KILZ Decorative Concrete Coating - Gray

This is a Fantastic Concrete coating. I first purchased this for my front porch 5 years ago, and without any special prep other than a quick powerwash, the coating is still holding up, looking like it was brand new over 5 years later. Bird droppings even wash off by themselves in the rain without needing to be scrubbed off. The paint doesn't scratch, fade, chip etc., and stays looking brand new even after 5 years of direct sunlight with no aging in sight. So, because I had such good luck with this product, I decided to use it to do my larger back patio this year. I bought 15 more gallons and did my back patio, some vertical surfaces, and some other areas. It looks like I had professionals do the job for thousands of dollars, but I did it myself. It is so easy to use and blends in with any concrete imperfections. Although in any areas you can't use the roller on, it feels like you're using a spatula and icing a cake. It's also easier than those epoxy flake garage floors, which I've also done, although you will use twice the paint because this has sand and other particles, and it goes on like thick pancake batter. The first thing I have to say is to ignore the label that says to use an adhesive roller. Five years ago, there were adhesive rollers on the market that felt like the rough side of Velcro that did work well with this product and gave just the right amount of paint thickness when spreading, but nobody sells those anymore, and the regular adhesive rollers just don't work well with this paint. Trust me, I tried one of those regular adhesive rollers on part of my patio this time as a test, and it looked horrible, and it was difficult to spread. Switching to the correct black roller, fixed the test area. I did a little more research and found that the correct roller is a solid black rubbery non-porous foam "Rust-Oleum RockSolid Decorative Concrete Coating Applicator 9 inch roller #306214," which you can search for and buy with your paint to ensure it goes on correctly. I used that roller with my 15 gallons of this paint that I purchased, and it worked perfectly. I had my doubts about the roller because it's a solid black memory foam roller with no nap, and it doesn't absorb any paint like regular rollers do. However, using the black roller really was so much easier, and after it dried, it looked so much better. Rust-Oleum does sell this exact same paint to use with their roller called "Rocksolid Decorative Concrete Coating," but in different colors that aren't as nice looking as Kilz in my opinion. They do have an interesting looking brick red if you're looking for something other than tan or grey, but I think the Kilz Tan is the best for patios in my opinion, with grey the best for sidewalks. However, Rust-Oleum makes their own roller for their paint, so just use their roller for this Kilz paint, and you'll be happy you did. The Kilz tan is more of a sandstone color that is kind of like certain beaches that have rough sand on the water's edge, that is multiple colors, and is wet, but still having the general shade shown on the can. Here are a few tips: First and most important, do not apply the paint in sunlight, and don't paint when the temperature is above 80 degrees. Make sure the concrete has been shaded for an hour and stays that way till you're done and several hours later. My suggestion is to open up a pop-up canopy around or beside the area to create shade. I did that for one section, but what also works and what I did for another section is I waited till the late afternoon sun was behind the trees, around 5 or 6 PM, and then I painted for a few hours till it started getting dark. When I was working in another area that was always in the sun, no matter what, I waited until dusk and turned on a spotlight, and it still worked perfectly. The next very important tip: you really do need two coats, and you really need an extension rod that you can adjust throughout the project to do pullback strokes. Any coating area that is too thin will have a hint of the epoxy blue and won't have the paint color exposed or the particles that make up the color, so keep that in mind, as you'll want to avoid that. So, for the first coat, don't make it too thick, as you'll just be wasting paint, and don't worry about a wet edge because that doesn't matter on the first coat. Just make sure everything is covered. On your second coat, which is what will make everything look great, you do have to worry about a wet edge. You should be a little generous with the thickness of the paint, but not too thick, as that can cause shrinking and cracking. Always push some of the paint into the previous row of paint to keep the wet edge. When you have the thickness just right, use your extension rod and gently lay the roller on your wet edge and pull the rod towards you. Make sure you aren't pushing down. In other words, just use two fingers to gently pull the roller backwards so you're barely holding onto the extension rod, covering the distance of the current wet area, working your way horizontally until the current section is done. That will also ensure you aren't taking any paint off. If the paint looks too sticky or doesn't look like it's wet, or if you can see concrete or the previous coat through it, then you probably don't have enough paint down, or the temperature is too high, or you have too much sun, and the paint is drying too fast. Proceed with the next row of paint, and again, first pour the paint down and move it around with the roller, and to finalize the finish, gently place the roller into the previous area, pulling it back over the freshest paint all the way to your feet and working horizontally until that second is complete. This process also softens up the edges to ensure you don't end up with any lines and that the thickness is always the same everywhere. This pulling backwards ensures that you have a perfect wet edge and the perfect thickness and no pressure marks in the paint, because you do want some thickness to it. I should also point out that you will be pouring the paint directly onto the floor, and you won't be using a paint tray. On a 20x20 foot patio, you can expect to use between 6 and 7 gallons of paint for your second coat, depending on the desired thickness, and it is the correct amount of paint used to achieve the best look. Thin coats can also look good, but they may not give it that deep, rich look, and if it's too thin, it will look blue, and you won't have the color from all the sand and particles. I don't think this paint would be good for rugged traffic, machines, or cars driving on the paint, because the coatings would need to be thinner to avoid tearing, cracking, and compression marks. On thicker coats, make sure your roller is still touching the ground. If your roller is not spinning or is gliding over the paint and not touching the ground, then you have too much paint down and you should spread it out more to thin it. The other possibility is that your roller frame isn't spinning freely. Either way, the roller must be spinning and not sliding. You shouldn't be able to see any concrete or the previous coat through the wet paint of the second coat. When finalizing every section of new paint, by using the roller rod and gently pulling the rod back towards you, the paint will appear to not be smooth with waves from the roller as you pull the roller back. The paint waves will self-level up to a quarter-inch left and right, evening out those waves, providing that perfect flat, deep finished look. That is why the sun can't be shining, as you want that self-leveling smoothing effect, and you don't want rapid drying, so temperatures around 70 degrees are best. Those waves are what give the paint the non-slip finish once it dries, and the waves smooth out. I hope everyone finds my experiences with this product helpful for your project.

