Rough Epoxy Costs and Tips

[TurboEuro88]

Long time lurker here... Finally bought my first home and one of the higher priority items was to laying down a good epoxy on the garage floor. I like to detail cars as a hobby, while also working on my own cars, so having a clean floor is something I'd really like to have for myself. I am going to be making some calls soon to get the job quoted, but was hoping that the knowledgeable minds here at GJ would be able to help understand how much material I really need and generally what a "good" quote would be for materials and labor. I've seen some widely varying numbers out there...

Details... It's a 400sqft garage. Concrete is in decent shape with no major cracking and no heaving. The surface is a bit rough, though not to the point where chunks are missing - just the normal wear you'd see from concrete that's seen some years here in the chilly north. Essentially would be looking at a grind, fill, and epoxy job. Since this is my first home and I can't see myself being here more than 10 years, I am purely looking for an economical and functional coating to suit my needs. I don't need the "premium" or "wow factor" coatings since those wont really add much to the property value.

Open to all thoughts/opinions here. Hoping to get this done for a reasonable number that won't put me into sticker shock. Thanks!

 

[Shea]

You can expect something like that to start in the $3-$4 per square foot range for a two to three coat system. It can go up from there for the more premium coatings. How much material is going to be based on the type of coating and system you choose as well as how much fill for the pitting and spalling that will be required.

 

[TurboEuro88]

You can expect something like that to start in the $3-$4 per square foot range for a two to three coat system.

To clarify, is that with labor included? I've seen some coatings around the $0.60/sqft mark without labor, but I don't know how good those are, and realistically what kind of product I need. I also realize its not easy to provide an good answer over the internet, but right now I am just trying to understand the cost scope of this project.

Is grinding and filling the concrete a difficult job to do yourself? I consider myself handy and capable with DIY jobs so I am interested to hear there's significant cost savings to be had by doing the prep myself without sacrificing too much on the end result.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

4.50 - 5.50 psq ft in Orlando (all in).

 

[Shea]

To clarify, is that with labor included? I've seen some coatings around the $0.60/sqft mark without labor, but I don't know how good those are, and realistically what kind of product I need. I also realize its not easy to provide an good answer over the internet, but right now I am just trying to understand the cost scope of this project.

Is grinding and filling the concrete a difficult job to do yourself? I consider myself handy and capable with DIY jobs so I am interested to hear there's significant cost savings to be had by doing the prep myself without sacrificing too much on the end result.

It's a rough estimate (labor included) for an economical flooring system. Keep in mind some installers only install the premium product since their reputation rides on their work. If you are handy with DIY jobs, you could do it yourself for much, much less depending on what product you choose.

It would require grinding out all the loose areas where the pitting is and then filling those areas with an epoxy/sand filler. After it cures, grind the entire floor (including repaired area) and then apply your coating of choice. Many of the vendors here have excellent repair products and many types of coatings. Doing some reading, research, and asking some questions will give you a good idea of what you will need to do and what product you decide will be best for your budget and project.

 

[Armorpoxy]

Hi,
We can supply you with our 3-layer 100% solids Armorclad system which is what we sell to our professional installers for a little over $1.00/sq foot including GJ discount. Prep is etching or grinding.

In our NYC Metro area going price installed is in the $5-$6 range.

If you need additional epoxy to make some repairs, contact us directly at below please so we can get you an estimate.

 

[TurboEuro88]

Thank you for the responses. We'll see what the local guys come back with for a quote and go from there. Hopefully

I'll be honest - the actual epoxy process seems pretty straightforward an easy for me to do do. It the prep work that I am not so sure of being able to do myself given that the concrete does need some work before the epoxy can be laid down. I'm still doing more reading to better understand the repair part of the job to make the decision on whether it's something I can handle. Knowing how important the prep is to the quality of the result, I really don't want to mess that up.

 

[Armorpoxy]

Email us directly at below and request a copy of our two floor repair bulletins which outline in detail about floor repairs and such. Thank you.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Thank you for the responses. We'll see what the local guys come back with for a quote and go from there. Hopefully

I'll be honest - the actual epoxy process seems pretty straightforward an easy for me to do do. It the prep work that I am not so sure of being able to do myself given that the concrete does need some work before the epoxy can be laid down. I'm still doing more reading to better understand the repair part of the job to make the decision on whether it's something I can handle. Knowing how important the prep is to the quality of the result, I really don't want to mess that up.

Here is some more mud in your water...
Look at our Nohr-S Polyurea Garage Kits, they are the easiest path to a high-performing garage floor with less work and stress than epoxies.

 

[TurboEuro88]

Thought I'd update here... I got the keys to the place and first thing was getting photos of the garage floor. I've included them below.

I also got in contact with a local installer to get a baseline number to work from. He was very highly recommended and rated, having done some great work for friends of a close friend in the Porsche Club locally. He quoted me anywhere from about $5.50/sqft to just over $6/sqft... or $2500-$3000 fully installed

Here's the photos... Let me know your thoughts. The more I see these numbers, the more I think doing it myself will be the better financial route for effectively equal results.

(that's a piece of carpet in the lower-left corner)

 

[dm63ford]

I am in the process of doing my 1000sq ft garage now with epoxy kit from Garage Flooring LLC cost is approximately 1.10 sq ft with acid etching. I spent 8 hours etching the floor. I will prime Saturday color coat Sunday and top coat Monday.

 

[TurboEuro88]

Not sure why the photos didn't post before. Updated post above with photos...

 

[TurboEuro88]

Spoke again with the local installer mentioned before and he suggested the use of a crushed walnut shell epoxy to level off all the pitting that's in the concrete. Do you need to grind the floor again after applying the leveling epoxy or is it simply grind, fill, seal, epoxy?

 

[Shea]

If it self-levels and fills in to your satisfaction, you can just recoat within the manufacturers window.