What is the best product for painting concrete floors?

Q: What's the best product for painting my concrete basement floor? It has a few small cracks. Is there a product that can be used to fill these gaps before painting?

A: The best basement floor coatings do three things well. They're tough under foot, they're thick enough to cover up the texture of concrete, and they look good. You'll get all these benefits with epoxy-based floor coatings, but the range of choice can be confusing. The best epoxies I've seen roll on thick after mixing a catalyst into the paint. They also include small colour flakes that you sprinkle onto the wet surface by hand immediately after application. These flakes make the floor look much better and more uniform by adding visual elements that distract the eye from surface flaws. Epoxy floor coatings also fill and cover hairline cracks. Any gaps wider than these should be filled with paintable latex caulking before epoxy application. This type is water washable, making it easy to do a neat job.