Concrete paint or drywall compound is a must apply component for getting a perfect wall. You need to follow the way and select the best compounds to cover your concrete wall. But to choose and find the ideal concrete paint would be difficult.
You will find glossy paint and regular paint to cover your concrete wall. Sometimes, you may need to use some drywall compounds to get a better finishing. It’s better to apply drywall compounds than paint the concrete wall.
Bear with us and find out how long does concrete paint take to dry?
How long does concrete paint take to dry?
Concrete paint will take a minimum of 24-hours to dry. It’s better to wait for a couple of days before using your drywall or concrete wall. Your concrete wall will stick to the applied paint strongly by this time. Otherwise, there might be some adhesive issues regarding paint & concrete.
The exact drying time of your concrete paint will depend on the drywall condition. If your concrete wall is thoroughly dried and clean, and you apply drywall compound before that, it will take half a day to dry your concrete paint.
In contrast, it might take around two days to dry completely if you directly use concrete paint over a raw wall.
Moreover, the drying time will also depend on paint quality and type. If you buy the water-based paint, it will take a few hours to dry entirely. But oil-based paint will take more than a day to get through the concrete wall and dry.
So, if you want to get drywall soon, you should go for water-based paint.
The water-based paint dries earlier than the oil-based paint because of the oil present. You know that oil takes too much time to dry properly, but you must use oil-based concrete paint to get the glossy finish on your drywall or concrete wall.
Otherwise, you can use water-based regular concrete paint.
Behr concrete paint:
If you apply it on your concrete wall, Behr concrete paint will take around 36-72 hours or almost three days to dry perfectly.
You can apply this paint after making the half wall to avoid the extra waiting time when you start making your concrete wall. Thus, it will be easier to dry and get the perfect concrete wall.
Outdoor concrete paint:
Since this type of paint takes less time, outdoor concrete paint will still take around 24-hours to dry correctly, and it will be ready to use after a couple of days.
It’s always better to apply water-based outdoor concrete paints on your outdoor walls.
Rustoleum concrete paint:
The Rustoleum concrete paint will take around 12-16 hours to dry, but it will be ready for use after five days. It’s not like you apply the Rustoleum concrete paint and start using it instantly. You need to wait for a week to dry it safely.
Valspar concrete paint:
If you want to get the earliest drying time, you must apply this concrete paint because the Valspar concrete paint will take around 2-4 hours to be ready to touch and 12-16 hours to dry properly.
You can leave it for 24-hours to apply the second layer.
How long does concrete paint need to dry before it rains?
The concrete paint needs to dry for 24-hours before it rains. Although people suggest drying the paint 16-hours before it starts raining, you must have 24 hours to retain your applied concrete paint safely.
It’s not like you will lose your entire paint after 15-16 hours of drying, but the paint quality on the surface will go off because of the heavy rain.
Once the paint dries appropriately and it already takes 24 hours to dry from inside, the rainwater can’t do any damage. It will be stronger inside, and I will love to stick to the concrete surface better.
When you have options to leave your paint for over 24 hours, keep a weather update and apply the paint accordingly.
Sometimes, the unwanted or untimely rain may damage the paint surface. If you apply the paint and it starts raining after a few hours, you will lose the paint quality. Consequently, the glossy or matte finish will go off the concrete. You may need to apply the concrete paint.
How long should concrete paint dry between coats?
Concrete paint should dry for 24 hours between coats. If you apply the concrete paint in the morning, you can apply the second coat the following morning. But the surface needs to be hard enough to stick to the next coat. It’s the reason why you should wait at least 24 hours.
Some water-based concrete paints might come up with a few hours of drying time. You can double coat the paint within 12 hours if you buy them.
Although you can follow the time duration as per manufacturer instructions, you should always wait for 24-hours to make the concrete paint strong enough to be ready for the next coat.
It’s not your job to apply the double coat one after another. It might damage the paint quality and will ruin the surface finish. So, it’s always a safe option to wait for 24-hours before you apply the second coat.
“3” factors that affect the dry time of concrete paint
You must consider these three factors that will ultimately affect the dry time of concrete paint. You cannot ignore any of them and expect to dry the concrete paint soon. It’s not like you will ignore the paint quality and types to dry within 12 hours.
Weather:
The first factor that will affect the dry time of your concrete paint is the weather. Applying the paint in gloomy or rainy weather will take several days to dry properly.
On the other hand, applying the concrete paint under cold weather will also take several days to dry.
Those are the worst situations to apply your concrete paint. You can only paint in sunny weather to get the direct sunlight to help the paint dry early. It will take half a day to dry correctly.
Paint Types:
You will mostly find two different types of paint to cover your concrete wall. One is oil-based paint, and the other one is water-based paint.
You should choose the second one to dry the surface earlier than ever, but you must apply the oil-based paint to get the glossy finish.
It will give you the best glossy finish surface to enjoy painting your concrete drywall. You may also consider applying the concrete wall with semi-gloss finish paint. Drying time will be less for glossy paint or oil-based paint.
Concrete Wall:
Sometimes, your concrete wall will decide the dry time of your concrete paint. If your wall is dry properly and cleaned entirely, you will get the dried concrete paint. It might save several hours from drying the concrete paint.
How long before you can walk on concrete paint?
You should dry the concrete paint for 1-3 days before you can walk on it. It may dry in one day, but to walk on it might be risky. You don’t want to ruin your concrete paint by walking on the unprepared or raw concrete paint.
It takes time for the paint to get through the concrete wall thoroughly.
Moreover, the concrete wall might take additional hours to dry properly. And, you cannot walk on it for a couple of days. It will be risky, and your foot may damage or leave some stains on your concrete paint.
That’s why you should wait for several days before you can walk on concrete paint.
How can you make concrete paint dry faster?
You can make concrete paint dry faster by following the below tips.
Dry Concrete Wall:
You must dry your concrete wall before applying the concrete paint. It will help you to dry the paint faster since the wall moisture will not let your paint dry faster than before. So, dry & prepare the concrete wall and remove the debris & water.
Apply Water-Based Paint:
You can choose the water-based paint to dry the paint faster since you have three different paint options to apply.
Water-based paint takes very little time to stick to the concrete wall and becomes a solid surface that can be used in a few hours.
Apply under Direct Sun:
Another tip to dry your paint faster is to apply the concrete paint under the direct sun. The sunlight and heat will help your paint stick to the concrete surface faster; you will get the dried concrete paint only after 6-8 hours.
So, avoid the rainy season or snowfall and apply the paint under direct sunlight.
Final Thoughts
Depending on paint quality, weather, and wall, the concrete paint might dry in 24-hours. If you use water-based paint, your paint may dry in a few hours. Also, the weather plays a crucial role in drying the paint faster. You need to consider these factors before applying your concrete paint.