I want to preface this by emphasizing that I am hoping to improve the cosmetic appearance of my basement while I save money to finish it. I am not using these paints to reduce water. There was water in the basement before I bought the house, but so far (knock wood), none since. (Some bricks are discolored from the previous water, but they read dry with a moisture meter.) I know that any water in the basement in the future needs to be remediated from the outside. I thought paint would give the dungeon-esque cinder blocks a face lift so my son won't be afraid to play down there. I want to prep the space and choose the best paint so that the paint doesn't peel. Four hardware stores and Sherwin Williams have offered different advice on prepping the walls for paint and the actual paint, so I'm hoping experts on Houzz can help.

Prepping the walls: I think I have efflorescence on the walls, but there is not active moisture. I read that I need to clean the efflorescence off before painting, but my basement isn't well ventilated (and I'm a newbie at this), so I'd like to skip muriatic acid. I have already scrubbed at the walls with a stiff wire brush. The residue that I think is efflorescence is lighter and more spread out now, but not gone.

1. Has anyone used baking soda (recommended by Sherwin Williams) or vinegar to successfully remove efflorescence from cinder block?

2. I'm planning to use Drylok Fast Plug (a hydraulic cement) on the joint between wall and floor to make sure it's sealed. Does this seem like a good idea? Drylok recommends doing this, but I don't want to do something that isn't necessary if they're just trying to sell product.

Painting the walls: I'm deciding between Drylok Extreme and Sherwin Williams Loxon Water Blocking Primer/Finish. Both can be used by themselves (without a top coat of paint). Both are mildew resistant, but Sherwin Williams claims the Loxon also resists further efflorescence. Can anyone attest to Loxon's ability to do this? (I don't know how old the efflorescence in my basement is, so I'm just trying to cover my bases here in case it's still an active issue.)

Once I tackle the walls, I'll move onto the floor, so if you have any experience with good cement floor stains or paints, I'm all ears for that too. :)

Thanks so much in advance for your advice!

I know the last picture looks like wet cinder blocks, but Im pretty sure it's a stain from the previous water. The moisture meter says it Is dry.