Price Alone Does Not Make A Great Epoxy Floor

Why Simply Getting A Price Is Wrong 

When getting information and pricing for your epoxy floor project we sometimes simply have people tell us " I have a two car garage"How much will my floor be?

While we wish it was this easy and many companies will simply throw pricing around this is not a professional or accurate way to give a proposal for your epoxy floor.

There are many factors such as what's currently on the floor? How much patching will you need on your garage floor? Thue products and look you want? 

This is not your typical paint job , anyway even if everyone used the same products, same application the prices would never be the same. Your forgetting about level of service, a real warranty for your epoxy floor. Are they local?

You have to answer many questions and much more than how much will the floor be.

Please listen to our weekly show where we went deep into this topic

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So you would like an epoxy floor

Getting an epoxy floor is not an easy task, finding the right painter, epoxy company is hard to say the least. Doing it yourself is possible but not probable using professional products.

So what does a homeowner do? Watch our video above for more information on getting an epoxy floor for your garage or business.

If you are looking for an experienced Northampton & Lehigh County painter then please call (484) 821-7112

Polyaspartic vs Epoxy Floor

Polyaspartic Vs Epoxy

Garage Floor Coating:

What is the difference?

We are asked this question all of the time in our daily epoxy floor estimates, on the phone, by new technicians and it is a great one, so let's dive into epoxy coatings and get some of the mystery answered.

Both options offer a durable and cosmetically pleasing result and you will hear different opinions on each from almost everyone. let's weigh the pro's and con's of each.

Durability

   A polyapartic coating is a hard, flexible finish that is durable, wont chip or 

scratch.

 Epoxy is a hard finish but it is rigid and vulnerable to abrasion

Polyaspartic is the clear winner here

Cost

Polyaspartic is certainly more expensive and requires increased installation costs due to the short cure time in the bucket, it needs more people to apply it

Epoxy is the more affordable coating here. 

Dry Time

Polyaspartic, One layer can dry in an hour or less

Epoxy can take up to 16 hours to dry so polyaspartic is the better choice here

Diy Installation

Polyaspartic is not for the new painter, even an experienced applicator can have issues with it

Epoxy can be done with some experience , the proper tools and help but when things don't go as planned is when you need an experienced contractor

Non Slip

Both can be made to be non slip with additives, we do not or recommend not adding non slip additives to any floor.

Uv Stability

This is the big one, polyasaprtic coatings won't fade or yellow while epoxy can lose its sheen and color very quickly when exposed to the uv.

With our floors we like to use an epoxy undercoat and a polyaspartic top coat for the ultimate benefit from both

You can choose almost any color flake to make your floor your own creation and something to wow your neighbors.

Proper Prep

It goes without saying the proper prep of your floor is the most important thing you can do.

Without the proper knowledge, equipment and products your floor will be doomed to a coating failure. 

We have seen many floors fail, even ones that we were told we grinded by other companies.

The proper concrete surface profile (CSP) is key to a good coating.

All epoxy and polyaspartic coatings will come with specifications needed to apply them and there will be listed the minimum csp needed.

We like to have our floors feel like sandpaper before we coat them, this usually cannot be done properly without a diamond grinder. As you can see you need more and more specialized equipment to do your epoxy floor correctly.

By the time yiu would rent all of this, buy the materials and risk applying them and mixing them correctly, you could of hired someone to do the floor professionally in most cases.

Pro's and Cons Of Each Floor

Pro's of an epoxy floor

Affordable: if your working on a budget, this may be the way to go.

Longer pot life: A longer pot life makes it a bit easier to use

Chemical Resistant: Can withstand almost anything

Durability: Dries very hard and can withstand traffic

Cons of an epoxy floor

Not Uv Stable: Epoxy will change color and lose it's shine 

Dry Time: Takes longer to dry, takes a few days to complete installation

Rigid: Will not expand or contract along with the concrete, can chip, less durable

Pro's Of A Polyapsartic floor

Versatile: Can be applied in may conditions and temperatures, even exterior

Durability: Dries hard but remains flexible which increases it's durability

Quick dry time: Cures within 30 minutes, making jobs go fast

Colorfast: Will not fade or yellow

Cons of a polyaspartic floor

Expensive: This will be your most expensive floor, extra skilled labor is needed due to the quick cure times

Hard To apply: The hardest to apply even for a skilled crew

Possible failure: If your concrete gives off moisture, polyaspartic may lose its bond and peel

SO what's your pick? For us it is a combination, an epoxy undercoat with a polyaspartic top coat

                                         

Epoxy Flooring Solutions

Epoxy Flooring Solutions

When you think of an epoxy floor normally you picture a warehouse or maybe those box store kits you see at the stores but epoxy floors can and are used throughout homes and many places in the business setting.
Don't lock yourself in a box, you can be so creative with where you use an epoxy floor, you can embed a logo or design into any floor using the right products to truly make the floor an extension of your personality or brand your company. How awesome would it look when people walk into your business lobby and your logo is sitting on the floor with a nice shiny clear coat over it. 

