Painting the basement sucks

July 26, 2004

I can’t afford to finish my basement right now, so I thought I’d at least paint the walls and floor to make the space a bit brighter. Turns out painting concrete is a pain in the ass.

I picked a nice pastel green for the walls, similar to the green I had in my old condo in Emeryville. Problem is the green looked fine in the paint store but in the darkened basement you can’t tell it’s green–it looks like a white paint instead.

Luckily I’d only bought one gallon as a test, so I went back to Porter Paints today and got a slightly darker shade of green. Spent the last couple hours downstairs painting, and this color I think is gonna work out.

Doesn’t make the act of painting any easier–I have a nice roller and handle, and am using the 1-inch nap for rough surfaces. It’s a major chore because the paint goes on so think and you have to roll it back and forth to try and get a good finish.

I now have one and a half walls painted, and I’m thinking of maybe buying a Wagner power painter or something similar to speed this up. Would be worth the cost if it cuts my painting time. But what I’m not sure about is whether all that spraying is a good idea in the encolsed space of a basement.

Anyway, once the walls are done I’ll mop up the floor to prep it for painting. I’ve picked a light shade of gray for the floor color. I think it will go okay with the light green walls.

Once the walls are done I’m gonna have to turn my attention to the ceiling. A drop-grid system will cost several thousand dollars, just for materials. Not sure I want to go that route, we’ll see once the walls and floor are painted.