How Much is My Garage Floor Really Going to Cost?
How much does a garage floor coating cost?
This is always one of the first questions a customer has when starting to research different companies and different options for garage floor coatings.
Part of the problem with answering this question is there are so many variables when evaluating a project and why it’s recommended to have a professional do a comprehensive site-survey to accurately quote you. Existing coatings, excessive oil contamination, extensive cracks will obviously change the pricing of any system as the additional prep will take more time.
All that being said, I will do my best to give an *average cost based on your average garage floor for the Portland, OR & Vancouver, WA area.
Do it Yourself Kits
These kits are widely available through most big box and paint stores and are very easy to work with. Everything you need to prepare and coat the floor come in the package with very clear instructions on how to apply the material. There are many companies offering to install these products if you didn’t feel like doing the work yourself. Generally speaking the recommended prep for these coatings is not sufficient and the removal of these types of coatings account for a good portion of our business every year. Improper surface prep won’t allow the material to penetrate the concrete and achieve a chemical bond and tends to be a less permanent solution.
They are by far the most popular solution for garage floor coatings and you can expect to invest $4-700 for a standard 2 car garage plus your time of course.
There would be no warranty with these types of coatings.
Typical Price: $1-2 per square foot – self installed
Typical 2 car Garage: $400 – $1000
Epoxy Garage Floor Coatings
Epoxy floor coatings are installed by a wide variety of installers in the Portland area, many professional so a fantastic job and they are specified in a wide range of industries. Epoxies tend to have poor UV resistance and a common problem would be ‘hot-tire pickup’ – where the epoxy delaminates when a vehicle tire bonds to the surface and peels the epoxy from the concrete. A simple acid wash is not sufficient to prepare the concrete for a coating application – a full mechanical prep, either shot blasting or diamond grinding is necessary to profile the concrete, remove stains (oil/grease/gas = bond breakers) and prepare the concrete for a chemical bond.
Generally we see anywhere for 12-36 months warranty being offered by professionals in the Portland area – make sure you get all warranty details in writing.
Typical Price: $3-12 per square foot installed
Typical 2 car Garage: $1,500 – $3,100
Polyurea Garage Floor Coatings
Epoxies have dominated the coatings industry for over 50 years and are still widely used in many different applications today. There have been many improvements in coatings technology over the past 10 years and epoxies are no longer the preferred coating option for garage floors due to some of the factors noted above. A more durable, UV stable, abrasion resistant material is polyurea – this hard wearing coating is widely specified in commercial settings where failure is not an option and floors are designed to last the test of time.
Many times clients are replacing worn out epoxy floors with Polyurea coatings for a longer lasting system and in a typical garage floor which sees normal use you would expect these types of coatings to last the lifetime of the home with little to no maintenance.
We see warranties ranging from 7 – lifetime depending on the system a client chooses to have applied to their floor, but most systems will be 4 coats – again, always insist on warranty information prior to commencing any project and ensure your contractor is an approved installer for the materials they propose to use.
Typical Price: $6-8 per square foot installed
Typical 2 car Garage: $2000 – $2,800
Pricing ranges from our minimum of $2,000 and up depending on current concrete condition, location, and size.
Stem walls: $200-600+ depending on the size of the garage
Cove base: $12-16+ per linear foot. Applied cove base for waterproof solutions.
Logos: $400-1000+ depending on how large and how intricate
Borders: 20% extra
Custom Colors: Additional shipping with all custom orders but no up charge on materials.
Polished Concrete: $9–15 per square foot installed
Although these numbers and prices are just general guidelines, I hope this has given you a better feel for what to expect when you start to look into your garage floor coating project.