Have you ever tried to paint a red wall the color white? If so, I hope you used a primer. If not, you probably started out with some standard paint and quickly realized that regular paint doesn’t cover that well. So you either dealt with your wall having a slight pinkish tint, or you made the trip to Lowe’s and bought yourself a quality primer. Even with our modernized paints that claim to be a primer/paint all-in-one and promise to cover all stains and all colors, there are still many situations where a base coat of KIltz really makes a positive difference in the final outcome. A quality primer at the beginning of a painting project truly makes a nicer finished product.
Now let’s talk a little bit about my type of business and how we can best utilize primers for our installations. When installing any type of floor over concrete the #1 thing that can cause problems is moisture passing through the slab. This causes problems such as failed adhesives, warped wood floors, or in my industry – peeling and flaking coatings. To prevent this from happening we always include an option for an additional moisture blocking primer. This priming system is a catalyzed product made to penetrate into the surface layer of the cement so excess moisture cannot pass through the concrete. This provides us the guarantee that our seamless floors continue to stay locked into the concrete surface. Of course with this increased benefit, we also see an increase in price. So how do you choose between using an additional moisture blocking primer, and how do you know if the added cost worth it for your project?
To answer these questions and also give you the ability to make the right decision, I have outlined some basic ways to make sure you get the best value for your project. Now these are the options we offer at my company, Dancer Concrete Design. These may not be applicable for all installers. We are very picky with the products we use and only choose products that are 100% solids (no fillers, no solvents) and contain NO-VOC’s. We exclusively use NO-VOC products as I don’t particularly like wearing a mask while I work, and you should not have to leave your home because of the danger in a product.
Make sure you ask your installer what products they are putting down and ASK TO SEE REAL SAMPLES of the cured product. This will make sure the contractors and your expectations are consistent.
When to Use an Additional Moisture Blocking Primer for Seamless Floor Installations
- Concrete that has not been cured for 30 days and needs to be coated
- Concrete that has moisture readings over 3 lbs per 10000 sq. ft.
- Our primer will work on concrete with readings of up to 15 lbs per 1000 sq. ft.
- You want the extra assurance or guarantee that your floor with not peel, chip, or delaminate from the surface.
- Concrete with no under-slab vapor barrier installed
- You just appreciate a job done in the best way possible
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Nick Dancer
