I'm planning on painting a previously painted (almost 80 y.o.) basement
floor with oil-based floor/concrete paint.

I've used latex for all my main floor walls, ceilings, etc. -- so I
don't have much experience with oil-based paints.

* Do I need to turn off the pilot lights (for an extended period) on my
gas water heater and furnace -- or will opening the windows be enough
ventilation (if painted in the spring)?

* Is the gloss surface going to be a safety concern (slipping)?

Use of the basement is mainly for laundry, workbench, storage, etc --
no "living" areas.

Thanks in advance for any help / advice.

Mike

The fumes wont explode but will explode you, the fumes are toxic and
bringing fresh air in is a smart idea, put a fan in a window to suck out
air. It will be slipery wet, sand additive can be added in or sprinkled
on top. But sand makes it wear faster . So maybe sand near only the
laundry area. Sand also hold a bit of dirt.

On 28 Mar 2005 22:26:00 -0800, "MJD509"
wrote:

* Do I need to turn off the pilot lights (for an extended period) on my
gas water heater and furnace -- or will opening the windows be enough
ventilation (if painted in the spring)?

That should be good enough but I'd also add an exhaust fan to move air
through the space. Even a pilot light can create lots of monoxide and
very smelly unburned hydrocarbons.

* Is the gloss surface going to be a safety concern (slipping)?

Probably not unless the floor gets wet. If this is a concern there
are additives you can mix into the paint. I add a handful of fine
sand into deck paint for exterior applications.

Steve Manes
Brooklyn, NY
http://www.magpie.com/house/bbs

I'm planning on painting a previously painted (almost 80 y.o.)
basement
floor with oil-based floor/concrete paint.

Do you need to remove the existing paint before painting the floor? I
am just wondering whether the new paint will stick well with the
existing paint. If the paint manufacturer suggests removing the
existing paint, you will have a lot of hard work in front of you
because removing paint from concrete floor is a very difficult job (and
probably not very healthy); if this is the case, you may be better off
just leave the floor alone.

Jay Chan

Jay , any paint can be painted over, clean and sand, thats it.

Thanks for all the great advice. I'll definitely get a fan going as
well. The walls, joists/ceiling are sprayed in looks like a latex based
paint. The paint store guy said to TSP and sand lightly, and the paint
should hold. I'll see how it goes. Thanks again for the help.

Mike