Preparation
- Empty and clean the slab
- Diamond grinding
- Crack routing and filling
- Spall and pit patching
- Moisture check
Most of the labour, and all of the durability.
What an epoxy garage floor costs.
Preparation is the cost story here. Two quotes for the same garage can differ by a wide margin purely on whether the floor is diamond-ground or acid-etched — and that single choice is the main reason coatings fail. This page sets out what is in the job and what moves the number.
Based in
Whitchurch-Stouffville
Estimates
Free & on-site
Before we start
Written scope
On site
Same crew throughout
What you're buying
What's actually in the job.
Coating
- Primer
- Base colour
- Flake broadcast where specified
- Clear or tinted topcoat
- Edges, thresholds and cove where required
System choice
- Standard epoxy
- Flake system
- Metallic
- Polyaspartic topcoat for fast cure
Polyaspartic costs more and tolerates cold better.
The drivers
What moves the number, and by how much.
Ranked by how much difference each one makes. The top row is usually the entire difference between two quotes.
| What changes | Effect on price | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Grinding vs acid etch | Large | A day of machine time and extraction versus an hour with acid. It is the durability. |
| Slab condition | Large | Routing, filling and patching before anything is applied. |
| System choice | Large | Metallic and polyaspartic sit well above a standard flake system. |
| Heated vs unheated space | Scheduling, not price | An unheated garage in January is tented and heated, or waits. |
| Area | Scales, but not linearly | Mobilisation and grinder setup are largely fixed. |
| Cove base and thresholds | Moderate | Hand detail work at every edge. |
Getting a number
Why there isn't a price on this page.
Typical range
Ask for a figure
We publish real numbers rather than "it depends" — but only once they're ours to publish. Our written ranges are being finalised; call and we'll give you one over the phone in a minute. What moves the number:
- Floor area, and the number of corners, steps and thresholds
- Preparation method — grinding versus etching, the biggest single fork
- Slab condition: cracks, spalling, pitting, oil contamination
- System: standard epoxy, flake, metallic or polyaspartic
- Whether the space is heated, which decides if it can be done now or in spring
- Moisture in the slab, which can require a specialist primer
Questions
Costs, answered.
Why is grinding more expensive than acid etching?
Because it is a machine, a day and a lot of dust extraction rather than a jug of acid and a hose. It is also the difference between a coating that is still bonded in year five and one that peels in strips in year two. If a quote is notably cheap, ask which method it assumes.
Does the state of my slab change the price?
Significantly. Cracks are routed and filled, spalled areas patched, and oil-contaminated patches need degreasing and sometimes a different primer. A clean, sound slab is the cheapest floor to coat; a pitted, cracked, oil-stained one is a different job.
Is polyaspartic worth the extra?
In an unheated Canadian garage, often yes. It tolerates lower application temperatures, cures much faster — the floor can be back in use in about a day rather than three — and holds colour better under UV. In a heated basement or shop, standard epoxy is usually the sensible spend.
Do I need to empty the garage?
Completely, and that is worth planning. Emptying, and having somewhere for the contents to go for two to three days, is the part homeowners most often underestimate.
Related
Other things we build.
Free estimate
Get a real number.
Fill this in and we'll get back to you to book a site visit — usually the same day.
Or call directly(647) 473-3454