How to paint concrete basement floor?

We are in the process of trying to sell our house. Unfortunately, our cat had decided to use our basement utility room as a litter box and peed in places on the concrete floor. I have cleaned it very well with bleach, etc., but the stains still remain visually. I have come to the conclusion that painting over it may be the only way to make it aesthetically pleasing as well as sealed. I bought some Dutch Boy concrete paint last night, but will I need to etch or prime it? I'm sort of in a hurry with an open house in a couple of days, so I would like to skip unecessary steps, but at the same time don't want to skip essentials.

 

Welcome to the forums and we wish you well with selling your home!

Generally older concrete doesn't need to be etched prior to painting. IMO concrete stains are a better choice than paint. Basement floors can be hard to keep painted. If the proper moisture barrier wasn't layed down prior to the concrete being poured or has become compromised it can lead to early paint failure. You should tape a square foot or so of plastic to the floor and look 24-48 hrs later to see if the underside is wet or dry. If it's dry, you shouldn't have any problems with the paint.