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.

Top Tips When Painting Your Exterior

Top Tips When Painting Your Exterior

It feels like Spring and everyone gets excited to take a look outside and see what they need to do after a long winter

One of those things and a very important one is painting, painting not only makes your home look awesome it also protects the surfaces from the weather and moisture.

Without protecting your deck, siding or metal surfaces they can fall to any of the moisture they encounter each day.

What paint to use?

Do not cheap out here, good paint is not inexpensive but having to go back and correct things because you chose a cheap paint is, spend the extra money on a good quality 100% acrylic exterior paint from Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore 

What color to choose?

Watch the deeper colors, they tend to fade quicker, although they look awesome fading is a characteristic of the color and paint, again a better quality paint will not fade as quick

Do I need to prime the siding?

We are asked this all the time, a good quality 100% acrylic paint does not need a primer on a clean, sound and dull surface, bare wood we want to use a good oil based primer

Why power wash before painting?

Power washing is just a quicker means of cleaning the surfaces before painting, we caution not to use high pressure and you should stop your contractor from using any high pressure on your home, a professional contractor will be using a soft wash system which allows for a much lower psi than a normal pressure washer that can and will damage your home.

Know who your hiring

This is key, you should meet and speak with anyone your hiring and feel comfortable with them if you don't feel comfortable now before the project starts how do you think you will feel when the painting begins or an issue comes up?

Painting doesn't have to be hard but not choosing the correct paint or painter can make your project become a nightmare.

Exterior Painting Season

It's almost exterior painting season, how can we tell?
Every time the weather breaks for a day or so we get ten calls asking why we haven't started someone's project yet.

It never fails, we can come out of the coldest, wettest winter, it can snow yesterday but when it hits 40 degrees or so everyone will call, we chalk that up to excitement in getting the project done.

However we must have realistic expectations and know when it is really time to start your exterior painting, what no one wants to do is start a project and then the weather goes back down and we have to stop, and now we have ten projects started that we cannot finish, have to start new ones to keep everyone working and just a cluster of incomplete work.

Every painting contractor I know has come out of the worst 2018, weather-wise and many projects were held over to be done in the Spring, add to that your other work still scheduled and you have an interesting painting schedule to deal with.

Also, the temps are still dropping below freezing at night if you paint too far into the afternoon and the temperatures fall you could have some issues with the coatings.

We like to watch the weather closely and look ahead at the long range forecast and try to set projects up that way in the order that they were booked.

Remember there are other projects going on then just one and many that were booked ahead of yours, patience is the key when working with any good contractor.

Most paints now can go down to about 37 degrees, maybe a bit lower but we try to not press that if it is not absolutely needed. For the typical homeowner, this is not needed and they should simply wait, the projects that have to be done for a sale or a business or other reason other than we simply want it done are the priorities this time of the year.

Let's all hope for a great mild Spring and awesome summer so we can get all of our projects done early and or on time. We get to work with so many great people and businesses I wish we could do them all at one time but obviously, that is impossible.

Amato Painting named finalist for Best Customer Service

Amato Painting is honored to be named a finalist for Best Customer Sevice for 2019 in the Best of the Valley from Lehigh Valley Magazine

Customer service is something we take very seriously and work on each and every day says Tanya Freed who heads up the administrative department at Amato Painting

Voting begins April 15th online and we hope all of our clients and friends can take a moment to help us out.

Amato Painting donates over $4000 in our annual Paint It Forward event

Amato Painting Donates over $4000 to Animal Shelter

Amato Painting with the help of Gleco Paint and Benjamin Moore held our annual Paint It Forward event. Together we were able to donate well over $4000 in paint and labor to The Center For Animal Health and Welfare of Easton.

It was a great day with a big turnout from each company as we added new colors to areas of the facility that was in desperate need of new paint.

On our initial visit, we saw peeling paint on handrails, doors and door frames that had to be removed and properly painted for the traffic the facility gets each day while helping dogs, cats and other animals.

Jeff from Gleco was key in planning and making sure everything came out as planned even running back to the store to retrieve some other items we needed to complete this project in one day.

one of the owners from Gleco was on hand showing us he can paint as well as he can run a paint store and Benjamin Moore had a representative on had as well supplying us with breakfast and lunch which everyone appreciated.

Our painters and office staff helped out, painting the large handrail and fencing that leads to the area where all the dogs are while Ryan painted the bathroom a new fresh bright color.

Putting all of our other projects on hold for one day is no easy task, it takes understanding from our clients, the painters donating their time and everyone putting their phones down to help others.

But the feeling you get from doing this is a reward in itself.

"We hope we can continue this and even expand it in the coming years," said Ryan

Can you go lower in price?

Can you lower your price?

"We received your proposal, we are still getting other estimates but yours is the highest so far, can you do any better on your price?" John A. Easton,Pa


Thank you for emailing, we can certainly discuss the price, I am glad you reached out but first, can we review the time and conversation we had while I was out there?
You mentioned when I was there that quality was the most important thing to you. has that since changed?

The reason I ask is now you are comparing our proposal to price alone. in my experience comparing price alone only works when you're comparing the same product or experience, we do not feel anyone can match our experience, communication and value at all. were top quality products still important? someone to be available to answer any questions you may have?
Do the other companies have someone answering the phone 24/7 or allow you to text or chat with them?

Are their painter's employees or subcontractors? Not knowing who will do your project until they scramble to find someone? These are all questions you should ask not to mention the insurance and workers compensation needed to protect your amazing house or business.

There are certainly more things. the un saids that are important such as training our painters, safety and knowledge and relationships in the painting industry that we bring.

If this has all changed please send us the other proposals and we will review and make sure we all match one another in promises, experience and being able to give you the project you hope for the price promised by others.

Ryan Amato 


This is a real conversation guys, one we get frequently and we always answer the same way, we're not a commodity, we are offering our experience and training over the years and the value our companies bring. don't let under cutters threaten you, they are just disrupting the market with sales pitches, getting things done in one day the lowest price etc.
there aren't many shortcuts that can be taken that will not effect your projects. there will always be a lowest price but at what expense.?