Stand Out From The Competition

When your clients arrive at your business this may in some cases be the first impression they get about you and your business, a peeling floor or vinyl tiled floor is not the best impression.

Make a splash and show them what your company is all about, a metallic floor may be an option to make a grand entrance whether in your business or home. We can help with samles and design ideas for any floor. Trust me there is a solution for almost any application or surface.

Epoxy is for safety too

Epoxy floors offer protection of not only the surface but also anyone walking on it, by adding flakes or another aggregate (sand, silica) we can make any floor anti-slip which is important as epoxy floors can be slippery when wet or when they have grease or other contaminants on them, by simply adding something to the epoxy or broadcasting into the coating this can be taken care of right away which is perfect to protect your clients or family from slipping.

Price is an issue?

Is price an issue with a floor? It may seem that way but when you break down the costs it is actually a very competitive option for a floor. To have an easily cleaned, anti-slip coating with unlimited options in design it is very comparative in price to vinyl, wood or almost any other type of floor installed and much more protective and durable and in a food manufacturing facility it is a must.

Schedule your Epoxy Floor Estimate Here

Ryan Amato painting completes epoxy floor in Bethlehem

Ryan Amato Painting completes floor in Bethlehem, Pa

We recently completed this awesome floor for an even better client, it was a thrill to be able to help Ryan and his family out with their floor.

It was always a dream of his to have a nice functional floor that looks great too.
We started by cleaning the floor and applying a hard surface primer to be assured of adhesion.

Without preparing a floor correctly you can have some major issues. Once it was clean and rimed, we added WB 250 base coat and then an intermediate coat with a heavy partial broadcast of flakes

Once that was done we returned the next day, removed the extra flakes and added a clear top coat to help protect it all.

If you need an epoxy floor done for your home, facility or business lease call 484-821-7112 or email bidrequests@ryanamatopaintingllc.com.
www.ryanamatopainting.com

Here is a video of this entire process.

How much is an epoxy garage floor?

So you want an epoxy floor?

An epoxy floor for your garage or business 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 s professional company that does floors every day, not a painting company or jack of all trades who does them once in a while. There is a difference.

What is the current condition of the floor?

What is currently on their floor? Another coating? Sealer , paint etc, if there is a coating on the floor most likely it till need to be removed, adding costs

What is the condition of the floor? Do you have cracks? Divots, or spalling concrete?

That will in most cases need to be patched adding costs

What look do you want? A basic solid floor, a partial or full flaked floor? Metallic? Quartz? These all come with different price lines.

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? A full cure is needed before you drive back on the floor, different products can shorten this time depending on use, but it adds cost.

Materials:

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 $10 a sq ft or more for specialty floors such as anti-static floors, metallics, etc. All adding cost

It is imperative you understand a good installed epoxy floor is not inexpensive but using the professional products you will get a long-lasting industrial grade floor.

You will have some companions come in saying they are using epoxy but when you dive into the datasheets 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, they all will leave different levels of thickness when applied and appl have different uses. 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)

KNOW WHAT PRODUCTS ARE BEING USED

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

Atypical residential 2 car garage between 400-450 sq ft using a partial flake, with normal prep, quick easy grind, one coat high solid epoxy with flake and a clear topcoat many cost between $5-9 a sq ft

To remove a coating add another $1-3 a sq ft

T0 add a full flake prepare to Spears another $1-3 a sq ft

Add a second clear coat $2-3 sq ft

To use a metallic coating custom design prepare to spend between $8-$12 a sq ft

There is really no clear cut answer as there are so many options and the different materials and application techniques done

How to properly prepare your concrete for epoxy

Proper preparation of your concrete for an epoxy coating

Properly preparing your concrete floor for epoxy is serious business, without doing this step absolutely perfect you may have coating failures such as peeling, hot tire pickup or a ruined floor.

This step is not one for the average house painter, it takes a lot of training, knowing and using the products on many projects. Sometimes you have to make quick changes on a job site to deal with surface conditions, access or the unexpected. Without having come across these before there isn't much that can help you.

Typically a diamond grinding or acid etching is needed. These are two totally different processes and each has their up and downsides.

Grinding a surface can be dusty even with the best of equipment, leading to dangerous silica thrown into the air as well as much more cleanup.
Acid etching can simply be dangerous from the fumes and the burns that can occur.

the goal of each is the same, rough up the surface for the coating to adhere to it better.

In recent years even special primers may be used in lieu of these two preparatory processes. Special primers for hard to bond surfaces can and have been used successfully, they are not inexpensive but in comparison to the other ways,they are similar in cost.

We have seen too many times homeowners and contractors take the chance by not prepping the surface due to either cost or laziness and it always ends the same, we come in and see sheets of epoxy that can be just pulled off of the floor.

Taking the time to properly prepare your floor will actually cost less in the future because you will be eliminating the repeated prep or removal of the failed coatings because once it starts to fail it needs to be removed before applying another system on it in many cases.

Once you take the time to do this concrete work and prep you can be assured your epoxy has the correct surface to be applied to and will last for years to come.

