ᐅ Painting the basement (watertight concrete structure)

Hello everyone.

The exterior walls of my basement are made of concrete as a waterproof shell, and the interior walls are built with aerated concrete blocks. All walls are unplastered. I want to simply paint everything white.

I originally wanted to use the same white as in the rest of the house, a nice glossy white. At the hardware store, I was advised to use only a matte white paint, but I don’t remember the exact reason. I think it was something related to moisture or something like that.

Is that correct?

They think your glossy paint is similar to latex paint – that’s why they suggest you should go for a matte finish.

But you don’t have to – although most people prefer matte, and glossy usually doesn’t look very good.

I cannot confirm that. The waterproof concrete shell is designed only to prevent water from entering from the outside. Therefore, you will not have any more moisture inside, and you can plaster and paint your walls as usual.