Painting a Concrete Walkway

While there are homes that have been installed with brick pebbled or paved passageways, there are still a lot of homes that have been installed with a simpler walkway that was made from concrete. The walkway is usually painted to distinguish it and the paint coat may last from several months to a year depending on the scrubbing, sweeping and mopping that is done to it. Hence, constant maintenance is needed to keep your walkways looking good all the time. The key to the success of painting your concrete walkway, as with all other projects is in the preparation. Preparing the surface of the concrete walkway may in fact be longer than the actual painting job. If you take your time and plan each step carefully, you are going to go through the project smoothly and quickly.

Step 1 - Clean the Concrete Walkway Surface

Before doing any painting, you have to wash and dry the surface of the concrete walkway thoroughly. If you have a new walkway, make a soap and water mixture and use a push broom to spread it all over the surface. For excessively used or old walkways, you can use a pressure washer instead. This will make sure that all the stains and oils that may have accumulated on the surface are washed out before you start painting. Let it dry for around 24 hours.

Step 2 - Fill Surface Faults

If there are cracks or holes on the concrete, fill them up using hydraulic cement. Apply sealer on the concrete edges of the walkway with the use of the paintbrush. For the wider section in the center, you can use the outdoor roller. Allow it to dry and again cover it for around 24 hours.

Step 3 - Prime the Concrete Walkway

Get your concrete primer and apply a thin coat on the concrete walkway using a paintbrush for the edges of the concrete and an outdoor roller on its middle section. Allow the primer to dry. Cover the walkway loosely for at least a day.

Step 4 - Paint the Walkway

Once the primer has cured sufficiently, apply a coating of floor paint or concrete stain, whichever you prefer, and allow drying. Once it has dried sufficiently, apply another coat of paint or stain. Do the painting in the same manner as you did during the priming process.

In painting your concrete walkway, do not use paint that was intended for the house or for its interior. The result would be a surface that would be slippery and dangerous when wet. There are floor paints and commercial stains for concrete that are made specifically on surfaces like that of a walkway. You can also use a floor paint additive that converts an exterior house paint to floor paint.