Drylok vs. Behr Basement & Masonry

My shop is in the basement.

The previous owners had incorrectly installed UGLY panelling and a dropped ceiling w/ Styrofoam tiles (fire hazard).

I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it but I finally decided to take it all down and just paint the concrete block walls.

So I took down the panelling going down the stairs and discovered that the parging over that wall was shot.

In case you didn't know, parging is sort of like a smooth stucco that is applied over the top of a block or brick wall, to make it smooth (like plaster).

Well, big piece were coming off very easily. So I removed them, thinking I'd patch. So much came off I decided to just remove it all.

Now I'm ready to paint that wall.

I had intended to use Drylok paint. The stuff has been around for ages and has a pretty good track record. The only problem is it only comes in four colors (a start white, gray, a blue, and a beige). None of the stock colors particularly appeal to me. I was expecting to have to top-coat it to get a nice color (Drylok says it can be top-coated w/ normal latex paint).

ANYWAY, I was checking prices at Home Depot and came across their Behr Basement and Masonry waterproofing paint. They stock it in white but can color it to 32 different colors on their chart.

And they can color match a sample.

That sounds appealing to me. And while the stuff is $5 more per gallon than the Drylok, it would save me also having to buy a separate top-coat of a color I like if I went w/ Drylok.

My only concern is the quality of the paint. I know Drylok's history. On the packaging, Drylok claims it is selected best waterproofing paint by a national consumer reporting magazine (I imagine Consumer Reports).

I know people like Behr paints, but I wonder how good this particular paint is. It claims to use NANOGUARD particles to keep water out. I haven't had a problem w/ water, BTW, but this brings-up an interesting point.

Drylok says it allows the wall to breath, to get rid of water slowly. I think that sounds good to me, breathing walls sounds smart.

I don't know. I'm going to stop typing now. Any input would be appreciated.

I was also thinking that, seeing as both paints start white and they add tinting to the Berh, I could simply ask them to use the same tinting formula for the Drylok. Drylok says it can be tinted, but they don't provide any sort of color charts or anything.

Anyway, what would you do?

The white base colors may be somewhat different, but unless the end color is critical, I'd say tint the Drylock with the Behr formula, since that's the product you know and trust.

A good paint store should be able to match color you want regardless of base.

I don't now anything about the Behr product Phil but have used the Drylock. Drylock comes in 2 forms, latex based and oil based. While the oil based product is minimally more effective, I would recommend staying away from it. My first 2 gallons were the oil based and I decided to apply them one night after the wife and dog had gone to sleep on the second floor. I had been working about 15 minutes when the stomping of feet down to the basement stairs was heard. While it hadn't bothered me and I had become used to it, the strong smell had awoken both Sue and the dog from a dead sleep 2 floor above. Needless to say all of the other 6 gallons I used were of the latex variety. After over 10 years, I can't tell any difference in performance between the latex and the oil based versions. I choose the white and in some areas of the shop have painted over it with latex paint without any difficulty.

In talking with UGL (makers of DryLok), another difference between the latex and oil based (besides the smell) is that the oil based also contains portland cement plus other sealers. UGL suggests that the oil based is marginaly better and was originally designed for exterior use (which they suggest due to the odor). UGL also recomends etching the concrete surface prior to application for increased penetration and adhesion.

I haven't tried the Behr stuff and color wasn't an issue (I wanted the white anyway). I used the UGL etchant, the oil based sealer, and the oil based drylok on the inside of my basement to assist with an effloresence issue. So far so good. It's been about 3 years.

Good input. I'm thinking of going to HD today and getting the formular they use for tinting the Behr to the color I want, then asking them to perform the same step on the Drylok.

And thanks for the oil/latex reminder. I was definately planning on latex. The house being all sealed-up for winter, the oil-based product wouldn't be practical.

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Originally Posted by Phil Thien

Drylok says it allows the wall to breath, to get rid of water slowly. I think that sounds good to me, breathing walls sounds smart.

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If you do go with Drylok, you should try to get it tinted if you don't want white. Even if they say it is ok to top coat with latex, I would be hesitent to. A couple coats of latex paint acts as a vapor retarder, which would negate the ability of the drylok to breathe, and would most likely cause the latex to seperate from the wall.

This is just my gut instict here, so do take it with a grain of salt.

