30 Years ago I used an epoxy coating on my garage floor and it is still holding up.  Surface prep is key.  Only problem is that it is slipperyer than sin when wet.  (No one's ever fallen, but no one ever runs on it either.)  So make sure you either start with a coarse finish or load the base coat with sand.  (I didn't know enough to do that.)  The brand I used is no longer sold, but comparable formulations are available.  Just search for industrial grade concrete coatings.  Expect it to cost $100+ per gallon.  It will hold up a lot longer than concrete paint.

Of course, paint might be a better choice for a play area that you only need for a few years before refreshing.

Well, my first question is really, how permanent do you actually want it to be?

If a year or two is enough, just use whatever exterior latex paint you want in the right color.

I used this:
visitors can't see pics , please register or login


I taped off the edges in the concrete so I got nice lines, then just sprayed it by hand.

7 years later (I took this 5 minutes ago):
visitors can't see pics , please register or login


The concrete was pretty new (2-3 weeks?) and very clean.

Bounce, I was looking at Ace and they have concrete/deck paint by the gallon, and you can get various earth tones and a couple levels of texture FYI. About $30/gal from what I saw.

Clay, I looked at that and was curious about how it would last. good to know.

I painted the perimiter lines in that stuff, but black, and the girls want to paint the squares in pastels, so it looks like i'll need to have the paint shop mix up the colors if possible. So maybe just white outdoor concrete/deck paint is going to be the best way to go. I was still curious about whether I should try to add any grit or not.

You'll never have to repaint if you use anti climb paint. Depends how much you love, I s'pose.

anti climb paint?? whzzat?

It's the stuff they put on the street lamps in Philly when the Eagles won the Superbowl and became the greatest world champions of all time.

Anti-climb paint (also known as non-drying paint, anti-intruder paint, anti-vandal grease) is a class of paint consisting of a thick oily coating that is applied with a stiff brush, trowel or by hand using a protective glove. In appearance it is similar to smooth gloss paint when applied but it remains slippery indefinitely thereby preventing any intruder from gaining a foothold. [Wikipedia]

Poppa would make a great day camp counselor, dontcha think?

sorry

thanks folks.