Sealing concrete flooring

[Guest Alphonsox]

Our concrete flooring is still kicking up a bit of dust despite the builders having applied some form of sealant. I need to stop the dust before we start painting so another coat or two of something is required. What do people suggest ?

Long term we will be having bamboo flooring and tiles if this makes a difference.

[Declan52]

Weak pva mix put down with a paint roller worked for me.

[Guest Alphonsox]

Thanks - Waterproof or standard PVA ? and at what ratio ?

[PeterW]

3:1 I think and cheapo standard is fine - it's on the back of the container as to the ratio for sealing concrete I think 

[Declan52]

Just a standard drum from screwfix. About a litre of pva into a half full builders bucket is what I used. Just make sure the floor has cured fully first.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/no-nonsense-pva-5ltr/57248

Edited June 29, 2016 by Declan52

[Jeremy Harris]

I used the screwfix or B&Q cheapest PVA, watered down and applied by swilling a bucket load over the floor and spreading it with a soft broom.  Quick, easy and a tremendous benefit in terms of keeping the dust down and making cleaning up a LOT easier.

One tip, if the house has been plastered go around and chip off all the trodden in bits of plaster BEFORE you spread the PVA, as it's a real sod to get them off afterwards................

[Onoff]

I used SBR rather than PVA on the concrete floor in my bathroom. Something to do with when we tile it later. On the lines of if ever water does get through (the tiles) it can lift the PVA and in turn the tiles.

[Guest MrsRA]

Invite your local primary school in for an art workshop. Teachers are always looking for cheap places for class visits this time of year. They will soon have your whole house coated in a weak solution of pva, no bother ?

[TheMitchells]

Perfect timing of the question as I was asked just that by a lady whose garden I have just done.  She is one of the many new homes in Bicester and her garage is soooo dusty.  I shall pass on the advice though i bet she will be asking me to get it done.  A woman of many talents, I keep telling the OH......

[Guest Alphonsox]

If she is doing a garage it makes sense to use the waterproof PVA or a proper garage floor sealant. The standard PVA remains soluble indefinitely - so if it gets wet it gets sticky. (Hence OnOffs comments above about using something different in the bathroom).

I know this from bitter experience having used standard PVA in my garage. On the first occasion I parked a wet car in it the tyres stuck to the floor. Next time I drove the car out the top surface came along too.

[Onoff]

Tbh if a new garage I'd think about getting some proper floor paint down BEFORE any oil spills etc.

I was lucky with my double garage as in it had never been "worked" in but just used for storage. It was though hellishly dusty. I wired brushed the whole floor then vacuumed it. Primed from memory with WATERPROOF PVA thinned 5:1. I'd collected 3 or 4 different makes & shades of grey floor paint; Leyland, Wickes, S'fix, International etc.  All solvent based back then (5-10 years ago?). I just tipped the lot into an old 5 gallon brewing bucket, mixed to a uniform grey and away I went. Now I think a lot of the paints are water based so you could give a priming coat of thinned paint first. You might also consider non slip types for heavy foot traffic areas.

[PeterW]

+1 to the Johnstones stuff - we use it for toilet floors at an activity centre and we use cheap £3 brooms from Wilko and a washing up bowl. 

One person goes round the edges (and first two brick courses) with the floor paint, the other paints the floor with the big brush. We do a whole building in a couple of hours at most and that's a lot of edges to cut in !!

[Onoff]

1 hour ago, PeterW said:

+1 to the Johnstones stuff - we use it for toilet floors at an activity centre and we use cheap £3 brooms from Wilko and a washing up bowl. 

One person goes round the edges (and first two brick courses) with the floor paint, the other paints the floor with the big brush. We do a whole building in a couple of hours at most and that's a lot of edges to cut in !!

I used a soft BROOM to do mine it was such a big area.