Garage floor paint/epoxy/etc cost?
June 1, 2010 9:56 AM Subscribe
Homeowner question - How much should I expect to pay for a professional contractor to epoxy coat (paint, stain, etc) my garage floor?
I am moving to a house in Tennessee (outside of Nashville) next week. Trying to wrap up some last minute details, and one of the things I'm thinking about doing is having the garage floor done. Basically I'm thinking about an epoxy type finish with colored specks in it (something like this). I just got off the phone with a contractor who ballparked something like $2500! This was much more than I expected so I'm posting this question to see if my expectations are way off.
The garage is 2 car and approximately 550 sq feet. The floor is unfinished and it is a 7 year house. I don't think I need a high end job done, I plan on parking one car in there and also having a pool table and an area to work on bikes (bicycles).
So, any idea how much I should expect to pay for this job? The house is currently empty and I would like to have this done before I move all of our stuff in there. Thanks!
I am moving to a house in Tennessee (outside of Nashville) next week. Trying to wrap up some last minute details, and one of the things I'm thinking about doing is having the garage floor done. Basically I'm thinking about an epoxy type finish with colored specks in it (something like this). I just got off the phone with a contractor who ballparked something like $2500! This was much more than I expected so I'm posting this question to see if my expectations are way off.
The garage is 2 car and approximately 550 sq feet. The floor is unfinished and it is a 7 year house. I don't think I need a high end job done, I plan on parking one car in there and also having a pool table and an area to work on bikes (bicycles).
So, any idea how much I should expect to pay for this job? The house is currently empty and I would like to have this done before I move all of our stuff in there. Thanks!
That's not too far out. Keep in mind that there's a significant amount of prep work to install a coating like that, especially on an existing slab. I worked for a company that installed coatings like these on parking garages. An existing slab would have to be cleaned, degreased and sand or shotblasted to allow the epoxy to adhere to the concrete surface. There are DIY kits, but I haven't heard good things about them.
posted by electroboy at 10:20 AM on June 1, 2010
posted by electroboy at 10:20 AM on June 1, 2010
You will mostly be paying for labor. i just did a friend's new garage with him, and it was roughly $200 for the epoxy from the local home center (perhaps their is a pro grade stuff this contractor would use?) . The other part is cleaning any oil from the floor, and the acid etching of the surface so that the epoxy will adhere. I don't know how much that part of the process runs for materials, but It does have to dry for a few hours before it can be painted. the actually rolling on of the epoxy should only take a couple hours. Sometimes contractors High ball little jobs to make it more lucrative for them to do the tiny job, to hedge against it being a waste of their time.
posted by Amby72 at 10:25 AM on June 1, 2010
posted by Amby72 at 10:25 AM on June 1, 2010
We epoxy'd our own two-car garage floor. It really wasn't much hassle; we did one half at a time, moving our stuff as needed.
$2500 sounds way, way off. Put a post in Craigslist asking for offers, I'm sure you'll get someone who'll do it for way, way less.
posted by Danaid at 10:26 AM on June 1, 2010
$2500 sounds way, way off. Put a post in Craigslist asking for offers, I'm sure you'll get someone who'll do it for way, way less.
posted by Danaid at 10:26 AM on June 1, 2010
We had it done to our two car garage when we moved into the house. It takes several days of work and involves some pretty toxic stuff. First step was the clean the floor with muriatic (sp?) acid to remove any and all paint, grease, oil, etc from the surface. Then there are several layers of paint and epoxy that go down. It's very very very nice to have (cleaning the garage involves a quick spray from a hose). The only thing I wish we had done was to add a small amount of grit to the surface. When it gets wet (usually from melting snow on the cars) it can be very slippery.
posted by msbutah at 10:27 AM on June 1, 2010
posted by msbutah at 10:27 AM on June 1, 2010
Is there a reason you can't do it yourself? When I worked for a pharmaceutical manufacturer, the production/manufacturing rooms all had epoxy-coated floors, and they were entirely applied and maintained by the general staff. As in, they didn't even make the (generally more highly skilled) maintenance staff do it. I recall that one fellow took the leftovers home to attempt a DIY truck-bed lining (I didn't hear how it worked out, unfortunately).
posted by pullayup at 10:29 AM on June 1, 2010
posted by pullayup at 10:29 AM on June 1, 2010
I've never done a garage floor like this, but if I was guessing at how I would price this job. I don't think I'd do it for less than $1500.00 and that's a really rough guess because I don't know the process and materials. So no I don't think $2500 sounds that far off, if it's going to a couple day job with lots of surface prep work.
