What to do with concrete block wall in garage

[Slowbra]

I'm getting ready to lay down some RaceDeck tiles (majority being graphite) in my garage soon and have shifted my focus to the concrete block walls that go all the way around my garage.

I am considering getting 4" grey/black cove base and then painting the blocks either grey or black. Alternatively I can skip the cove base and just paint the blocks. My goal is to make it look like the concrete blocks are not even there.

I'm also open to repainting the white trim above the blocks as well since there isn't much white in the garage.

Please provide any suggestions that you may have to make this look better. If you think paint is the way to go, what products should I use?

 

[METALMOVER]

Zinser block paint which is tintable is an option, however you will still see the mortar lines, Ive stuccoed blocks before then painted so you could not see the lines. Good luck

 

[Toyota4Runner]

What I have done for the 2 foot base I have of the same situation.

Dry-loc : I live in south GA and moisture is bad around here, walls sweat. I sealed and then painted them black. The reason for black is it hides scuffs, tire marks and just general **** you throw against them.

 

[tlmartin84]

Metal hit the nail on the head. Parge coat them if you want the mortar joints gone. If not get a good quality filler paint.

 

[NUTTSGT]

You could always shim out more at the top (3-4 foot mark) and cover with something as a wainscoting like corrugated tin.

 

[rsanter]

Put tile over them

Bob

 

[Slowbra]

These are all great ideas.

I thought about using RaceDeck tile before and the corrugated tin is interesting as well. I'll have to search for pictures of that.

I like the idea of painting with Zinzer (assume I can pick this up at Lowes?) or Dry-loc since humidity is an issue. How hard is it to get rid of the mortar joints?

My garage is fairly big so I want something that is fairly easy and not terribly expensive.

 

[Slowbra]

I've decided to go with some sort of paint for the walls.

How hard is it to hide the mortar joints with paint?

 

[Popster3]

Here you go! How about ceramic tile; I've decided to use it on my garage interior 2' block foundation walls.

 

[Slowbra]

I never got around to paining it. I may just do RaceDeck tile to match the floor. Although price wise, paint would be cheapest. I will consider the ceramic tile approach too though. That may not be too expensive.

 

[gregtwojeeps]

I've decided to go with some sort of paint for the walls.

How hard is it to hide the mortar joints with paint?

You cannot " hide" the mortar joints with a paint product. Only way to hide mortar joints as mentioned is to use tiles or tin or other hard surface. You may want to try your hand at stucco, just search it. Not that hard to do, and you can paint if you want or leave it. ...

Sherwin William's has an epoxy paint designed to cover masonry work(read all safety precautions on the labels ! ) . It will fill the little holes in the block and leave them with a flatter, glazed look (like you see in some school hall walls ) . But the mortar joints will still show, as it is a paint product. jmo

 

[corvettenut]

make it easy on yourself. use heavy duty block filler from s w. then you can use whatever paint you want

 

[toplessHO]

cant count the number of times Ive used mine for sandpaper.
that said my garage is more of a working model.

 

[Lassen Forge]

cant count the number of times Ive used mine for sandpaper.

LOL, I used to do the same thing on the part of my old concrete wall I left exposed (for drainage purposes)! I had 2 walls that were retaining wall poured concrete, and one that was C'Block... EVERY garage on our old street was like this (we were on a hill) - cinder block or poured concrete into a hillside. I built a wooden false wall in front of it, anchored it to the cinderblock, and had a regular wall to hang stuff on, build shelves (even a workbench) from, etc... a friend up the street found some of those porcelain building sides (like an old gas station - lots of those 20's-30's buildings coming down in our old city) and adapted them - beautiful and easy to maintain. Another used ceramic tiles - it was perpetually cold, but again, it looked beautiful and was easy easy to clean. Tho... the ones left "au natural" looked really nice - it is what it is, and cleaned up well with a power washer once a year.

 

[jmiller_2308]

I'm looking at using some cosmetic diamond plate on mine. Has anybody ever used this?

http://www.cutsmetal.net/48-x-120-full-sheet-aluminum-diamond-plate-with-chrome-vinyl-trim/

 

[Slowbra]

Here are pictures of what my floor looks like now compared to the block wall. As you can see it definitely needs something.

