of the paint on your precast wall.

Have you ever painted precast concrete?  Let us know your favorite tip in the comments below!