Things You'll Need:
- Cleaning supplies
- Paint brushes or rollers
- Primer
- Paint
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Step 1
Prepare your walls to be primed and painted. If you have framed your basement and built walls of drywall, then there will be little prep work to be done. However, if your basement consists of stone or concrete walls, you will need to clean them before painting. All dirt and debris will need to be cleaned away entirely before you can proceed. If there is seepage of ground water, you should repair the cause and dry the wall completely before working on the surface.
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Step 2
Prime the walls. Anyone who has very much experience painting will tell you that it is much cheaper and easier to apply a coat of primer rather than dealing with the headaches that may arise from skipping this step. Primer is relatively cheap and will improve both the quality and appearance of your paint job, so it should always be used. Apply a generous coating of primer to the wall, painting it on as if it is paint. Allow the primer to dry completely before you start to paint the basement walls.
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Step 3
Paint the basement walls. Since basements naturally attract moisture, both from ground water and from the pipes in the basement, it is important to use a water-resistant paint. Most experts recommend using the Dry Lok brand paint to permanently lock out moisture from your basement. This will not only beautify the area, but will help prevent ground water from seeping through the porous concrete.
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Step 4
Apply 2 to 3 coats of paint to the basement walls to achieve the optimum protection of your walls, as well as to obtain the optimum color shade for your paint.
