Why we don't publish a price per square foot
We don't publish a price per square foot. No standardized regional price index for concrete floor coatings is published for the cities we serve; costs reflect local installer reporting, and they move with the condition of your slab. A number on a website can't see your concrete. What we can do is explain what drives the price, so you can read a proposal and understand why two bids differ.
What drives the cost
The slab's condition
The biggest variable is the floor you start with. A clean, sound, bare slab needs grinding and little else. A slab with old coatings or sealers to remove, oil soaked in, cracks, spalls or uneven areas needs more grinding, repair material and labor before any coating goes down.
Moisture
If the moisture test shows the slab gives off more moisture than the chosen coating tolerates, the system needs a moisture-mitigating primer. Those products typically cost more than a standard primer, and they add a step. It's money well spent: skipping it on a damp slab is a common reason coatings blister. See surface prep and moisture testing.
Products and film build
High-solids, two-part products cost more than thin one-part or water-based products, and thicker systems use more material. A full broadcast of flake or quartz adds material and a step, and so does a second topcoat. Ask for the total finished thickness so you can compare bids on the same footing.
Square footage and layout
Larger floors spread the fixed costs of getting a crew and equipment on site, so they often cost less per square foot than small ones. Stairs, cove bases up the wall, drains, many corners and obstacles add hand work.
Labor and schedule
Grinding, repair, multiple coats and cure time between coats take labor across one or more days. Fast-curing chemistries can shorten the schedule but demand experienced crews. Commercial jobs phased around business hours, or done at night, cost more.
Access and conditions
Floors far from where equipment can be parked, spaces that need heating or dehumidifying to reach the product's application conditions, and jobs that need extra dust control all add cost.
Why DIY kits often peel
The kits usually fail for the same reasons cheap professional jobs fail:
- Acid etching instead of grinding. Etching gives the smoothest possible profile and doesn't remove sealers or oil, so the coating has little to grip.
- No moisture test. A coating sealed over a damp slab can blister and lift.
- Thin material. Thin coats wear through quickly and have little resistance to hot tires.
- Rushed cure. Driving on a coating before it's fully cured can cause it to lift.
A kit can be a reasonable choice for a light-use space, if you prepare the slab properly. For a garage that takes daily vehicle traffic, most of the cost of a professional system is the part a kit leaves out.
Reading a proposal
A good proposal names:
- the preparation method and the profile it aims for;
- the moisture test, where it will be done, and what happens if results are high;
- each product by name, with data sheets;
- the number of coats and the total thickness;
- crack and joint repair;
- return-to-service times for walking and driving;
- the warranty, in writing, including what voids it.
If two bids differ by a lot, line them up against that list. The difference is usually in the prep, the moisture treatment or the thickness.
Questions to ask about price
- What exactly is included, and what would change the price once you start?
- Is moisture mitigation included, or priced separately if the test calls for it?
- What happens to the price if you find more damage after grinding?
- What's the payment schedule?