What does it cost for an epoxy garage floor

How much will an epoxy garage floor cost me?

An epoxy floor for your garage can dramatically change the look of your space plus adding protection and safety through anti-slip additives. But how much will this really cost?

There are many factors that will go into your pricing and for simplicity sake, we will assume your hiring a professional company that does floors every day.

Using professional epoxy coatings

It is not advisable to use a painter with little experience or have your contractor do it (a jack of all trades)

A professional epoxy floor can be between 15-20 mills
A typical residential 2 car garage between 400-450 sq ft will be normally between $5.50-$12 a sq ft depending on what system you may be getting
To remove a coating add another $1-3 a sq ft
Want an additional clear coat?
Add another $2-3 per sq ft
Have a significant amount of patching? We will need to talk as it can double the price in some instances or more.

Many variables will go into the costs of your epoxy garage floor such as:

• What is the current condition of the floor?
• Will it need a lot of patching
• Are there significant cracks, divots or aggregate showing?
• Do you want the expansion joints to disappear?
• Do you have cove or curbing that needs to be coated?
• What is currently on their floor?
• Does a coating need to be removed?
• Is there a sealer on the concrete? What type of sealer? 
• What look or type of floor would you like?
• What will the floor be used for? 
• A normal garage with a few cars?
•  A working garage? 
• A home shop? 
• Each of these uses many require different products.
• What is the turn around time you desire? 
• When do you want to be back on the floor? 
•  Different products can shorten this time depending on use, but it may add cost.

Solid Epoxy Floor

A solid epoxy floor is just what it sounds like:

• Your floor would be prepared and typically a high solid epoxy and a clear coat would be applied for durability and uv protection

Partial Flake

A partial flaked floor has flakes peppered around the floor on the wet epoxy and then a clear coat is added to that.

This will give you more of a decorative look and it may clean up better as it hides dirt a bit more

Full Flake

A fully flaked floor will show zero epoxy and adds another layer of protection to your floor, a clear protective coat or two may be added for durability

Metallic Epoxy Floors

A metallic floor is a high end one of a kind floor. It can create a dramatic look anywhere in your home. 

No two floors will look the same. A protective clear coat is usually added

Material Costs

Materials are a huge part of the cost for epoxy floors:

Material costs can vary between .75 cents a sq ft up to and over $5 a sq ft or more for specialty floors such as metallics, etc. All adding cost

That is for materials only

"It is imperative you understand a good installed epoxy floor is not inexpensive and using professional products you will get a long-lasting industrial grade floor with high durability and low maintenance" Ryan Amato

You will have some companions come in saying they are using epoxy but when you dive into the products you may see your actually getting a much thinner coating then what we offer.

This is where they can lower costs and still tell you your receiving an epoxy floor, remember not all epoxy coatings are the same. The same not every car is a Mercedes

They all will leave different levels of thickness when applied.

You need to ask how thick of a coating you will receive, you may receive some pricing that seems high at first but is actually more affordable than the cheaper price you received because you're getting a thicker coating.

Thicker means better and long-lasting in epoxy terms (mills) generally

KNOW WHAT PRODUCTS ARE BEING USED

Pricing
What everyone came for

So how much does it cost? These are recent examples, your floor may be different

Remember this is for a floor that is considered ready for epoxy and low normal preparation is required.

Each floor would be professionally cleaned, diamond grinded, high solid epoxy with flakes or without and one clear polyaspartic clear coat.

This is not your big box store epoxy

Consider, the typical big box store epoxy kit will get you a thickness of on average 3-5 mills

A professional epoxy floor can be between 15-20 mills
A typical residential 2 car garage between 400-450 sq ft will be normally between $5.50-$12 a sq ft depending on what system you may be getting
To remove a coating add another $1-3 a sq ft
Want an additional clear coat?
Add another $2-3 per sq ft
Have a significant amount of patching? We will need to talk as it can double the price in some instances or more.

Types Of Epoxy

Water-Based Epoxy COST Will be the lowest Part water, part epoxy, and hardener. The water evaporates as the epoxy hardens.

PROS Durable Glossy Low in VOCs (volatile organic compounds) Environmentally safe Can apply even if the floor is damp Stops hydrostatic pressure from moisture transmission Easy to apply

CONS Spot rusting may apply Not durable enough for commercial and industrial use Possibly needs to be recoated more often The thinnest coating

Solvent Epoxy Part solvents and part epoxy

PROS Can be applied in low temps and high humidity Glossy More durable than water-based epoxy Better resistance to petroleum-based products Faster drying times

CONS High in VOCs Highly flammable during the application process Banned in some states because of VOCs Smells very bad

Solid Epoxy 100% epoxy and hardening agents

PROS Thicker dry film coating – about double that of water-based and solvent epoxy No VOCs Environmentally safe Used in industrial and commercial locations Lasts up to 20 years

CONS Must be applied very quickly due to low pot life – usually needs to be applied by a pro Cannot be used on any floor with moisture problems, such as basement without a vapor barrier in most cases (Added cost)

Epoxy vs. Epoxy Paint

Epoxy floor coating is not the same as epoxy floor paint, which only has some epoxy mixed into it. Epoxy coating is a mix of epoxy resin and hardening agents. These agents are what make it a durable floor coating rather than a paint.

Epoxy Floor Kits

While epoxy flooring kits are available in a multitude of colors and types, they tend to be slightly thinner in epoxy than the standard two-to-one epoxies. This makes them easier to apply but possibly less durable or resistant to heavy wear and tear.

Epoxy Curing & Drying Time

A brand-new garage floor should be left to dry and cure for at least a month before any coating is applied. 

There are special primers to eliminate this. Added cost will apply 

How Long Does Epoxy Take To Dry?

• Water-Based Epoxy dries in 1 to 1.5 hours, is tack free in 5–8 hours, and ready for the second coat in 8–10 hours, light foot traffic in 16–24 hours, and heavy traffic 2–7 days.
• Solvent Epoxy dries in about 3.5 hours, is cured in 24 hours, and is ready for the second coat in 12 hours.
• Solid Epoxy dries in 30–40 minutes, is tack free/cured in about 12 hours, walk-on dry in 18 hours, ready for the second coat in 24 hours, and ready for service in 7 days.
• Polyaspartic floors can be used within 24 hours typically

How Long Before You Can Walk On Epoxy Floor?

Regardless of the type of epoxy used, don’t walk on it for 12–24 hours or drive on it for at least 72 hours, and it’s preferable to wait a week.

How Long Do Epoxy Garage Floors Last?

On average, epoxy floors last 2 to 3 years depending on the traffic. By using 100% solid epoxy instead of a water-based epoxy, you can expect your floors to last at least 6 to 10 years.

Maintaining your clear coat will be key and it is suggested every other year depending on what is used