How Much Does It Cost To Coat Flooring With Epoxy?
How Much Does It Cost To Coat Flooring With Epoxy?
An epoxy-based concrete coating for a 2-car garage floor will cost between $1,320 and $3,080 with most homeowners spending about $1,711 when professionally applied. The price to coat an existing concrete floor ranges from $3 to $7 per square foot including labor and materials.
$3 – $7 Per Square Foot
$1,320 – $3,080 Average Total
An epoxy-based concrete coating for a 2-car garage floor will cost between $1,320 and $3,080 with most homeowners spending about $1,711 when professionally applied. The price to coat an existing concrete floor ranges from $3 to $7 per square foot including labor and materials.
Epoxy Garage Floor Cost
An epoxy based concrete coating for a 2-car garage floor will cost between $1,320 and $3,080 with most homeowners spending about $1,711 when professionally applied. The price to coat an existing concrete floor ranges from $3 to $7 per square foot including labor and materials.
The cost depends on how many layers you wish to add, the type of epoxy you choose, and how good the floor’s condition is before you start.
Average Cost to Epoxy Garage Floors
An average 12'x22' one-car garage of 264 square feet costs $792 to $1,848 to epoxy. An average 20'x22' two-car garage with 440 square feet costs $1,320 to $3,080 to epoxy. An average 32'x22' three-car garage with 704 square feet costs between $2,112 to $4,928.
| Garage Size | Square Feet | Average Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1-car | 264 | $792 – $1,848 |
| 2-car | 440 | $1,320 – $3,080 |
| 3-car | 704 | $2,112 – $4,928 |
Epoxy Flooring Cost
Epoxy flooring costs range from $750 to $4,928 with most homeowners spending between $1,320 to $3,080 for both materials and installation. Epoxy coating costs range from $3 to $7 per square foot depending on the type of epoxy used and labor costs.
Water-based epoxy can cost two to three times less than 100% solid epoxy. Solid epoxy is the go-to choice for long-lasting flooring with less required maintenance.
| National Average Cost | $1,711 |
| Minimum Cost | $750 |
| Maximum Cost | $4,928 |
| Average Range | $1,320 to $3,080 |
Epoxy Flooring Cost Per Square Foot
Epoxy flooring costs $3 to $7 per square foot installed depending on the type of epoxy selected. For epoxy installation, materials cost $1 to $2 per square foot, and labor costs $2 to $5 per square foot on average. Your final will be heavily dependent on the size of the area you need to be epoxied.
| Installation | Average Cost |
|---|---|
| Materials | $1 – $2/SF |
| Labor | $2 – $5/SF |
| Total | $3 – $7 per square foot |
Epoxy Flooring Material Costs
The cost of epoxy flooring materials ranges from $0.37 to $1.40 per square foot depending on the type of epoxy. Water-based epoxies are the cheapest at a price between $0.37 and $1.20. Solid epoxy costs two to three times as much as water-based at $1.40 per square foot.
Epoxy Flooring Labor Costs
– If you’re not doing the prep work yourself, prepping can take a day at about $500 for two workers. Labor for the entire project is expensive at $2 to $5 per square foot because they have to first prep it and then return on a second day to coat it, then a third day to seal it.
Epoxy Basement Floor Cost
The average cost to apply epoxy to a basement floor is $3 to $7 per square foot. Epoxy is a natural waterproofing agent that will help secure your basement from water damage.
Epoxy Kitchen Floor & Countertops
Epoxy looks amazing on kitchen floors and countertops and costs an average of $3 to $7 per square foot for both materials and installation. You can select any pattern, texture, or pebble base that you'd like to epoxy over to create the kitchen of your dreams. Epoxy is typical in most commercial kitchen flooring due to its durability, and it's easy to clean.
Epoxy Pebble Patio
A 6-gallon pebble paving epoxy kit which covers around 250 square feet costs $450. For the smooth pebbles, it will cost about $150 for enough pebbles to cover a 250-square-foot area. Once you include labor, costs will be approximately $4 per square foot in total.
Sealing Concrete Driveways
The cost to seal a driveway ranges from $80 to $240 depending on the size. For a basic 480-square-foot driveway, you can expect to pay $80 to $115 for sealing. For a larger 1,000-square-foot driveway, contractors typically charge between $170 and $240 for seal coating.
