Frequently Asked Questions

It costs more than paint and less than most new floor coverings. HomeGuide lists professional epoxy at about $4 to $10 per square foot installed, or about $1,600 to $5,800 for a two-car garage. Older slabs with paint, cracks or salt damage need more prep, which raises the price. We give you a written figure after we see the floor.

At HomeGuide's $4 to $10 per square foot, 100 square feet works out to about $400 to $1,000. Small jobs often land near the top of that range because grinding equipment and setup cost the same whether the floor is small or large. A laundry room or entry is often easier to justify when it is done with a garage or basement.

You can. HomeGuide puts premade kits at about $200 to $700 and says water-based epoxy lasts about 3 to 5 years, against 10 to 20 years for solid epoxy. Most kits rely on etching instead of grinding, which is a problem on an older Des Plaines slab with paint or salt damage. Kits work best on newer, clean concrete.

No. A coating seals the surface and makes cleanup much easier, but it cannot stop river water, groundwater or a sewer backup. The City of Des Plaines has encouraged residents to look at overhead sewers or flood control devices for backup problems. Fix the water first, then coat the floor.

It depends on the product and the temperature. Bob Vila's polyaspartic guide gives about 24 hours before vehicles for polyaspartic and about three full days for standard epoxy. We give you a specific time for your floor.

Yes, after it is removed. A new coating is only as strong as the layer under it, and old paint that is peeling at the tire paths will take the new floor with it. Grinding off the old finish is part of the quote when we see it.

Yes, when the slab and air temperature fit the product. HomeGuide lists 60°F to 85°F as the range for epoxy, while polyaspartic has a much wider application range. In cold months we check the slab temperature and may heat the space or choose a polyaspartic system.

HomeGuide's national range for a two-car garage is about $1,600 to $5,800. Older slabs with paint to remove, salt damage or several cracks tend to land higher in that range. We price your floor in writing after we see it.

Not directly. Paint that is already peeling at the tire paths will pull the new coating up with it. We grind the paint off as part of the prep and list that step in the quote.

A well-bonded, fully cured coating with a good topcoat resists salt far better than bare concrete. Brine left for weeks can still dull the topcoat, so squeegee and rinse a few times each winter.

A smooth, glossy finish can be slick when wet. A flake floor has built-in texture, and we can add an anti-slip additive to the topcoat on solid colors.

Most garages take one to two days of work, depending on prep and the system. Standard epoxy then needs about three days before you park, per Bob Vila, while polyaspartic is often ready in about 24 hours.

It cures faster, resists UV better and stays more flexible, according to HomeGuide's comparison. Epoxy builds thicker per coat and costs less. Many floors use both: epoxy for the base and polyaspartic for the top.

Bob Vila's guide gives about 24 hours before vehicles, compared with three full days for standard epoxy. Temperature and the specific product can shift that, so we give you a time for your floor.

It has a much wider temperature range than epoxy; HomeGuide lists -30°F to 140°F. Each product still has limits on slab temperature and dew point, which we check on install day.

The material costs more, and it sets so quickly that it takes experienced crews working in small sections. HomeGuide lists $5 to $12 per square foot for polyaspartic against $4 to $10 for epoxy.

Usually, yes. The chips give the surface texture, and a full broadcast adds the most. We can add an anti-slip additive to the topcoat for even more grip at entries and steps.

A little. HomeGuide lists flakes, custom colors and patterns as a $0.50 to $2.00 per square foot add-on. The extra labor of broadcasting and scraping is most of that cost.

Mid-tone blends of gray, tan and black hide salt residue and tire marks best. Very light or very dark single colors show more.

Yes, after a moisture reading. If vapor coming up through the slab is high, we use a moisture-tolerant primer or tell you the moisture needs to be dealt with first.

It can be, because a sealed floor cleans up much faster than carpet. It will not stop water from coming in, so we suggest fixing the cause first. The city's 2022 letter points residents to overhead sewers and flood control devices for sewer backups.

Usually moisture vapor pushing up through the slab, or a coating applied over paint, glue or unground concrete. We test moisture and grind to clean concrete for that reason.

HomeGuide lists about $1,200 to $20,000 for basements of 300 to 2,000 square feet, which is $4 to $10 per square foot. A moisture barrier, when needed, adds about $1 per square foot according to Bob Vila.

No. A coating is not a radon mitigation system. About 45 percent of Illinois homes tested are at or above the EPA action level, so test first and finish any mitigation work before coating.

Yes. An unfilled crack shows through the coating as a line and gives the edge a place to chip. We fill and grind cracks flush before the base coat.

HomeAdvisor and Bob Vila both list patching cracks and chips at about $25 to $250 for labor and materials. Floors with many repairs, or worn enough to need resurfacing, cost more.

Watch for cracks that keep widening, have one side higher than the other or line up with cracks in a foundation wall. Those can mean movement, and a patch will not fix it.

A shrinkage crack that has been stable for years usually stays fixed. A crack in a slab that is still moving can reopen, which is why we check for movement first.

HomeAdvisor lists commercial 100% solids epoxy at $12 or more per square foot and says commercial-grade, high-traffic coatings add 20% to 30%. Floor size, contamination and scheduling limits move the total.

Often, yes, by working in sections, after hours or on weekends. Faster-curing products help shorten the time each section is out of service.

A properly bonded high-solids system is built for forklift and pallet jack traffic. Turning areas and dock edges see the most wear and may need touch-ups over time.

Only after the oil is removed. We grind and degrease stained areas until we reach clean concrete, since oil left in the slab will push up through a coating.