Painting Drywall in Garage (waterproof)

[Moonshine]

I just finished drywalling my garage and need to paint and trim. I added hot and cold soft water since a drain existed. I plan to wash my boat and vehicles in the winter so overspray may occur on the walls. I am looking for a waterproof/resistant paint. Anyone have any ideas? I priced out an epoxy paint at SW and quickly realized a cheaper alternative is needed. It’s about 1,100 square feet with 10+ foot walls. A lot of paint needed. Any ideas are much appreciated.

Moonshine~

[jerkbait]

Get a good primer and any gloss or semi-gloss paint will shed water. Just make sure your drywall is up off of the floor and I would not use any base board as the water will sit behind it.

[MNice]

Get a good primer and any gloss or semi-gloss paint will shed water. Just make sure your drywall is up off of the floor and I would not use any base board as the water will sit behind it.

I agree 100%. If $$$$ is an object, the above will work great.

[Surface Tension]

I'm picturing the inside of a carwash and the huge amount of moisture in the air associated with that.

I'd imagine your garage isn't going to be that bad though.

A VB and sealing any protrusions in the sheetrock like electrical boxes a must for sure. I wonder if you should treat this like a bathroom and use moisture mold resistant sheetrock. I agree on a good primer and gloss oil paint and it wouldn't hurt to add a mildewcide either.

An occasional spray on a wall isn't bad but if it'll be more then that I'd have some kind of drop curtain in the wash area to contain that spray and probably much more important a high volume exhaust vent in the ceiling above the wash area to get rid of the moisture.

I'd probably keep the water temp close to or under the temp inside the garage to avoid creating a steam batch too.

[CAMAN]

Frank, I heard oil based paints allow mildew to grow and may actually feed it and help it grow. Heard it from a professional painter a couple years ago.

The best paint IMO would be an good exterior latex paint in semi-gloss or gloss. They have everything they need to protect the drywall from water, and they also have all the fungicides and mildicides in it to prevent any growth. I've even used it in bathrooms that have a good chance of high humidity with good success. If it can protect from the harshness of the sun, pounding rain and extreme temps, it should be no problem for interior applications.

I just got done putting 75 gallons of DutchBoy MaxBond Exterior on a building with cedar shakes a couple weeks ago. First time ever using it so can't say much for its durability yet, but from its ease of application and one coat coverage I would use it again and recommend it. Expensive stuff but should be well worth it.

[Moonshine]

I was also told to use a good exterior paint. I am trying to stay away from the high gloss paints since it shows all imperfections. One other thing I thought of was using seal krete. Not sure if that is overkill since it will only be for overspray. Thanks for the help.

[Tom7227]

I would check out the products that are a sheet like formica and put that up. I think they have it in 3/8 inch and it seems to me to be the clear dope for this application. I think it's called Melamine and they want 23.01 for a 49 x 97 inch sheet at Menards with a variety of finishes. Probably still need to rock for fire code compliance which IMO is a good idea in the garage.

[Surface Tension]

"Frank, I heard oil based paints allow mildew to grow and may actually feed it and help it grow. Heard it from a professional painter a couple years ago. :

I did not know that. Thanks Caman.

[Pat K]

"Frank, I heard oil based paints allow mildew to grow and may actually feed it and help it grow. Heard it from a professional painter a couple years ago."

Caman,

I sell paint for a living and that statement is 180 degrees different than everything I have been taught or experienced in 13 years of mixing paint!

Sherwin-Williams, Benjamin Moore and Behr ALL recommend using OIL BASED primer when trying to cover and seal in mold & mildew stains. The water and fillers in latex paint can feed mold & mildew and can't block their stains. Latex paint can't block water stains or smoke smells either.

Remodelers that rehab forclosed houses buy 5 gallon cans of oil based Kilz primer from us by the 30 unit pallet to cover mold, mildew, water & smoke stains!

[CAMAN]

Pat after your post I did a quick google search and found this on the Livestrong foundations HSOforum.

Quote:

Don't use oil-based paint if you or anyone in your home has allergies, or suspected allergies, to mold. Oil-based paint provides a nutritious environment for mold and mildew because mildew will feed on the oils in the paint.

And if you sit and think about it, it makes sense because the oils are an organic compound. The only thing that could prevent this is if they make paints with a synthetic oil, but from everything I've heard, most oil based paints are made with linseed oil.

While I don't deny pros use the stuff to paint everything, and it is great for covering stains from mold and mildew, it is not the correct tool to use in a moist environment.

[LightningBG]

I think I would paint them with a semi-gloss water based paint (exterior if you think it will stick), then I would figure out a way to put up or extend some curtains / tarp when your washing.

Maybe run some steel cables near the ceiling and hang grommeted tarps from them. Then when not needed, push the tarps back to the end wall and tie them back.