Average Cost to Paint & Seal Concrete
The average cost to paint concrete before sealing is $0.60 to $1.60 per square foot depending on the size of the area. Once painted, you can expect to pay $3 per square foot for an average water-based epoxy sealer including professional installation.
Garage Floor Coating Cost
A typical 24’ x 24’ 2-car garage of 576 SF will cost an average of $1,728 for professional epoxy coating installation. Epoxy concrete sealer is one of the best sealers you can add to your garage floor because of its high resistance to damage and high traffic.
| Epoxy Type | Cost Per Square Foot | 2-Car Garage Materials Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Water-Based Epoxy | $0.37 | $213 |
| Solvent Epoxy | $0.58 | $334 |
| Solid Epoxy | $1.40 | $806 |
Most epoxy sealers come in many colors or as a clear coat and are available in DIY kits, hence their popularity. Keep in mind that epoxies come in standard sizes, and you might have to buy 1–3 containers to get the coverage you need, or twice that if you are doing two coats.
Cost To Paint Garage Floor
The average cost to paint a garage floor is between $2 and $4 per square foot. Epoxy coating is not the same as epoxy paint, which only has some epoxy mixed into it. Epoxy coating is a mix of epoxy resin and hardening agents. These agents are what make it a durable floor coating rather than a paint.
Epoxy Flooring Cost Factors
In addition to the basic cost of applying a sealer coat to your garage floor, you will need to pay extra to take care of the following items.
Concrete Repairs
Cracks will typically cost $300+ to repair depending on the extent, and as long as the subbase and the concrete are in good shape, the concrete slab can be restored. A concrete patch and repair kit will cost approx. $25.
While colored sealer can cover up a multitude of concrete damage, it will seal cracks, but the break will still be visible. Rectifying this might be as simple as filling the cracks and scraping the caulk smooth, or you might need to have the foundation checked and repaired.
Concrete Foundation Repair
If the foundation is damaged, it can cost about $5,000 to $15,000 to fix. Call a foundation repair company for a free inspection if you suspect this, or pay a structural engineer $350 to $900 to inspect it.
Concrete foundations can crack because of a lousy subbase, poorly mixed concrete, bad joints, or severe thaw-refreeze weather.
Garage Floor Resurfacing & Refinishing Costs
Concrete floor resurfacing costs $3 to $7 per square foot or $2,500 for an average 500-square-foot garage. Do-it-yourself prices range from $300 as a DIY project.
Concrete Floor Preparation
Prepping your concrete floor will cost around $54 for 3 gallons. Most epoxy coating products require you to acid-wash or etch your concrete floor first to give the floor “teeth” for the coating to bond to. All stains have to be cleaned off, so they don’t affect bonding. You might also need to powerwash the floor.
Preparing the Garage Space
The garage will have to be completely empty, including anything you have on shelves you might need to access. Consider hiring a moving company or some friends. You’ll more than likely also need to pay for a truck rental and a temporary storage unit.
Moving companies cost $40 per hour per mover.
A 12’ moving truck rental costs $20 per day plus mileage fees.
Short-term storage unit rental costs $25 to $110 per month depending on the size.
Concrete Primer Costs
Primer can cost $39 to $159 for a 2-gallon jug which improves adhesion to low-quality floors or floors that may be porous. Primer helps even out the porosity and coverage increases due to a reduction in absorption of the epoxy.
Topcoat for Your Epoxy Coating
If you want to seal in your flakes and give your new epoxy floor an extremely durable finish, add a clear protective epoxy topcoat for $125 to $179.
Epoxy Floor Coating Cost By Type
Depending on the type of epoxy used, pricing varies from $0.37 to 1.40 per square foot for materials. Water-based epoxy is the cheapest, while 100% solid epoxy can cost up to three times more.
| Epoxy Type | Cost/SF | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water-Based Epoxy Part water, part epoxy, and hardener. The water evaporates as the epoxy hardens. |
$0.37 |
|
|
| Solvent Epoxy Part solvents and part epoxy |
$0.58 |
|
|
| Solid Epoxy 100% epoxy and hardening agents |
$1.40 |
|
|
Epoxy vs. Epoxy Paint
Epoxy floor coating is not the same as epoxy floor paint, which only has some epoxy mixed into it. Epoxy coating is a mix of epoxy resin and hardening agents. These agents are what make it a durable floor coating rather than a paint.
