How to Paint a Driveway

Cleaning the Driveway

Remove your vehicle and any other objects from the driveway. Park your vehicle somewhere that you can leave it for the next week while you complete the process of painting your driveway. Remove any other objects, such as planters or anything else you have on the driveway, and set them off to the side where you can leave them for at least 3 days.Tip: Check the forecast and make sure that there is no rain in the forecast for at least 3-4 days so you will have enough time to apply 2 coats and let them dry. For the best results, paint your driveway when temperatures remain above 50 °F (10 °C) during both the day and night. You will be able to walk on the driveway after 24 hours and you can place things back onto it after 72 hours. However, you need to avoid driving on it for a full week to ensure that you give the paint time to fully cure.

Use a leaf blower or broom to clear loose debris from the driveway. Blow away loose debris like leaves and twigs from the driveway with a leaf blower or sweep them off with a broom. Blow or sweep them off the side of the driveway onto your lawn and rake them up later. Make sure to wear eye and ear protection if you are using a leaf blower.

Pressure-wash the driveway to remove all stuck-on dirt. Hold the pressure washer so the nozzle is pointed down at the driveway at about a 45-degree angle away from you. Turn on the pressure washer and spray the entire driveway down with the jet stream in a sweeping motion from side to side to clean it. Wear protective footwear with a rubberized sole to prevent slipping, such as rubber boots, as well as protective eyewear. Be careful when operating a pressure washer to only spray it down at the driveway. Pressure washers can cause serious injury if aimed at people or damage things like paint if you spray the side of your home. If you don’t have a pressure washer you can usually rent one at a hardware store or home improvement center. Alternatively, you can use a garden hose with a high-pressure nozzle to spray down the driveway and use a push broom to scrub any particularly dirty spots.

Apply a degreaser to any oil or grease stains to get rid of them. Pour the degreaser onto the stain until it is completely covered. Let it sit for 15-30 minutes, then scrub the stain out with a stiff-bristled brush and water to clean it off the driveway. Commercial degreaser products are sometimes marketed as garage floor cleaners, driveway cleaners, or patio cleaners. Look for them at your local home improvement center or online.

Repairing Cracks in the Concrete

Brush cracks with a wire brush to remove any loose debris stuck in them. Hold the wire brush on the surface of the crack at one end. Shove it away from you with vigorous strokes along the length of the crack to sweep out any loose debris.Variation: You can use a leaf blower or vacuum to blow or suck debris out of cracks as an alternative. If there are any larger pieces of debris stuck in the cracks, like broken chunks of concrete, then you can use a hammer and chisel to loosen them or break them up before sweeping them out with a wire brush.

Fill any cracks in with concrete or repair caulk. Use a caulking gun to squeeze a bead of repair caulk into the crack to fill it slightly higher than the top of the crack so you will be able to spread it out even with the driveway. This will work to fill cracks up to about ⁄4 in (0.64 cm) in diameter. For any large dents or holes, you may need to apply a concrete repair compound to fix them.

Smooth the crack filler with a putty knife so it is even with the driveway. Press the filler down with the edge of the putty knife. Drag the putty knife away from the crack against the driveway to smooth the filler out with the rest of the driveway. Try to blend the texture of the repair compound in with the driveway as well as you can so that when you paint over it you won’t be able to notice where you repaired the cracks.

Let the caulk dry for 24 hours before you paint the driveway. This is how long it will take for the concrete repair caulk to dry and cure completely. Don’t paint over any wet repair caulk or it won’t be able to cure fully and will end up cracking again. You can apply more caulk to touch up the cracks as needed as soon as the first layer is dry to the touch.

Priming and Painting the Driveway

Prime the driveway with water-based active etch primer. Mix some active etch primer into a bucket of water according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Pour it onto the driveway and scrub it in with a stiff push broom. Let it sit for 20 minutes, then wash it off with a hose and let the driveway dry completely before you start painting. Active etch is a liquid that binds to concrete surfaces and roughens them so that paint will stick to them more easily. Look for it at a home improvement store, paint supply shop, or online.

Choose masonry paint in a neutral color such as black or gray. Masonry paint is thicker than regular paint and won’t crack when your driveway expands and contracts due to changes in temperature. Use a neutral color that goes with the exterior of your home. Masonry paint is also called elastomeric paint. You can get it at a home improvement store or paint supply store.

Tape off anything at the edges of the driveway that you want to protect. This includes the garage door and the sides of your home. Pull off strips of tape long enough to cover each edge you want to protect, then carefully stick them to the surface so the edge of the tape meets the surface of the driveway. Blue painter’s tape is the best way to cover and protect things while painting because it is easy to remove without damaging whatever it is stuck to. You can get it at a home improvement store or a paint supply store.

Pour some of the masonry paint into a paint roller tray. Pour enough into the tray to fill the paint-holding section about halfway. Keep the can handy where you can easily reach it when you need to refill the tray. Make sure to use a tray that is wide enough for the roller you are planning to use.

Paint around any hard-to-reach edges with a masonry paintbrush. Masonry paintbrushes are stronger than regular brushes so they can withstand the rough concrete surface of your driveway. Dip the brush into the paint in the tray and carefully paint around the edges of your driveway where it meets things like the walls of your home or the garage door. Anywhere you covered something with painter’s tape is generally where you want to paint the edges of the driveway with the brush. Wear a face mask to keep yourself from inhaling paint fumes. A 2–3 in (5.1–7.6 cm) masonry brush is a good size to use for painting around the edges of the driveway.

Roll on the paint with a ⁄8 in (0.95 cm) nap roller on a long handle. A nap roller is a heavy-duty roller that can withstand rough surfaces like concrete. Start at a top corner of the driveway and work side to side in small sections of about 2 ft × 2 ft (0.61 m × 0.61 m). Overlap the edges of the sections and work your way down until you have coated the whole driveway.Warning: Masonry paint is much thicker than regular paint and it will clog up paint sprayers. Always use a roller with masonry paint to paint your driveway. Always start at the top of the driveway so you don’t accidentally paint yourself into a corner. You can switch the direction you roll the paint in by 90 degrees to get good coverage if you see the paint is not getting into all the pores of the driveway.

Let the first coat dry undisturbed for 16-24 hours. Don’t walk across the paint or put anything on it while it dries. Keep pets and small children away from the driveway so they don’t accidentally run over it. It’s a good idea to check the forecast before you paint to make sure it isn’t going to rain while the paint dries.

Apply a second coat of paint the same way you applied the first. Start at the top corner of the driveway again and roll on the paint in overlapping 2 ft × 2 ft (0.61 m × 0.61 m) sections. Work your way to the bottom until you have completed the second coat. Two coats are typically enough paint to cover your driveway. However, if the texture of your driveway is particularly rough you may need to apply a third coat to make sure it is evenly coated and you don’t miss any spots.

Wait 72 hours to park on the driveway. You can walk on the driveway after 24 hours, but don't drive on it for a few days so the paint has time to cure.