Welcome back! One quick disclaimer before we jump in. We will discuss prices regarding square footage to make math easy, which is different from how we calculate during our bid process. We arrived at these numbers through data collected from past projects of varying sizes and are using averages to help simplify communication. For example, you would need help finding a contractor willing to come to your home and install 1 square foot of epoxy for $7.00. More significant projects have the potential to have a lower square footage rate due to efficiencies. Alright, let’s dive in.
Condition Of The Concrete
A few things related to the condition of your concrete impact the cost of your epoxy garage floor. The first is if there is an existing floor covering present. For instance, if there is tile in place that needs to be removed before the epoxy is installed, you can expect to pay an additional $3.00-$4.00 per square foot for the removal of the existing tile. Also, any coating other than a thin layer of paint can add around $1.00-$2.00 per square foot for removal. Additionally, excessive repairs outside of your normal spider cracks and imperfections can increase the project’s overall cost. As a rule of thumb, if you have a crack and you’re able to fit your thumb in it, expect to pay about $10-$15 per linear foot of said crack. The final most common factor that can increase an epoxy garage floor project is excessive moisture under the concrete. Without going off on a tangent, some concrete slabs require additional protection to mitigate vapor emissions for an additional cost of around $2.00-$4.00 per square foot. These are a few of the most common reasons that may affect your epoxy garage floor cost.
Epoxy Coating System
We get requests for 3 main epoxy coating systems for garage floors: Solid Color Epoxy, Metallic Epoxy, and Epoxy Flake System.
Solid Color Epoxy
Our solid color epoxy system is available in tan and grey and includes a single coat of 100% solids epoxy and a urethane topcoat. While this system may perform well and look fabulous in foot traffic areas, we typically recommend something other than this system for your garage, and here’s why. The solid color epoxy is more likely to show dirt, debris, and tire marks from vehicle traffic. It can also be more slippery than other systems, especially when wet. Lastly, the solid color epoxy has significantly less tensile strength than our flake system, which can contribute to coating failures if exposed to excessive weight. You can expect to pay around $4.50-$6.50 per square foot for this system.
Metallic Epoxy/Designer Epoxy
Another request that we get for epoxy garage floor projects is our metallic epoxy, also called marbleized epoxy or designer epoxy. This decorative epoxy system has swirls and multiple colors and is more like art than your typical epoxy flooring. While these floors are beautiful and one of a kind, we find that customers who have these installed in their garage and who also use their garage for parking vehicles and other typical garage activities are often disappointed with the amount of cleaning they are doing as a result. Imagine parking your grassy lawnmower on top of a piece of art for which you paid quite a bit. Customers who use their garage more like an additional interior room (Mancaves, home theaters, game rooms, etc.) are thrilled to have a masterpiece on their floor. So how much does the marbleized epoxy cost? Typical installations range anywhere from $12.00-$16.00 per square foot. And the sky is the limit with these floors. We can add glow-in-the-dark, glitter, and varying swirl effects, so it is not uncommon to see one of these pieces of art going for upwards of $20.00 per square foot.
Flake System
This is the most popular and highly recommended system for most garage floor applications. It includes a 100% solids epoxy base coat with full coverage of decorative vinyl flakes and a clear polyaspartic or urethane topcoat. This high-performance floor offers the highest levels of chemical, scratch, and slip resistance and always looks clean. The vinyl flakes contribute significantly to the tensile strength and overall durability of the epoxy floor while adding slip resistance, plus it looks impressive. This system can last under regular use for over 20 years. For this system, you can expect to pay anywhere from $6.00-$10.00 per square foot.
Upgrades
The upgrades are the final factor that impacts the cost of an epoxy garage floor. Some customers choose to include a border of their coating system about 4 to 6 inches up the wall which typically adds about $400-$800 to the overall project. We typically don’t charge extra for stair coating, less than 5 stairs, but there may be an additional cost for these in some cases. Another upgrade is a cove base which brings the epoxy up the wall about 4 inches but rounds the corner between the wall and the floor like you may have seen in commercial kitchens or medical facilities. For the cove base, the additional cost can range from $12.00 to $16.00 per linear foot. The final most common upgrade is a nano-protective coating that adds a layer of protection. This protective coating is like a ceramic coating used on cars, and it prevents your epoxy floor from being stained or damaged with most chemicals (including acid). This nano-coating also makes your epoxy extremely slip-resistant. You can expect to invest around $3.00-$5.00 per square foot for this additional protection.
Conclusion
Here is an easy-to-read list of all the prices mentioned above:
Systems
Solid Color Epoxy: $4.50-$6.50/sqft
Metallic epoxy: $12.00-$16.00/sqft
Flake System: $6.00-$10.00/sqft
Condition Variables
Tile/Carpet Removal: $3.00-$4.00/sqft
Existing Coating Removal: $1.00-$2.00/sqft
Large Crack Repair: $10.00-$15.00/linear ft
Moisture Mitigation: $2.00-$4.00/sqft
Upgrades
4″- 6″ Border: $400-$800 for most 1 to 2 car garages
Cove Base: $12.00-$16.00 per linear foot
Nano-Protective coating: $3.00-$5.00
As always, thanks for taking the time to read this article. We hope it added value and cleared up some misconceptions about how much an epoxy garage floor costs. We want to answer your questions. Feel free to reach out using the button below and have a chance to have your question featured in our next article.
