Paint still wet 12 hrs on

FirstClassMale

Yesterday my OH decided to rip up the minky old carpet in the dining room and paint the concrete floor. Painting the floor was going to be a temporary measure until we decided on a new floor covering.

She started at 9 o'clock last night and was finished in little over an hour. The directions say that the stuff dries overnight but it is still very tacky. She insists she didn't let any of it form pools and in the past when I have painted communal hallways in the early hours it has always been dry by morning.

What can we do to make it dry quicker as we have guests coming for lunch at one! It is a solvent based paint and we have the central heating on full blast now and a dehumidifier going in the vain hope that will help too.

Decadent_Fool

Mmm....open some windows a little, to improve the airflow ? I know it's not ideal, but will probably be better than using the central heating.

Fingers crossed

Mumstheword

You could give up on using that room today, and make a joke of it with your visitors. Set up the lounge with the dining table, or else set the dining table up outside if the weather is ok. Are your guests game for a laugh? If so, set the whole dining room up in the garden..... table chairs, cupboards, mirror, ornaments around on the grass, even mark out the outline with chalk, and chalk on a 'door' for guests to enter and leave your new dining room.

If they are good for a joke, it'll make a great talking point, and provide a great memory for future meetings!

Don't forget the candles on the table.....citronella candels of course, to keep the insects away!

HugoSP

Did she mix the paint properly? If not the solvent may not be properly mixed in to react - and it will never dry.

H

FirstClassMale

Well..... Our visitors have just left. They found the floor thing hysterical. Most of the it is dry but there are still some slightly sticky patches. I don't think I'll be buying Screwfix own paint again as the International stuff and B&Q own brand I have used before didn't cause any of these drying problems.

Funnily enough, our cat is refusing to stand on the new surface so to her sensitive paws, it might still be wet.

clutton_2

i once used emulsion by mistake on a concrete skirting board - it NEver dried !! i had to scub it off with boiling water and scrubbing brushes in the end - it took hours and hours - I didn't ever do THat again !