I'd start with one coat of the concrete wall primer/sealer, the stuff
that is supposed to block moisture. Even though you have a dry basement,
there is still soil moisture that is coming through the concrete.

Put on a top coat of satin acrylic laxtex in a very light color of your
choosing. Eggshell white, a very light beige, a very light green, etc.
Nothing off in the yellow, orange, red or blue tones. The satin finish
is harder than the flat so it does not show the dirt and washes up
easily. Use the light tones to reflect the light. Ask for a finish that
is used in a bathroom, they are much tougher than the ones for walls.

I've got the same problem with heat ducts so I've been using 2x40watt
florescent light fixtures stuck up inbetween the floor joist. You have
to use the older fixtures or the commercial grade new units in order to
get decent reflectors. Plan on a watt of florescent per square foot if
you want to work anywhere in the shop (cabinet work, fabrication,
layout). Use task lighting if you are just running machine tools or
bench work.

Mike Henry wrote:
I'm thinking about painting the poured concrete walls in the basement shop
to get it looking a little brighter. What is a good color, brand, and type
of paint to use? Is a glossy or matte finish better? Is selaer needed or
can the walls just be painted as is? The walls are 12 years old and we
never have any water leaks - the sump pump has never come on.

Home Depot, Menard's, Lowes are all nearby as is a J.C. Licht paint store.

An archive search didn't reveal too much from rcm, but Boris Beizer seems to
like a really bright yellow in acrylic. Some seem to think that pure white
is not a good color

More lighting would also help but there are too many air handling ducts in
the way to do a better job of that and the ceiling is way too short to
consider a drop ceiling.

Mike