How to Deal With a Damp Cement Floor
- 1). Put on long clothing that covers as much skin as possible, a pair of work gloves, a face mask and safety goggles to protect yourself from the grit used in the floor preparation.
- 2). Remove dirt, debris and previous floor coatings from the cement, using a light-grit abrasive, such as walnut shells or acrylic plastic beads, blasted over the floor using a sandblaster. Move the grit spray in rows along the length of the cement floor surface, overlapping the rows slightly to make certain all of the surface is covered. In addition to removing the previous coatings, the grit will clean the surface of the floor and create a slight texture to give the floor covering a surface it’s easy to adhere to.
- 3). Use a push broom to sweep up the grit and any materials blasted from the floor, and place the materials in plastic trash bags for disposal.
- 4). Increase the airflow and lower the humidity in the room by setting up fans. Open windows and place the fans in the windows, with the fans facing outside. Set up a hygrometer in the room, and wait for the humidity to drop below 85 percent before proceeding with the floor covering. Maintain the humidity at this level or lower throughout the application and curing process.
- 5). Mix the epoxy floor coating components separately with separate wooden stir sticks, and then combine the components using the mix ratio indicated by the coating manufacturer. Use a drill set to a slow speed with a grout stirrer attached to mix the two components together, activating the epoxy coating.
- 6). Brush a layer of the epoxy coating over the floor with a paintbrush, overlapping the edges of the brush strokes slightly for full coverage. Allow the coating to dry for 24 hours.
- 7). Apply a second coat of the epoxy to the floor with a low-nap paint roller, overlapping the applied rows for coverage. Attach the extension pole to the paint roller to increase your reach. Allow the second coat to dry for 24 hours before stepping onto the floor.