how to paint concrete statues

How to Paint Concrete Statues.
Concrete statues are commonly found as yard ornaments or objects of interior décor. Because concrete is porous, it is important to clean it, apply a base coat, paint it, and seal it to make the beauty last. When well-cared for, your concrete statuary can be eye-catching and unique.

Part 1 Cleaning the Concrete Statue.
1. Put the statue in a bucket of plain water and scrub it with a large brush. Don’t use soap in the water since it may have a negative effect on the concrete and the overall painting process. Scrub the statue until you get the large areas as clean as you’d like them. Use a toothbrush to scrub the smaller nooks and crannies in the statue.
2. Take the statue out of the bucket and let it dry in the sun. It should take a few minutes to dry, depending on how warm the air is. Air drying the statue will kill any moss that’s left behind. Concrete statues look more pristine when they’ve been dried in the sun and when they don’t have any moss on their surfaces.
Don’t leave concrete statuary to dry outside in the winter, because moisture will collect in its pores, causing it to expand and eventually crack.
3. Fill in cracks with epoxy putty. Choose a putty that is the same color as the statue, or close enough. So, if the statue is white or gray use silver or gray putty. Break off a couple pieces of epoxy putty or however many you need to fill in each crack. Smooth it over using a wet spatula or a knife and let the putty dry for 3 to 4 hours.
You can find epoxy putty in craft stores.
Wear gloves when handling epoxy putty to protect your skin from irritation.
Use a blow dryer to set the putty quickly.
You can use epoxy putty to replace missing pieces from a concrete statue, such as toes. The putty becomes hard as a rock once it’s dried, so no one will know a toe was ever missing.

Part 2 Applying the Base Coat.
1. Dump water on the statue to make the paint stain the concrete. Before applying a base coat getting the statue wet will ensure that that paint stains it under the surface, rather than just coating the surface. Concrete is porous, so the water will pull the paint further in to make the base coat more permanent.
Have a container of clean water ready for drenching the statue. There is no set recommended amount of water to use on the statue, as long as it’s soaked through.
2. Mix water with your acrylic base coat to ensure it’s absorbed well. It doesn’t hurt to add water to the actual paint, because this will help it to soak into the concrete. When you water down a basecoat, the concrete absorbs it and stains better.
There is no recommended ratio of water to use.
If you plan to use an antiquing or detailing method on the statue, choose white paint for the base coat.
3. Coat the bottom of the concrete statue with the base coat first. You should paint the bottom first, because you would leave finger smudges in the paint on the top of the statue if you painted the bottom last. Place it on its side to let the bottom dry.
This should be the same paint that you’re using as the base coat for the rest of the statue.
4. Apply a base coat to the entire statue using a 2 in (5.1 cm) chip brush. Use an acrylic latex exterior paint for the base coat. The paint can be any color, but popular base coats are black, gray, and brown.
5. Inspect the statue after letting the basecoat dry for 5 minutes. Feel it with your hand for wet paint. If it’s completely dry, then it’s ready for the top coat. On a warm day the paint may dry in 5 minutes. It may take a little more time on a humid day.
Keep the wet statue away from pets and children who may tamper with it.
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