If your like me and wondering how these reviews could vary so much. Some needing 3 to 5 coats, others saying they only needed 2. People saying it covered over 50 sq ft some saying 30 sq ft. Some saying you need specific rollers others saying use a brush and one indicating the pull back on the roller is everything. Lol not true. Let me break it down for you. First off I purchased this against the reviews and I'm glad I did. This stuff is amazing and makes concrete beautiful. Yes prep matters. However the amount of paint you need and how to apply it is dependant all on the surface you are covering. If you have rough concrete, a paint brush is sufficient and it does NOT take more than 2 coats. If you have a smooth concrete surface it is more difficult as the texture does not adhere as well. For smooth surface you should etch it to make it rougher. You can apply it to a smooth surface as I did. But you will likely need 3 coats to get the same coverage as you would on a rough concrete surface with 2 coats. The way you roll it doesn't make a difference. This product's adherence is based upon the surface you are applying it to. I used a Kilz white primer. I have concrete with both smooth and rough texture. The smooth area needed more attention to get the proper coverage. The rough area was easy. I used a cheaper paint brush as the expensive ones I have did not like the grit of the paint. It is a very thick paint like one said similar to grits but it is easy to apply. It looks amazing covers all cracks, crevices and stains without issue. I used the tan. It dries to a very nice sandy tan color. The finished color is not the same color as wet. If you have red brick this tan is the color of masonry used between bricks. It matches that perfectly. I highly recommend this Kilz decorative concrete coating. My pictures show the difference between unpainted and painted concrete. How the paint looks like with 2 coats and how it starts with one coat. People having mentioned peeling over time and others had no issues. To prevent wear, peeling, or scraping it is recommended that you use a clear seal to avoid damage and enhance product longevity. This product gives amazing results, creates fabulous concrete esthetics. Get it... You won't be sorry!!

Extremely disappointed, I went with the Kilz brand because of previous product use but I can't recommend this product at all. It's very difficult to apply and looks nothing like the product photos. Took 6 1gal. Cans to one coat a 2 car driveway. If someone asked me for my opinion I'd say avoid this one, expensive, difficult to use and disappointing looks.

I ultimately purchased about 8 gallons to cover a small area. Each gallon covers just about what the specs state, nothing more. This is not a attractive covering but it will provide a sealant to a concrete slab when used properly. It also provides slip resistance. I would look for a better looking alternative in the future. It was not cheap.

Super product and it looks great. Fairly easy to apply if you do proper prep work to the concrete.

Very pleased with the coverage of this decorative concrete coating. It does however need several coats for complete coverage.

It’s ok. Doesn’t cover much area. I got about 4x4’ with 3 coats. For the price I wouldn’t recommend

It's very thick and hard to work up with , but it looks good.