Frequently Asked Questions

HomeGuide's national range is $4 to $10 per square foot installed, which works out to about $1,600 to $5,800 for a two-car garage. Polyaspartic systems run about $5 to $12 per square foot. Crack repair, old coating removal and decorative finishes add to that. We give you a written price after seeing your floor.

Standard epoxy needs a clean, dry, well-ground slab, or it can peel. HomeGuide notes it can take up to a week to fully cure, it is more brittle than polyaspartic, and it can yellow in sunlight without a UV-stable topcoat. A glossy floor can also be slick when wet. We deal with each of these through prep, a polyaspartic topcoat where it fits and added texture.

This Old House puts metallic epoxy floors at about $5 to $12 per square foot. A 400 square foot basement room would land around $2,000 to $4,800 at that rate. The price goes up with more colors, more complex designs and any slab repair needed first.

Resin floors are common in commercial spaces because they are seamless and easy to clean, and we can add grit to the topcoat for traction. Kitchens with hot oil, steam cleaning and boiling water can be hard on standard epoxy. For those areas we discuss heavier, heat-tolerant systems before quoting.

Karst mostly affects a coating through soil movement under the slab, which shows up as cracks and settled sections. A coating can bridge small, stable cracks once they are filled. It cannot stop a slab from moving, so we tell you if a crack looks active before you pay for a new floor.

HomeGuide says to wait 2 to 7 days before driving on standard epoxy and 24 to 48 hours for polyaspartic. Temperature and humidity change those times. We give you exact times for your floor in writing.

Kits cost about $200 to $700 according to HomeGuide, and water-based versions usually need recoating every 3 to 5 years. Most rely on acid etching instead of grinding, and thin kit coatings are prone to hot tire pickup in a Kentucky summer. A ground slab and a thicker system last much longer.

HomeGuide's national range is about $1,600 to $5,800 for epoxy and $2,000 to $6,900 for polyaspartic on a two-car garage. Crack repair, removing an old coating and the finish you choose decide where you land. We give a written number after the estimate.

Hot tires soften a thin or poorly bonded coating, and the film sticks to the rubber as the car pulls out. It is common with water-based kits over acid-etched concrete. A thicker system over ground concrete, with a durable topcoat, resists it.

HomeGuide says 2 to 7 days for standard epoxy and 24 to 48 hours for polyaspartic. Cooler or more humid weather slows curing. We give you the exact time for your floor.

A smooth gloss finish can be slick when wet. Flake floors have built-in texture, and we can add an anti-slip aggregate to the topcoat on any floor.

Stable cracks get filled and ground flush, and the coating covers them. If a crack is wide, uneven or still growing, the slab may be moving, and a coating will crack along with it. We tell you which kind you have.

A full broadcast adds thickness and texture, which helps with abrasion and hot tires. The topcoat does most of the protecting, so the topcoat choice matters as much as the flakes.

They have more grip than a smooth gloss floor because the chips leave texture. For porches, ramps or wet entries we add an anti-slip aggregate to the topcoat.

Sweep or dust mop, then mop with warm water and a mild cleaner. Skip harsh acids and citrus degreasers that can dull the topcoat.

Yes, on porches and patios, with a UV-stable polyaspartic topcoat. HomeGuide rates polyaspartic UV resistance as excellent and epoxy as poor to fair, so plain epoxy is a poor choice in direct sun.

Each has strengths. Polyaspartic cures faster, flexes more and resists UV much better. Epoxy builds thickness faster and costs less. Many garages get an epoxy base with a polyaspartic topcoat.

HomeGuide lists polyaspartic at 10 to 20 or more years, compared with 3 to 5 years for water-based epoxy. Prep quality and how the floor is used drive the real number.

Often, yes, for a standard garage with little repair. Heavy crack repair or old coating removal can push it to two days.

It is rated for excellent UV resistance and keeps its color far better than epoxy. That makes it the right choice for sun-facing garages and porches.

This Old House lists metallic epoxy floors at $5 to $12 per square foot. Complex multi-color designs, moisture treatment and slab repair push the total higher.

It can be, especially in a display garage, but the gloss shows tire marks and dust and can be slick when wet. We add texture and a tough topcoat for garage use.

Yes, if the slab is dry enough. We test for moisture first, because moisture coming up through the concrete can lift a decorative floor.

It will follow the colors and technique we agree on, but every metallic floor flows differently. We show you sample boards made with your colors before we start.

It works well in dining rooms, restrooms, storage and prep areas, where a seamless, textured floor is easy to clean. Hot kitchen lines with boiling water and hot oil need a heavier, heat-tolerant system, which we talk through before quoting.

It depends on size and system. Phased work and fast-curing topcoats can keep part of the floor open. We give you a written schedule before we start.

Usually, after grinding and degreasing. Oil that has soaked deep may need extra treatment or patching, and we test those areas first.

HomeAdvisor lists industrial 100% solids coatings at $12 or more per square foot, while lighter commercial floors can fall near HomeGuide's $4 to $10 range. The system and the slab condition decide it.

Stable cracks that are properly filled and ground flush usually disappear under a flake floor. On solid colors and metallic floors, a faint line can sometimes show. A crack that keeps moving will eventually crack the coating.

Warning signs include one side sitting higher than the other, a crack that keeps widening, or a section of slab that has sunk. We point these out, but a structural engineer or foundation contractor should evaluate them.

Rarely directly. In karst areas, the more common cause is clay soil settling or shifting, especially after heavy rain. Most garage cracks are ordinary shrinkage cracks.

HomeAdvisor puts patch and crack repair at $25 to $250. Widespread damage that needs resurfacing runs about $3 to $7 per square foot according to HomeGuide.