Epoxy Floor Solutions

From the early stages of the installation process to the long-term maintenance needs, Epoxy floor coating offers a number of benefits and advantages for the Commercial property owner. It’s important to mention that the application process must be completed by a team that has been factory trained and certified by the manufacturer of the product so that the installation process will run smoothly and go off without a hitch. When applied correctly by a seasoned team, the Epoxy floor coating service is fast allowing a company team to get back to business in a timely manner. Even the dirtiest, oldest concrete floors can be transformed quickly into beautiful, sophisticated looking surfaces both durable and easy to clean as they are resistant to germs, bacteria and mold. When applying the coating, a variety of colors can be used to create patterns and a unique high-gloss finish. Contrasting colors can be used as well to create safety zones, forklift traffic zones, even the company logo.

Epoxy floor coating not only provides a hard wearing and long lasting surface, but it is also resistant to just about everything — oil, gasoline, chemicals, scratching and chipping, heat and impact which truly make epoxy coatings the ideal flooring solution for warehouses, industrial plants, health care facilities, food distribution, manufacturing, and many more. In addition to these benefits, epoxy floors are cost effective, environmentally friendly and have the ability to increablob:https://www.blogger.com/13fd44e1-0b5d-422d-aa73-4ed8f501b190se productivity by enhancing visibility, reducing wear and tear on transport vehicles and allowing for timely material movement.

At Amato Painting, LLC., we take great pride in having a crew of highly trained experts who are professional, manage their time effectively, and provide top quality craftsmanship. If Epoxy Flooring sounds like a flooring solution for your company, please do not hesitate to reach out to us for an estimate. (484) 821-7112 or email bidrequests@ryanamatopaintingllc.com

Amato Completed Garage Epoxy Floor

Epoxy Floor Installation

Amato Painting was able to work on this three-car garage recently in Hellertown, Pa

The client called us as they were moving to the area and wanted a trustworthy estimate and contractor to take care of this project as they would not be home during the install. 

We estimated it through pictures and measurements first to determine the budget and once that was approved we arrived onsite to meet the homeowner to make sure we were a good fit for each other. Right away we knew this would be a great project, with expectations from the client set, knowing we could meet them we scheduled the project.

In this instance, the homeowner gave us access to the home and we arrived to diamond grind the floor, after correcting some power issues with the grinder we cleaned and prepared the floor and applied two coats of an epoxy coating.

We broadcasted epoxy flakes into the second coat, came back the next day and cleaned up and applied a clear coat on top of all of it, this will help to protect the flakes, the floor and give the floor longevity.

We used Seal Crete Hp products on this floor and it took two of us to apply it, when mixing epoxy you only have a certain amount of time to get it onto the floor so it is important to have a very clear plan when applying it and everyone knows their job.

Proper mixing of the epoxy is another key area, we follow all of the manufacturer's specifications, paying very clear attention to the mixing and time they want the product mixed.

Once we were complete we made sure everything was clean and there were no signs of us being there. The homeowner was able to move in on time and very happy we were able to get the floor complete on time.

Garage Epoxy Floor

Garage Epoxy Floor Process

Everyone wants a nice garage for their cars, tools or a place to play. We all rush out to buy those kits you see in the box stores with great anticipation and hopes, do everything right it says to do on the box only to find a few months later it might peel up.

Concrete floors and garage floors are one of the toughest substrates to paint and the reason is the unforeseen conditions under and the abuse it takes on top of the floor. We may not know there is a moisture issue under the floor or water pressure pushing up, we cannot control the movement of the home, no epoxy or paint can withstand that and not to mention the hot tires pulling in and out each day.

Knowing these things can happen and the floor is not impenetrable to any of these things happening are called expectations, as long as you know what to expect and understand things can happen you will have a successful project and a floor that should last. Yes, you may have to do it again, yes it may need maintenance and cleaning or another coat added. These are things to expect.

The start of any good floor job is cleaning the floor of grease and dirt, you will need a degreaser or emulsifier to remove the grease from the concrete, if you do not clean the floor properly or before prep you could push the grease even further into the concrete which will speed up any paint failures.

After cleaning we need to get the surface ready for the coating. This could be by chemically (acid etch) or mechanically (diamond grind) depending on the coating your using and condition of the floor that will tell you which manner will work best. 

Now the floor is ready for coating and hopefully we have decided to use a professional company to do this or at least are using a higher end product. The epoxy has very clear directions on mixing, sweat in times and or time to get it on the floor as well as the number of coats and thickness it needs to be applied.

Make sure to follow these specifications to the letter or again you could end up with a failure of the coating. 

Now you have a choice, are you adding decorative flakes or an anti-skid additive into the epoxy? Now is the time to do it, this will all be subjective on who is putting the flakes down, you can get different looks from different applicators, you can also choose a sparse flake or cover the entire floor solid with flakes.

Once you have your flakes down, the next day is the time to add your protective clear coat, we like to use top of the line products here as this is the coating protecting the top side of your floor.

If you follow all the directions, use good products and have the proper expectations you can have a great epoxy floor too.