Epoxy Floor Kits
While epoxy flooring kits are available in a multitude of colors and types, they tend to be slightly thinner in epoxy than the standard two-to-one epoxies. This makes them easier to apply but possibly less durable or resistant to heavy wear and tear.
Commercial Epoxy Flooring Cost
Commercial flooring with solid/100% epoxy is about three times the cost of water-based or solvent epoxy per square foot. The more epoxy in the coating, the more durable it is and able to withstand heavy traffic.
Epoxy Floor Pros And Cons
Pros
Epoxy flooring is the go-to choice for price-conscious homeowners who want to achieve a beautiful flooring look at a fraction of the cost of other materials. Epoxy cured over concrete floors is incredibly durable, and it protects the surface from stains, grease, and moisture. Also, an epoxy surface is easy to clean and will last for decades to come.
Cons
When coating your floors with epoxy, it's essential to have ideal weather conditions of 70°F to 80°F and less than 85% humidity. If applied under adverse conditions the concrete will form a film of moisture, affecting the bonding ability of the epoxy. Also, any moisture trapped will start to bubble up eventually leading to undesired repairs.
Epoxy Curing & Drying Time
A brand-new garage floor should be left to dry and cure for at least a month before any coating is applied. Expect to spend about four days laying your epoxy coating.
How Long To Wait For Second Coat Of Epoxy?
Regarding the amount of time you have to pour on a second or third coat, follow the timing directions to the letter or you might lose your window of opportunity to have it bond properly with the layer below it.
How Long Does Epoxy Take To Dry?
Water-Based Epoxy dries in 1 to 1.5 hours, is tack free in 5–8 hours, and is ready for the second coat in 8–10 hours, with light foot traffic in 16–24 hours, and heavy traffic in 2–7 days.
Solvent Epoxy dries in about 3.5 hours, is cured in 24 hours, and is ready for the second coat in 12 hours.
Solid Epoxy dries in 30–40 minutes, is tack free/cured in about 12 hours, walk-on dry in 18 hours, ready for the second coat in 24 hours, and ready for service in 7 days.
How Long Before You Can Walk On Epoxy Floor?
Regardless of the type of epoxy used, don’t walk on it for 12–24 hours or drive on it for at least 72 hours, and it’s preferable to wait a week.
Weather Conditions
Epoxy coatings take a certain amount of time based on their makeup, but each type will harden faster in warm temperatures, so try mixing it in the coolest place you can find.
“Most epoxy paint coatings can be applied in temperatures from 55 to 90 degrees, with temperatures between 70 and 80 degrees considered ideal.”
The humidity in the garage also matters, and it’s not recommended that you seal your garage floor if the humidity is higher than 85% or the concrete will form a film of moisture, affecting the bonding ability of the epoxy.
Styles For Your Epoxy Floor Coating
There are many different things you can layer into the garage floor epoxy to give it a more unique look. Go with a pebble-epoxy mix, faux marble pattern, a metallic epoxy floor, or the epoxy flakes most end up choosing.
Rock Pebble Cost
Rock pebble costs $900 for two 6-gallon kits that will cover a 2-car garage floor. AeroMarine Rock makes a 6-gallon pebble paving epoxy kit which consists of 1 large bucket with 4 gallons of 300 epoxy in it and 2-gallon containers with 21 hardeners in them.
BDC costs for 1.5 gallons are $80, and you’ll need 12 of them ($922) plus 2,400 lbs. of pebbles to complete the floor of a 2-car garage. BDC 8400 is a two component, 100% solids pebble bond epoxy which can be mixed with aggregate pebbles.
Good to know: “BDC 8400 covers approximately 50 sq. ft. per 1 1⁄2-gallon kit when mixed with 200 lbs. of 1⁄4” x 5/16” aggregate laid at 1⁄2” thick. Can be applied up to 1 1⁄2” thick... The best size is small smooth pebbles in the 1/8″ to 3/8″ size range.”
