We've answered almost every question we get right here. Give it a read before you call.
Epoxy floors, otherwise known as polymer flooring systems, are created by combining two or more chemical ingredients applied to a concrete surface that harden or “cure.” The result is a flooring system that is durable, chemically resistant, easy to clean, anti-slip and anti-dusting. We use industrial/professional-grade floor coatings.
This is NOT a DIY system. The kits sold at the big-box stores consist mostly of paint, not epoxy, and only provide a thin coat, which leads to a high risk of peeling within 1 to 2 years.
This is a 2 to 3 day project.
Day 1:
Day 2:
Day 3: the floor may need an additional day after Day 2 due to weather/dampness (typically only in winter); also, if a Moisture Vapor Barrier is used on Day 1, it becomes a 3-day project.
It's important to allow sufficient drying time. In 48 hours the floor will be dry enough to place items back into the garage. It takes 72 hours before it is safe to park a car on the floor.
The garage must be empty upon arrival — for insurance reasons we can't move items. The only exception is a fridge or washer/dryer that needs to be dollied out — we can help, but they must be disconnected first (our crew can't disconnect appliances such as a gas dryer due to liability). Please make sure the fridge is empty and has no glass items in it, and have an extension cord ready. We will not move these items through a doorway — only outside the garage door. Please let us know before we start so we can bring a dolly.
Water softeners — we work around them; we do not disconnect them. If you want it removed, do it yourself or contact the water-softener company. We do not come back to put items away. Items off the ground on shelves or overhead racks are not a problem.
Custom homes are typically built with larger-than-standard garages. Our pricing is based on standard tract-home sizes. As a rule of thumb (± 50 sq ft): a 2-car is around 400 sq ft, a 3-car around 600 sq ft, and a 4-car around 800 sq ft. Take a measurement and give us a call for an estimate if the floor is over 850 sq ft.
This is a non-issue because we use a 100% UV polyurea. You can coat right up to the expansion joint with no problem. If you'd rather not see that section from outside, we can cut it off where the garage door comes down — although we highly recommend going out to the main expansion joint that separates the garage floor from the driveway. Some garages have a lip where the door comes down; in that case we go to the end of the lip.
Concrete preparation is the key to a successful installation. Current concrete conditions must be inspected by a professional to determine the best preparation method. Existing coatings or curing agents may need to be completely removed, and imperfections in the substrate will be mimicked or magnified by sealing over them. Proper leveling, crack and joint repair, and patching with compatible materials is necessary to reduce or eliminate the appearance of substrate imperfections.
Polymer coatings require special handling and safety equipment. A professional installer has working knowledge of the products they recommend — the reactive properties, mixing-ratio tolerances, temperature and humidity ranges, and compatibility with other chemicals present are all critically important.
Watch out. There are newer products on the market designed to dry quicker than the 100% solid epoxy that has been used for over 30 years. These are largely designed to cut down on labor and cut corners. Don't be fooled — if someone is speaking in technical product terms and sounds like a rocket scientist, be cautious.
These 1-day products are cheaper than what we use, yet these contractors often charge more. Many of these companies have only been around a couple of years while claiming decades in business — look up their license info to see how long they've really been operating.
Diamond grinding is the “old school” way of preparing concrete and — for residential — is a great way for the competition to charge a lot more money. Are there times a floor needs to be ground down? Absolutely. We use a shot blaster or diamond grinder for situations such as:
We charge extra for shot blasting or diamond grinding when it's genuinely needed. But the bulk of our residential work is a 2–4 car garage under 10 years old with concrete in excellent-to-fair condition — where the heaviest thing that ever enters is your car. We've never had a floor peel up, and we back our work with our warranty. Note that diamond grinders can create swirls in the concrete, especially with an inexperienced operator or new concrete.
Not recommended. Expansion joints exist for a couple of reasons: they're designed to absorb cracks, and to drain water and collect dirt/dust. If you fill them in, chances are they'll crack over time — especially with ground movement. Look closely at most expansion joints and you'll see they already have cracks. It doesn't matter what you fill them with; they may crack down the road.
There are a few reasons:
Some one-day systems are cheaper products that haven't been around long enough to prove longevity, yet some contractors charge more for them despite less labor.
All concrete slabs contain some moisture, and the epoxy products we use will withstand it. Out of thousands of garage floors, we've only seen a couple of moisture issues result in lifting. The first sign of a moisture problem is white powder (efflorescence) coming up through the slab after it rains or when you wash out the garage — typically isolated to a small area. It's most commonly caused by poor drainage, and more rarely by a broken pipe under the slab.
We can resolve isolated areas with a moisture-barrier product. If the moisture issue covers most of the garage, epoxy flooring isn't the solution and we'd recommend concrete polishing with added color dye instead. Some competitors push a moisture barrier as a must-have, costing customers hundreds extra. It's a rare issue, we spot it before starting, and we only charge for the material.
We do not recommend a solid-color epoxy floor for garages — the only exception is a brand-new build with a pristine concrete slab. With solid color, all imperfections are on full display (dips, divots, spider cracks), and it's very slippery even with medium grit added. The flake system not only acts as a slip resistor but also hides the imperfections of the concrete floor. We won't do a solid color on older garage floors riddled with cracks — it simply won't look good.
If you have a new-construction home (under 3 years old) with lots of tiny spider cracks in the concrete and it's still under builder warranty, the builder should either refloat your concrete or pay for an epoxy coating. We do not refloat concrete floors — when we epoxy, we do our best to fill cracks, but cracks so small you can't see them until the epoxy is applied are not an issue with the coating. Trying to patch these can result in a slightly different color, since each batch of epoxy cures slightly differently. Hairline or larger cracks are a different matter.
We don't take a dime until the job is completed for standard garage floors. For commercial jobs over 2,000 sq ft we create a payment plan with a 10% deposit. We coordinate payment on the final day and accept check, cash and major credit cards.
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Examples of what's not covered under our warranty: