How Much Do Epoxy Garage Floors Cost?
When it comes to garage flooring, epoxy coating is one of the most popular options homeowners choose. They are durable, clean, and easy to maintain. So how much do epoxy garage floors cost?
The average epoxy floor cost is $2,191, and installation averages $5 per square foot. Solid epoxy only costs $1.40 per square foot in materials, but water-based epoxy is the cheapest and costs $0.37 per square foot. You will need to spend an extra $3 per square foot if you need to repair the concrete and $137 per hour for blasting.
Want to save on the cost? Choose from different epoxy types, alternative sealants, and DIY epoxy flooring kits. Compare the bids you receive. Finally, seek guidance from professionals or ask for a free quote if you don’t know much about flooring.
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How Much Do Epoxy Garage Floors Cost Per Square Foot
The most common method of calculation for flooring cost is by the surface area. On average, epoxy garage floors go from $3 to $7 per square foot, including labor. The price can go up to $12 per square foot if you are hiring a big company to do the job.
An average one-car garage is approximately 250 square feet. Therefore, it could cost $750 to $3,000 for epoxy. A two-car garage is about 400 to 600 square feet, and the epoxy cost ranges from $1,200 to $3,500. However, the price to add epoxy flooring to a large garage could go up to $6,000.
Epoxy Garage Floor Cost by Type
The material you use will have a significant impact on the cost of your epoxy garage floors. There are three types of epoxy resins in the market:
- Water-based, which is a mixture of water, epoxy, and a hardener
- Solvent epoxy, which is a mixture of epoxy and a specific chemical solvent
- Solid epoxy, which only contains epoxy and hardeners
We’ve put together a table with the pros, cons, and prices of each type.
Cost of Different Types of Epoxy| Type | Price per square foot | Pros | Cons |
| Water-based | $0.37 | Durable, glossy, and safe for the environment. Very easy to apply. | May need regular recoating. May rust here and there |
| Solvent Epoxy | $0.58 | Works better at low temperatures or humid weather than other types. More durable. Dries faster. | Banned in some states, highly combustible in its liquid form |
| Solid Epoxy | $1.40 | Double the thickness. Lasts over 20 years. Applicable for commercial or industrial purposes. | Dries too fast for amateurs to use. Doesn’t work with moisture at all |
Epoxy Garage Floor Cost Factors
Like all other flooring projects, a few key factors can significantly impact the final quote you receive. Besides the size and type of epoxy flooring, the following factors also play a role in your final cost:
- Concrete conditions
- Garage Shape
- Garage Size, or surface area
- Coating method
- Your Contractor
As a general rule, clean, finished concrete with a regular shape will cost a lot less than irregular garages.
If your concrete flooring needs extra preparation, your bill could go up very quickly. If you need to move heavy items out of your garage for the project, you may have to pay for a mover.
Concrete Floor Condition
The largest component that goes into an epoxy garage floor quote is the concrete floor condition. In other words, additional costs for preparing the concrete floor for coating.
As a general rule, the concrete should be smooth and debris-free to apply epoxy coatings. The concrete also needs to be degreased and rinsed. Some professionals will also recommend you to etch the concrete with mild acid before vacuuming and rinsing.
A good strategy is to clean and prepare the concrete slab yourself if you know what you are doing. However, if there are significant issues with the concrete, it’s better to pay a contractor to do the prep work.
Additional Floor Prepping Services
There are a few situations where you will need other services to prep your concrete. These situations include:
- Removing previous coatings. If there were old epoxy or any other coatings, you must remove them before adding the new epoxy floors.
- Severe stains like glue and paint spots.
The typical solution to concrete prepping is shot-blasting. A professional blaster will also etch, clean, and detail your concrete after the blasting process. Blasters usually charge $100 to $175 per hour.
Cost to Repair the Concrete
You must repair any cracks and damages on the concrete before installing epoxy floors. If you are repairing by yourself, you will only be paying for the materials. Simple patching compound costs as low as $3 per square foot.
However, if the cracks are related to structural problems, your cost could quickly go beyond $3,000 to $5,000. If foundation repair is necessary, your total may be between $8,000 to $30,000.
Garage Shape
The second factor that affects the cost of epoxy garage floors is the shape of your garage. While most homeowners have regular, rectangular garages, some may fall out of this category.
Consult your contractor on the cost if you have irregular garage shapes. Most contractors offer a free estimate, which allows you to shop around.
The Size of Your Garage
We briefly mentioned the cost of sealing an average one-car or two-car garage earlier. As a general rule, the most basic epoxy flooring costs $4 to $12 per square foot.
We made a pricing form for epoxy garage floors by garage size for your convenience.
How much do epoxy garage floors cost? (By size)| Garage Capacity | Average Square Footage | Price Range |
| One Car | 264 | $800 – $1,850 |
| Two Cars | 440 | $1,320 – $3,080 |
| Extended | 704 | $2,100 – $5,000 |
Again, the actual quote you receive might exceed this price range if your garage has an unusual shape. Think about other cost factors in this article to better understand your epoxy garage floor cost.
Coating Method
Additional work may incur if you need multiple layers of epoxy coatings or if you have other requirements. For example, if the contractor needs to spend more time pressing the layer tight with other tools, they may charge extra.
In other cases, a contractor will bill you by the hours instead of by square footage if the project is too complicated. Again, always get multiple quotes so you can go with the best deal.
Alternative Sealing Options
If epoxy sounds too pricey, there are other options you can use to seal your concrete garage floor. A few popular alternatives include:
- Acrylic and poly-acrylic
- Polymer or polyurethane
- Concrete polishing
We put their prices in the following table:
Epoxy Alternative Costs| Alternative | Cost per square foot | Characteristics |
| Acrylic and poly-acrylic | $0.14 | Pros: Breathable and moisture-resistant Cons: Gets slippery when wet and may break down due to some products, needs reapplication every two to three years |
| Polymer or polyurethane | $0.40 to $0.80 | Pros: Dries extremely fast and can be applied at almost any temperature, extremely corrosion-resistant and durable, more flexible than epoxy Cons: Hardens too fast and thus must be applied professionally. Labor can be costly |
| Concrete polishing | $3 to $15 | Pros: High-gloss look Cons: Lower durability since it’s pretty much just stained concrete |
How Much Do Epoxy Floors Cost in Other Areas
Epoxy is a versatile material applicable to all types of flooring. Therefore, many homeowners decide to extend the many benefits of epoxy flooring to other areas in their homes.
A few popular places to implement epoxy flooring include:
- Outdoor driveway
- Kitchen
- Basement
- Patios
In other words, anywhere that could benefit from epoxy’s durability and slip-proof characteristics. We put the difference in cost and benefits of implementing epoxy flooring in the above areas into the table below.
How much do epoxy floors cost? (By location)
| Area | Price Range | Benefits |
| Kitchen | $3 to $12 per square foot | Protects original flooring from grease, oil, and high temperature |
| Driveway | $85 to $160 per 1,000 square feet | Weather-proof and more durable. Doesn’t crack or break under pressure and extreme weathers |
| Patio | $1.50 per square foot | Weather-proof |
| Basement | $2,137 – $6,787 | Water-proof and mold-proof. Also makes it easier to lay carpet on top. |
A popular strategy is to combine your projects. If you’ve already hired someone to do epoxy flooring in your garage, you may want to ask the same contractor to handle other areas as well.
Though the projects may take more than one sitting to complete, most contractors will offer a discount for larger jobs.
Available Epoxy Flooring Styles
Our technology has allowed epoxy floorings to grow. Now, you have more than the plain, translucent coat to use. Most decorative epoxy styles come in prepackaged kits, making it easy to apply.
Rock Pebble Epoxy Kit
Rock pebble is one of the most beloved styles chosen by homeowners. They are elegant, robust, and full of texture. Thus, they are quite stunning when used in outside areas.
Rock pebble epoxy kits needed for a two-car garage cost about $900. To save on expense, you can purchase pebbles from a local distributor, such as a wholesale art store or gardening store, then mix with epoxy yourself.
Flake, Color, and Metallic Epoxy Floor
Flakes, color, and metallic add a subtle accent to traditional floorings. These are very popular in indoor areas like garages and kitchens.
Prices for Flake, Color, and Metallic Epoxy Floor| Style | Pricing |
| Epoxy flakes | $6 to $16 per pound |
| Metallic flakes | $17 per 12 oz |
| Color tint and metallic tint | $35 per one-pint container |
Images or Patterns Undercoating
Some companies can print your chosen artwork on a piece of fabric. Then, you bond the material to your floor the same way you would with carpeting. Seal the floor with a regular epoxy coating for the image undercoating effect.
Image undercoating prices depend on the type of material and the square footage of your image or pattern.
Maintaining Your Epoxy Garage Floor
When properly cared for, your epoxy garage floors can last 10 to 12 years on average. Essential maintenance aims to reduce the speed of normal wear and tear.
These routine maintenances include:
- Wipe up all stains at your earliest convenience.
- Scrub off any stubborn pollutants with non-caustic cleaners.
- Place a mat on both sides of the entrance.
- Mop regularly.
- Try to keep your garage door closed as much as possible to avoid UV damage to your epoxy floorings.
None of these routine maintenance requires professional help. You could easily handle the above tasks independently.
Resealing Your Epoxy Garage Floor
Your epoxy floors may crack, wear down, or spot rust over time. Therefore, resealing may become necessary at some point.
Luckily, resealing is a lot more affordable compared to getting new epoxy floors. In general, resealing epoxy garage floors cost $0.38 to $0.58 per square foot, less than half of what new epoxy floors would cost.
Remember, you will need to pay extra if you want to strip off the previous layer of coating first.
Do You Need to Hire a Flooring Contractor?
Get free, zero-commitment quotes from pro contractors near you.
Related Questions
Is There Anything Else I Can Do With My Garage to Increase My Home Value?
Of course. As an essential piece to your home, a well-remodeled garage will bring a lot of additional value to your home. If you are considering remodeling, then sell right away, you should consult your agent before starting any project.One popular option for garage remodeling will be adding a subpanel to your garage. You may also invest in adding an automatic garage door, both for the value and for convenience.
Can I DIY Epoxy Garage Floors?
Epoxy coating is one of the few things we don’t recommend you to do on your own. A lot of professional preparation work is required before you can apply the coat. Also, working with chemicals, in general, is beyond most homeowners’ abilities.Mistakes during epoxy coating are also expensive to fix. Plus, the entire process is messy, cumbersome, and time-consuming.
Can I Make Epoxy Mix on My Own?
You could. There are two critical ingredients with regular epoxy mixtures. All you need is epoxy resin and a hardener. Add in some water, and you will end up with some foundational water-based epoxy.Do some research on the proportions of each ingredient to make sure you have the best product. However, we recommend you to leave this to a professional contractor.
What Should I Pay Attention to When Hiring a Flooring Contractor?
Epoxy garage floorings are a pricy project. Therefore, you want to make sure your contractor is licensed and insured.You’d also want to check and see if your contractor offers any warranties. Epoxy garage floors can last up to twenty years. Having warranty coverage will save you a lot on maintenance and repair costs.
What If My Epoxy Garage Floor Is Not Even?
If you hired a contractor, then that’s something he is obligated to fix. You can also even out epoxy resin surfaces by yourself. All you need to do is sand the uneven part down then apply a second coat overall.Again, we do not recommend you to attempt coating on your own. An improper mixture, faulty materials, and unsuitable work conditions can all lead to uneven epoxy surfaces.This is also why you will want to hire a licensed contractor with insurance for the epoxy garage floor project.
With a deep passion for content and creative writing, Xiao Faria da Cunha finds a strong sense of accomplishment in creating quality home guides that resonate with homeowners. When not writing, you can find Xiao creating art masterpieces.
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