How to seal garage wall and floor before painting?

[mich1972]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Good afternoon Workshop friends. We have cleared the shed. 

I want to paint the walls and epoxy the floor. 

What I need advice for first is - do we need to use a special waterproofing sealer on the bottom section of the wall because on the other side it’s raised up as garden ect. 
I have added photos to show the walls and also the surrounding areas as you can see how it is different levels if that makes sense ? Thank you in advance 😀

Community manager's note: Check out How to apply epoxy to a garage floor for expert advice.

[Dave-1]

Morning @mich1972 

When I was considering what to do with the garage floor and knowing I wanted carpet tiles on it I did get asked about "sealing" the concrete.

I could put down a sheet of plastic across the whole floor and then carpet over that as the plastic would protect it from moisture. I chose not to as I wanted the concrete to breath.

Sealing it can be done but not sure what product I would use. (I am sure @EricL or @MitchellMc would know)

Note that garage floors may slope towards the garage door. (Mine has a fall of 2.5cm per meter I think?)

Dave

[mich1972]

Ok no worries. I had a look and read your post and your water problems were definitely worse than ours !!!!!! Thanks again for your help and advice 😊

[mich1972]

 

 I purchased a Moisture meter and tested different spots of the lower wall and the concrete slab where it looks like damp absorbing. 

[EricL]

Hi @mich1972 

That's a very handy tool to have. I suggest having a look at the weather for the next two weeks and see which day is going to be the hottest. This would be the day where evaporation would be at its peak. This theoretically would be the time that your brick wall will have the least amount of moisture trapped in it. I propose sealing it on that day.

Eric

[mich1972]

 

I’m going to get up at 4am in the morning and start before the heat sets in. I was advised to apply this one @EricL  🙂 

[EricL]

Hi @mich1972 

That sealer should help immensely. It will reduce the amount of condensation you are getting from your brick wall.

Eric

[mich1972]

I’ve also got the roller door up to allow for good ventilation. 

[MrSober]

Is that side of the wall just dirt up against the brickwork? that is what I am seeing from the photos.

I would have thought water proofing the inside isn't the best idea as that allows the water to still soak into the brickwork and will just mean it will soak further up the wall, makes me wonder if there are weep holes further down if it was done after building and if the damp course is under ground.

If it is just dirt straight up against the brick, I'd be looking at digging a trench next to the wall. Cleaning off the brick and letting it dry and then look at using the water proofing membrane on the outside. I would then also be looking at a way to draw as much moisture away from the wall, and then putting some sort of material that won't absorb as much water sitting against the brick like drainage rock etc.

I ran into a similar issue with my build when the brick layers thought it would be a good idea to put a weep hole below ground level as my house is split level. Water would pool where the garage wall sticks out further than the kitchen which is higher and would flood my garage when heavy rain.

[mich1972]

Morning @MrSober, the walls are old and dirty but definitely dampness there from winter. Certainly not bad like what I saw with Dave’s shed. I have applied the Damp Stop. From the readings on the moisture meter it’s not out of control. Thank you for your reply 😊 I appreciate it !!!! 

[mich1972]

 

Got up at 4am before the heatwave started here in Perth. Two coats complete.

 

Checking the walls and slab again and now it’s 0% @EricL 😀