 

[Lassen Forge]

Why not the same floor tiles in the same pattern carried up the wall, with a black molding at the edge? That might just look hot.

 

[Slowbra]

Why not the same floor tiles in the same pattern carried up the wall, with a black molding at the edge? That might just look hot.

That's exactly what I am thinking about. It will not be cheap, but I do think it would look good. I'll take some of my extra pieces and hold them up. Pics to come shortly.

 

[readhead]

What happens when you drop something small on the floor? Gone forever? Just wondering.

 

[Slowbra]

What happens when you drop something small on the floor? Gone forever? Just wondering.

It's a non-issue. 9/10 times the item doesn't fall into the opening. When it does a magnet or tweezers get it right out. I've used the floor extensively the past 5 months and it has been a non-issue and I use my garage a lot. It also looks brand new. I can hose it out, blow it out, wash my cars inside etc.

 

[Slowbra]

Here is floor tile going up the wall.

 

[drivesitfar]

seal it and stucco sounds like the best route to clean up that small area.

or is there larger areas of that sort of bare block in your garage shop?

if there is a lot of block to do just painting won't hide the seams. maybe sealing and than taking the wood trim down to the floor might be another option. sort of like a wainscoting inside a house.

nice looking floor and garage

 

[Slowbra]

seal it and stucco sounds like the best route to clean up that small area.



or is there larger areas of that sort of bare block in your garage shop?



if there is a lot of block to do just painting won't hide the seams. maybe sealing and than taking the wood trim down to the floor might be another option. sort of like a wainscoting inside a house.



nice looking floor and garage

Thanks for the compliments. The bare block area goes all around my garage. I need to take some measurements to get the actual surface area.

 

[Ironcrow]

I had the same issue, how to hide block cheaply. I used Quikwall then paint and am very pleased with the result.

 

[drivesitfar]

is there any dirt behind any of the cement block? if there is moisture will end up coming in through the grout so you'll need to seal it to keep that from happening. also if you have any gutter downspouts coming down on the outside make sure to have splash blocks or corrugated pipe taking the water away from the foundation. you or your contractor might have already sealed the cement block on the outside before dirt was pushed up against the block which is actually the best way to seal it.

i'm not a fan of your floor's surface coming up the wall in case you were asking for opinions.

good luck

 

[davo727]

I would paint it and call it good and spend time and money working on something worthwhile.

 

[dubber]

Happy to have just found this thread. In my current garage and in my last i painted the cement footer black and then had black free flow RD tiles around my perimeter. I also painted about an inch on the actual floor which masked the 3/4" buffer where the flooring meets the wall. I think in my space it made the flooring flow right into the garage. Check out my build threads for more info. Good luck, your floor looks great and this will be a great touch.

Pic for reference.

 

[Slowbra]

Happy to have just found this thread. In my current garage and in my last i painted the cement footer black and then had black free flow RD tiles around my perimeter. I also painted about an inch on the actual floor which masked the 3/4" buffer where the flooring meets the wall. I think in my space it made the flooring flow right into the garage. Check out my build threads for more info. Good luck, your floor looks great and this will be a great touch.

Pic for reference.

I've read your thread. Do you mind listing the paint and process you followed? I like the look of yours and would like to go down the same path.

 

[captaindiode]

Look at a product called "surewall" it is a surface bonding cement with fiberglass fibers. It is white, but you can paint it or tint it when you mix it. You could also parge it with mortar mix if you want it smooth.

 

[machine_punk]

What about diamond plate to cover the blocks? Definitely a good look for a garage, just wouldn't be cheap to buy that much.

Kev

 

[dubber]

I've read your thread. Do you mind listing the paint and process you followed? I like the look of yours and would like to go down the same path.

I used a paint called CIL from Home Depot (Canada) apparently its only available in Canada but i'm sure you can find a version of this at your local HD stores. Honestly this was the simplest route to go and i'm liking the results, enough to do it again with this garage. Really all i needed to do was clean the surface and apply the paint. Its very durable and with such a dark colour it hides all imperfections. If ever an area gets chipped i just splashed it with a dollop and you couldn't even tell. Especially with RaceDeck i think its the way to go.

Here's a link to the one i bought, different "colour" though.
http://www.homedepot.ca/product/cil-smart3-exterior-latex-flat-brilliant-white-37l/912177

 

[akacoke]

really neat set up