How much work should I put into prepping the concrete floor in my basement laundry room?

[putty]

During a recent bathroom reno, I discovered that the linoleum in my basement laundry room had mold growing underneath it. I've recently removed all of the linoleum and scrubbed and washed the entire 22'x11' concrete floor to remove all the mold.

However, I am now left with a bare concrete floor.

My wife and I both agree that we don't want to have to go through that again, so we are thinking of simply painting the floor. We don't care what it looks like since it is just the laundry room/furnace room/crap storage, we just don't want any more water issue to go unseen.

My wife seems to think that we can simply paint over the floor as it is. I'm worried that I'll spend all that time and money and the paint will just peel off after a few months.

I've seen many videos and blogs with different suggestions and methods for prepping. I was wondering if anyone on these forums might have some experience or advice. I've included a few photos in case it might help. For example, one of the photos shows the grooves from the glue for the linoleum. Although those lines are pretty much flush, would the paint have issues adhering to the floor?

Thanks in advance for your time.

 

[Mark Brown]

So looking at that I would strongly recommend not just painting it. Get a good razor scraper, 4 or 5 inch and give it a whirl. Thst job sucks, a lot, but I think you will be happy with the results. From there, if it looks good give it a paint. if not go to town with a segmented diamond blade, again 4 or 5 Inch and grind it down to bare. The choice is yours really, I have seen people paint over the shmegg and get away with it and I have seen it done and fail in no time. If it was me, I would scrape it and call it good but I am lazy lol

 

[DarisMulkin]

I agree with Mark on getting rid of that old glue by scraping it. It could be food for mold.

 

[Bogdonovich]

If there was mold, that means there was moisture in your concrete. If that's the case you need to do a moisture barrier test (taylor tools concrete moisture vapor emissions test). If there is a lot of moisture, you'll want to think about a vapor barrier. Paint is the worst option because it will just peel up if there isn't anything to bond to. Stain and seal it. Or, epoxy.


side gig

 

[Mark Brown]

Stain and seal or epoxy?? I really think perhaps you missed the thread on this one. Fellow is looking for cheap, easy and not a lot of work. There is no way on gods green earth that you would be able to prep that slab for either of those options without more work than it is worth. Sometimes the best advice is not always the advice that is best.

 

[highup]

I wonder what would happen if you got the floor wet and sprinkle 100 lb of silica sand on the floor, then rented a 16-in buffer with a pad on it.
You suppose that sand slurry would gradually ease off those adhesive streaks? Maybe sand and vinegar instead of water.

 

[Tom Picciani]

I used a product called Eco-Etch from Amazon. No voc. Don’t need special gear.

then I put down 2 coats of Behr epoxy primer followed by 2 coats of Behr one part epoxy gray. Came out pretty good.

Tom P

 

[highup]

Boy you didn't waste any time putting that room to work did you Tom? I'd love to have a space like that to work in. Where did you get it and how much do they cost?
Eco Etch, does it need to be rinsed.

 

[Tom Picciani]

Eco etch is sprayed on with a garden sprayer. Then you scrub it in, let it sit far a few minutes. Then dump some water and wet vac. I just dumped it behind the house on bare dirt. It hit some grass but didn’t seem to affect it. I’m sure it’s not as effective as muriatic acid, but you can’t use that stuff indoors. Seems to work pretty good. I don’t have any paint peeling up since I did this last year. The etch is on Amazon for $32 per gallon. I used 2 coats of Behr concrete primer and 2 coats of Behr 1 part epoxy paint. Still looking great! Big box store comes through for once!

 

[Bogdonovich]

Stain and seal or epoxy?? I really think perhaps you missed the thread on this one. Fellow is looking for cheap, easy and not a lot of work. There is no way on gods green earth that you would be able to prep that slab for either of those options without more work than it is worth. Sometimes the best advice is not always the advice that is best.

If you think that's expensive, wait until he sees the bill in two years when he pays me to come and fix it... hahaha I'm kidding. You're right. My method would be expensive.

This is how you will feel when you realize you've created silica crystals from trapping moisture in the concrete and you'll have to pull up the entire slab