Garage Floor Epoxy Installation Cost – 2024 Price Guide

Epoxy flooring is a protective material that can be used to coat your garage floor. Its more common usage is for commercial buildings or in residential homes in areas where concrete will be kept as the floor.

Epoxy is a way of adding an extra layer of protection to a standard concrete floor and provides a beautiful finish. You might be wondering how much it costs to add an epoxy finish to your floor.

2024 Garage Floor Epoxy Costs

Calculate local project costs by entering your zip code.

National Average Price $2,000
Typical Price Range $1,200 - $4,800
Typical Price Range (per square foot) $3 - $12

On this page:


How Much Does an Epoxy Floor Cost?

An epoxy finish often costs $750 to $3,000 for a single-car garage and $1,200 to $6,000 for a two-car garage. There are many factors that can impact the cost of this project, including the condition of the floor, the number of coats required, and the desired finish.

Garage with epoxy floor coating

Epoxy Paint or Coating

Paint with added epoxy is not the same as an actual coating of epoxy. It’s easy to confuse the two, and DIY trends have contributed to the mixing of the terms. Epoxy manufacturers noted that consumers often described epoxy coating as epoxy paint. Thus, to make their products more accessible to find, some of them started to name their product epoxy paint.

At the same time, however, paint manufacturers noticed the demand for epoxy, so some savvy companies would add some epoxy to their standard paint and call it something like ‘1 part epoxy paint’. It would be easy to think that this is a bonafide epoxy product, but in reality, it is just standard paint that has a bit of epoxy in it.

The difference might not sound significant, but it is huge. Authentic epoxy coating consists of one part epoxy resin and one part polyamine hardener. There is no paint in a true epoxy coating.

These two elements are mixed immediately before applying to your garage floor. You should never mix them and then abandon the project, as the reaction that creates the epoxy coating starts to take place almost straight away.

A pure epoxy product will last much longer and be much more durable than an epoxy-fortified paint product.[1]

Volume of Solids Content

Once you are confident that what you’re actually purchasing is an epoxy coating and not just paint with epoxy added, the next thing you need to look for is the volume of solids content. This will appear as a percentage on the packaging.

The volume of solids content basically means the amount of coating that will remain on the floor when the curing reaction has taken place. At first glance, this suggests that 100% solids content is the best type of epoxy coating.

However, there are other considerations here. The higher the percentage, the more difficult it is to work with. If you choose to go the DIY route, you’ll also find fewer options for finishes and coloration in 100% epoxy than you can get from a professional application.

The typical concentrations that are available in hardware stores are usually somewhere around the 50% solids content mark, so this is most likely the percentage you’ll be working with. This kind of percentage is actually better for application, as it’s a lot like applying standard paint.

Yes, you will need more of it as 50% has essentially evaporated into the air during the curing process, but the packaging will always give you an approximate coverage so that you can assess how much material you need.

Keep in mind that while this is easier to apply, it may not last as long or give you as good results as having a professional 100% solids epoxy floor applied.

Epoxy Flooring Material Costs

Water-based epoxy costs around $40 to $50 per gallon, while solvent-based costs $45 to $60 per gallon. If you choose to opt for 100% solids epoxy, expect costs to climb to as high as $150 per gallon.

Water-based coatings are cheaper and easier to apply, while solvent-based ones last longer and cover more imperfections in the floor. If you have a floor with cracks and holes, it’s better to go for the solvent-based one. A kit with the equipment you need can cost anywhere between $50 to $600.[2]

One gallon of epoxy coating will generally cover an average-sized garage. However, some cheaper products might have lower coverage, so always check the tin before leaving the store.

Most decent brands will cover your garage if you buy a gallon since a standard two-car garage is usually 20 by 20 or 24 by 24 (both of which do not exceed 700 square feet). You can calculate the square footage of your space by multiplying its length in feet by its width. Thus, here is the cost of garage floor epoxy for a standard size double garage of 20 by 20 (400 square feet):

Labor Costs

Hiring a professional to apply a floor coating can cost between $1 and $7 per square foot, plus the cost of the material. Total costs fall between $3 and $12 per square foot on average.

Epoxy Flooring DIY Cost

Coating a two-car garage should require 1 gallon of epoxy coating plus equipment: $100 plus $300 (both realistic figures for the cost of the material and the kit) = $400.

Cost to Hire a Professional to Install Epoxy Coating

Assuming a cost of $7.50 per square foot, costs for a two-car garage will average $3,000. Keep in mind, however, that you will get more choices for color and appearance and usually a thicker, more durable floor coating.

Professional epoxy floors can also last longer, as they use better quality materials. Epoxy itself can be hard to work with and gives off a lot of VOCs; when deciding whether or not to do the job yourself, keep in mind that you will need proper ventilation to avoid inhaling the fumes.

Call around and get as many quotes as you can before settling on labor costs.

All pricing information on this page is based on average industry costs, and is subject to variance for project-specific materials, labor rates, and requirements.

References

  1. AIC, Garage Floor Coating – Everything You Need to Know, https://aicoat.com/garage-floor-coating-everything-you-need-to-know/
  2. Garage Floor Coatings, A Quick Guide on Garage Floor Coating Cost and Other Considerations, https://www.bestgaragefloorcoating.com/garage-floor-coating-cost-and-other-considerations/