Butler Arts sell pallets of pebbles through Home Depot starting at $369 for 800 SF up to $1,398 for 3,000 SF. It might be cheaper to get your pebbles from local brick, paving, concrete, or stone suppliers rather than a local hardware store.
Flake, Color, and Metallic Epoxy Floor
The larger the container of flakes, the lower the price per sq. ft. coverage, but 4 lbs. should be more than enough for your 2-car garage.
Epoxy flakes are $6 to $16 per pound.
Metallic flakes are $17 per 12 ounce.
Color tint, including metallic tint, costs $35 per container - 1 pint of 250-HP EPOXY COLOR SYSTEM will tint their three-gallon kit. Darker colors might require two coats.
Floor Images Under Coating
Companies like FloorPix provide the artwork you might want to display under your coating. Create custom floors by hiring FloorPix to print your images onto fabric so you can bond them to the floor and cover with epoxy.
Epoxy Maintenance & Sealing
Maintenance of Your Epoxy Coating
Your applied epoxy coating should last 10–12 years if it’s well looked after and is subjected to normal wear and tear.
Maintenance includes:
Wiping up all stains immediately or scrubbing them off with non-caustic cleaners
Placing a mat inside the door into the garage from outside
Regular mopping
Epoxy coating can color under UV rays, so keep your garage door closed
Epoxy Resealing
Water-based epoxy sealer will cost $0.38 to $0.58 per square foot depending on the sealer you are reapplying. This is the type most likely to need new coats every few years. Clean the floor and remove any stains. Also, touch up any worn areas with sealer, then apply a new coating with a brush or roller.
If you need to remove the epoxy coating, it can be stripped with the right epoxy stripper and scraped off.
Prices For Other Garage Floor Concrete Sealers
Epoxy-acrylic mixes are also available at a higher expense of $52 per square foot.
Acrylic and Poly-Acrylic
Acrylic coatings cost about $0.14 per square foot. Acrylic floor coatings are breathable so they won’t bubble or start peeling if you have moisture problems in your concrete. However, petroleum-based products can break down the sealer and can get slippery when wet.
It also needs to be reapplied every 2–3 years and the solvent-based version is high in VOCs. People often use it to seal stained or tinted concrete.
Polymer or Polyurethane
Polycuramine concrete coating costs $0.40 to $0.80 per square foot for coverage. Polycuramine concrete coating claims to be 20 times stronger than epoxy coating and is used in highly corrosive environments. It can be walked on after 10–12 hours and can be driven on after 24 hours. While low in VOCs, it carries a warning as a carcinogen.
Polyurea garage floor coatings are more flexible than epoxy, but they harden within five minutes and require professional application. Polyspartic coating takes about 20 minutes to dry, making it easier to apply.
Two of the most significant benefits of these coatings are that they can be applied in most temps (30–140°F) and can be driven on within about 7 hours. However, they’re about twice the cost of epoxy because of the cost of professional application.
Concrete Polishing
Polished concrete flooring costs $3 to $15 per square foot, depending on the design elements, number of colors, and level of sheen. Concrete polishing is another alternative to epoxy. The concrete is stained, ground, polished, and sealed to create a high-gloss look at an affordable price.
Epoxy flooring FAQs
How much does it cost to epoxy a 2-car garage?
The average size of a 2-car garage in the US is 24’ x 24’, or a total of 576 SF. It can cost $1,700 to $2,250 to coat your garage floor with the epoxy of your choice, with water-based and solvent epoxy being the cheaper options.
How long do epoxy garage floors last?
On average, epoxy floors last 2 to 3 years depending on the traffic. By using 100% solid epoxy instead of a water-based epoxy, you can expect your floors to last at least 6 to 10 years.
How much does it cost to epoxy a concrete floor?
Hiring a professional to epoxy a concrete floor will cost $3.00 to $3.91 per square foot on average.
What’s the best garage floor coating?
Most contractors say that 100% epoxy is the best coating for a residential garage floor, but it requires professional installation because it dries so quickly.
How much does it cost to resurface a garage floor?
You can have the garage floor resurfaced with a second layer of concrete for about $450, or $300 as a DIY project.