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Originally Posted by Brian Effinger

If you do go with Drylok, you should try to get it tinted if you don't want white. Even if they say it is ok to top coat with latex, I would be hesitent to. A couple coats of latex paint acts as a vapor retarder, which would negate the ability of the drylok to breathe, and would most likely cause the latex to seperate from the wall.

This is just my gut instict here, so do take it with a grain of salt.

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No, I had the same thought. I agree w/ you.

Unfortunately, I may not have a choice. Some of the other basement walls are already painted. I have no idea what condition the paint is in, as it is panelled right now.

The previous owner used lots of liquid nails to attach things. So I imagine the fir strips he used between the panelling and the wall were liquid nailed. So I'm going to have to clean that up and repaint that. Which means I may have to paint over the Drylok for a match.

Phil

I have an on-line subscription to consumer reports - so I did a search on 'drylok' and scanned the paint ratings - nothing came up. There was no reference to drylok or any similar product.

The only other thought that I have to add is that I thought the parge also acted as a waterproofer. So, I wonder if you should replace the parge before painting over it. Good luck

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Originally Posted by Dave Schreib

Phil

I have an on-line subscription to consumer reports - so I did a search on 'drylok' and scanned the paint ratings - nothing came up. There was no reference to drylok or any similar product.

The only other thought that I have to add is that I thought the parge also acted as a waterproofer. So, I wonder if you should replace the parge before painting over it. Good luck

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Hey, thanks for doing that!

Only 1/20th of the basement wall was parged. Since removing it, it has rained over 1" in a few hours and I've had no water "issues" in that area.

I think they only parge there because they wanted it to look semi-finished as that is the wall with the steps going into the basement. At the top of the steps is the side door to the outside. And I imagine it did look nice when it was new. But it will look nice when painted, too.

Now my battle is the liquid nails. I took off a piece of panelling and sure enough, the firring strips where liquid nailed to the block walls. I need to scrape it off, but I don't want to have visible lines where it looks like I scraped liquid nails off the walls.

I tried scraping it off. Not fun. I tried a heat gun. Slow.

Next I'm going to try putting some petroleum jelly on it and letting it sit a while. That apparently softens it.

Then I'll find an inconspicuous spot and paint over it and see if the stuff I can't get off telegraphs through the paint.

Sure woulda been nice if they didn't use liquid nails EVERYWHERE.

If I can't make the paint look right, I'm seriously considering properly firring-out and putting another sort of wall up. Sure would be a shame, though.

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Originally Posted by Dave Schreib

Phil

I have an on-line subscription to consumer reports - so I did a search on 'drylok' and scanned the paint ratings - nothing came up. There was no reference to drylok or any similar product.

The only other thought that I have to add is that I thought the parge also acted as a waterproofer. So, I wonder if you should replace the parge before painting over it. Good luck

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I wonder how far back those reviews go. I found this on another forum (posted 9/2005):

Consumer Reports recommends Latex Dry-Lok. Thoroseal got the lowest scores.

"The premixed UGL Drylok Latex Base Masonry Waterproofer performed the best in our tests. The latex formulation scored slightly higher than the brand's oil-based version. But both were significantly better than any other product we tested."

Good Luck ;-)
Ang

Be sure to follow the directions closely on preping the motor joints. Don't ask how I know!:(

John

Give some thought to regular wall or ceiling paint. That's what I did on my current basement and the basement in my previous home.

I think masonry paint is a marketing gimmick. Why use it? Builder's don't slap it on. They use the tar based foundation sealer. If you have water coming in your walls, you've have major problems that need to be fixed.

Do you know how much paint that cinder block is going to suck up? Lots! I used some middle grade paint I got on sale from Menard's as a primer and followed it up with a better grade. That's all you need. It's a basement, not a living room.

Just my $.02

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Originally Posted by Bryan Burns

Give some thought to regular wall or ceiling paint. That's what I did on my current basement and the basement in my previous home.

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It is only one small section of wall which has never been painted that will receive the Drylok. The rest of the basement looks to have been painted already, so I'll just use a good quality latex over the drylox and the rest of the block.

BTW, should I use interior or exterior latex for top-coating everything?

Interior would be fine since you won't have any UV issues to deal with.

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Originally Posted by Brett Baldwin

Interior would be fine since you won't have any UV issues to deal with.

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The exterior has mold/mildew inhibitors. Not that I expect water, but just thinking maybe it would be a little more durable and...