Black Hills Floor Coatings (605) 600-1592

How to compare garage floor coating estimates

Two estimates for "the same garage" can differ by a large multiple and both be honest, because they are frequently quoting different work. This page is for telling them apart.

Part 1 — What to gather before you ask

Providing this up front gets you a more accurate preliminary figure and fewer surprises at the on-site visit.

What to note Why it changes the quote
Approximate dimensions Drives material volume and labour. Measure rather than estimating from "two-car" — actual sizes vary considerably.
Stem walls The vertical concrete at the wall base. Coating it adds material and cutting-in time, and is a common reason two quotes differ.
Slab age New slabs may carry a curing compound and may not have cured enough to test. Old slabs carry accumulated contamination.
Cracks — count and rough length Drives routing and filler quantity. Note any that appear to have moved (offset edges, widening).
Spalling, pitting or scaling Flaked or pitted areas need rebuilding before coating. Common on Black Hills floors from salt and freeze-thaw exposure.
Damp patches Any area that darkens after rain or stays damp. A signal that moisture testing matters.
Existing coating or sealer Removing an old coating adds significant grinding time and tooling cost.
Oil staining Deep saturation acts as a bond breaker and may need specific treatment.
Intended use Parking, home gym, workshop and mechanical work imply different thickness and traction.
4–6 photographs Whole floor, plus close-ups of cracks, damaged areas and stains.

Part 2 — Questions to ask every provider

Preparation

  1. How is the concrete being profiled — grinding, shotblasting, or acid etch? Mechanical methods produce a deeper profile than chemical etching [1]. If the answer is acid etch for a high-build system, you are being quoted a different job.
  2. How is grinding dust controlled? Federal rules require engineering controls such as HEPA-filtered dust collection when grinding concrete [2] [3]. This protects the crew and keeps dust out of your house.
  3. Is moisture testing included, and what happens if it fails? Get the answer before work starts, not after. Mitigation is a real cost.

Repair

  1. Are cracks and joints included, or priced separately?
  2. What filler is used? Moving joints call for a semi-rigid material that accommodates slab movement while supporting the joint edges [4]. Rigid patches telegraph through.
  3. Coated over, or honoured? Seamless looks better; honoured joints are more forgiving of slab movement.

The system

  1. What is the layer-by-layer specification, by product name? "Epoxy floor" is not a specification. You want primer, body coat and topcoat named separately.
  2. Is the topcoat aliphatic? Relevant if your garage gets direct sun — the aliphatic/aromatic distinction is what governs UV yellowing [5].
  3. Partial or full broadcast? Full broadcast builds more thickness and hides more.
  4. Is slip-resistant additive included? Non-porous floors are slippery wet. Decide before the topcoat goes down.
  5. Are stem walls included?

Schedule

  1. When can I walk on it, and when can I park on it? These differ. Published intervals assume stated conditions [6] and a cold garage is not those conditions.
  2. Who moves the contents?

Warranty

  1. What does it cover? Reputable warranties generally cover workmanship and material defects.
  2. What does it exclude? Common exclusions include moisture and hydrostatic pressure, structural movement of the slab itself, and impact or chemical abuse. A coating is a surface treatment — it does not hold moving concrete together.
  3. Who honours it? The installing company, the manufacturer, or both? What happens if the installer is no longer trading?

Ask 15 specifically. A warranty described only by its headline length tells you very little; the exclusions are where the substance is.

Part 3 — Reading the comparison

Line the quotes up against these, not against each other's totals:

  • Preparation method
  • Moisture testing — included or not
  • Crack and joint repair — included or extra
  • Named products per layer
  • Stem walls — in or out
  • Flake coverage
  • Traction additive
  • Return-to-service timing
  • Warranty scope and exclusions

A cheaper quote that skips mechanical preparation is not a discount on the same product. It is a different, shorter-lived one. The most useful comparison is scope-for-scope; where scopes differ, understand why before deciding.

Part 4 — Reasonable expectations

  • A firm price generally requires someone to see the floor. Preparation and repair scope is usually the largest variable and the hardest to judge remotely.
  • Findings can change the quote — particularly moisture results and what appears once an old coating is ground off.
  • Nobody can responsibly promise that every crack can be repaired, or how a specific floor will perform, without assessing it.

Ready

Request an estimate with the details above and the conversation starts from a useful place.

Sources

Each source below is listed with what it actually supports and what it does not. Manufacturer data describes tested products under stated conditions — not any particular floor.

  1. Epoxy Floor Coatings: Concrete Surface Profiles Explained — Stronghold Floors · checked 2026-07-30

    Supports: A description of the Concrete Surface Profile scale and the observation that acid etching produces a shallower profile than mechanical grinding or shotblasting.

    Limitations: This is a flooring contractor's own marketing blog. It verifies only what that business advertises and is not independent technical proof; it is not the ICRI standard itself. The underlying ICRI Guideline 310.2 was not directly retrievable for verification.

  2. OSHA Fact Sheet: Crystalline Silica Exposure — Construction (OSHA 3681) — U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration · checked 2026-07-30

    Supports: Grinding or cutting concrete generates respirable crystalline silica, and federal rules require engineering controls such as dust collection with HEPA filtration.

  3. Crystalline Silica — Standard 29 CFR 1926.1153 (Construction) — U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration · checked 2026-07-30

    Supports: The federal standard governing respirable crystalline silica exposure in construction, including required control methods for handheld and walk-behind concrete grinders.

  4. Semi-Rigid Polyurea Joint Filler — Metzger/McGuire · checked 2026-07-30

    Supports: Semi-rigid polyurea joint fillers are formulated to support joint edges against wheel traffic while accommodating slab movement, which rigid patching materials do not.

    Limitations: Manufacturer-published material describing its own product category. Suitability for any specific joint or crack depends on whether the crack is moving or structural, and requires on-site assessment.

  5. Polyurea vs Polyaspartic Coatings — Slide-Lok · checked 2026-07-30

    Supports: An explanation that aliphatic chemistries resist UV-driven yellowing better than aromatic chemistries, which is the mechanism behind topcoat selection for sun-exposed floors.

    Limitations: A vendor's own marketing blog, written to favour its product line. It verifies only what that business advertises and is not independent technical proof. Actual UV performance is product-specific and stated in each manufacturer's data sheet.

  6. SPARTACOTE FLEX Product Data Sheet DS-86-6 — LATICRETE International (2020) · checked 2026-07-30

    Supports: Manufacturer-published foot-traffic and vehicle-traffic return-to-service intervals for a polyaspartic system, showing they are materially shorter than typical epoxy schedules.

    Limitations: Cure and return-to-service figures are product-specific and stated for defined temperature and humidity conditions. Real-world timing varies with slab temperature, film thickness and site conditions, and is set by the installing contractor.