He's going to work into the cost his cost to get the epoxy, which he is going to get at least 10-15% more than is needed for your floor just in case, things get spilled, some the epoxy sets up before it gets applied etc...
Has he seen the place? If not he has to figure in enough time to take care of the surface prep etc, without seeing it. So he's going to guess high so he doesn't show up, look at the floor and then tell you it's going to cost more because of whatever unexpected condition he runs into.
And if you get two guys out there for two 10 hour days if you are paying under $1000 for that labor, those guys are getting ripped off.
In fairness I also don't know where you are, what local rates are like.
posted by MrBobaFett at 10:55 AM on June 1, 2010
He's going to work into the cost his cost to get the epoxy, which he is going to get at least 10-15% more than is needed for your floor just in case, things get spilled, some the epoxy sets up before it gets applied etc...
Has he seen the place? If not he has to figure in enough time to take care of the surface prep etc, without seeing it. So he's going to guess high so he doesn't show up, look at the floor and then tell you it's going to cost more because of whatever unexpected condition he runs into.
And if you get two guys out there for two 10 hour days if you are paying under $1000 for that labor, those guys are getting ripped off.
In fairness I also don't know where you are, what local rates are like.
posted by MrBobaFett at 10:55 AM on June 1, 2010
Why not call a few other contractors? That is the usual way to determine which contractors' prices are wildly out of line.
posted by misterbrandt at 12:29 PM on June 1, 2010
posted by misterbrandt at 12:29 PM on June 1, 2010
Best answer: Here's a quick estimate:
2 x (Hourly worker rate) = Loaded labor rate (insurance, workers comp, small tools, etc)
[(Loaded labor rate) x (# of workers) x (Total hours) + (Materials)] * 15% for profit and incidentals
So, if it's a 2 day job with 2 workers making $18/hr and $200 in materials, that's about $1550, or $2.80 / sq ft, if the workers make $20/hr, that bumps it to about $1700. $20/hr for 2 workers for 3 days is $2438.
I'd say the absolute minimum a reputable applicator is going to charge you is $1700 and $2500 is about the max.
posted by electroboy at 12:47 PM on June 1, 2010
2 x (Hourly worker rate) = Loaded labor rate (insurance, workers comp, small tools, etc)
[(Loaded labor rate) x (# of workers) x (Total hours) + (Materials)] * 15% for profit and incidentals
So, if it's a 2 day job with 2 workers making $18/hr and $200 in materials, that's about $1550, or $2.80 / sq ft, if the workers make $20/hr, that bumps it to about $1700. $20/hr for 2 workers for 3 days is $2438.
I'd say the absolute minimum a reputable applicator is going to charge you is $1700 and $2500 is about the max.
posted by electroboy at 12:47 PM on June 1, 2010
electroboy's formula is a good one, tho the numbers sound low to me. Guess it depends on the contractor he might have some low skilled labor that will work for $18 an hour, but if he has good skilled workers I would not be surprised by rates of $25-$30. Again varies from contractor to contractor and also you local economy.
posted by MrBobaFett at 3:51 PM on June 1, 2010
posted by MrBobaFett at 3:51 PM on June 1, 2010
Yeah, it's a little on the low side, but a lot of contractors are pretty hungry right now, so a lot of bids are coming in low. 20-25% is probably more like it for markup.
posted by electroboy at 8:50 PM on June 1, 2010
posted by electroboy at 8:50 PM on June 1, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Dave. at 9:57 AM on June 1, 2010