Every figure on this page is a range, not a fixed number, and every range below is marked unconfirmed until we finish locking in current material and labor costs — treat these as a starting point for budgeting, not a quote. The actual number for your garage depends on square footage, the condition of your existing slab, the system you pick, and how much color complexity you want. Here is how those pieces fit together, and what separates a real quote from a lowball one.
Price ranges by system
These are per-square-foot installed ranges for a straightforward residential job with average prep. A slab that needs significant crack repair, grinding through an old failing coating, or moisture mitigation will run above the low end of its range.
| System | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Flake polyaspartic (garage) | $5–$8 / sq ft installed? | Our most common residential garage system. |
| Solid-colour polyaspartic | $4–$7 / sq ft installed? | Single flat colour, no flake broadcast. |
| Metallic epoxy | $8–$12 / sq ft installed? | Specialty pearlescent finish, more labour-intensive. |
| Patio / pool deck | $5–$9 / sq ft installed? | Textured exterior system rated for sun and chlorine. |
| Polished concrete | $3–$8 / sq ft installed? | Grind, densify, polish — no topical coating. |
| Commercial | Quoted? | Always quoted per project; scope varies too much for a flat range. |
| Typical 2-car garage (total) | $2,400–$3,800? | ~450 sq ft, flake polyaspartic, standard prep. |
That two-car total assumes a roughly 450 sq ft garage with average prep and a standard flake blend. A three-car garage, heavy prep, or a metallic finish moves the number up from there.
What moves the price
A per-square-foot range is only a starting point. These are the variables that actually move a quote up or down once someone has looked at your slab:
- Prep condition. A bare, crack-free slab with no prior coating is the cheapest floor to prep. A slab with an old failing epoxy coating, oil staining, or spalled concrete needs more grinding time and sometimes patching material before it is coating-ready.
- Moisture. If a moisture test comes back above the threshold for the coating system, a mitigating primer gets added to the scope. That is an extra material and labor line, not an optional upsell — coating over excess moisture is how floors blister and delaminate.
- Square footage. Larger floors get a slightly better per-square-foot rate than small ones, since setup, equipment mobilization and edge work are a fixed cost spread over more area.
- System. Solid-colour polyaspartic, full flake broadcast, and metallic epoxy carry different material and labor costs, as the price ranges above show.
- Colour and metallic complexity. A single standard flake blend is the simplest and cheapest option. Custom colour blends and metallic finishes take more skill and time to apply evenly.
- Cove base. Running the coating up the wall a few inches in a cove profile, instead of stopping flat at the floor, adds material and labor but eliminates a hard-to-clean seam at the base of the wall.
- Stairs and lips. Steps, transitions and door lips take more time per square foot than open floor area and are usually priced separately from the main floor.
What a low quote usually skips
When one quote comes in noticeably below every other bid on the same garage, the gap is almost always in scope, not in profit margin. These are the corners we see cut most often on a lowball bid:
- Acid etching instead of diamond grinding. Etching is faster and cheaper than mechanical grinding but does not open the concrete's pore structure the same way, which means a weaker bond and a shorter floor life.
- No moisture test. Skipping this step saves an hour of labor and a piece of testing equipment. It also means nobody knows whether the slab is pushing more vapor than the coating can handle until the coating starts blistering.
- A single coat instead of a full system. A one-coat "flake and seal" job can look identical to a full multi-layer system on install day and wear through within a year or two.
- A thin topcoat. The clear topcoat carries most of a floor's abrasion and chemical resistance. A thin or watered-down topcoat cures faster and costs less but wears through to the flake much sooner.
- No crack repair. Coating directly over an unrepaired crack all but guarantees that crack telegraphs through the finished floor, usually within the first year.
HOW TO CHECK
Ask any bid, low or high, to itemize prep: grinding or etching, moisture testing, crack repair, number of coats, and topcoat thickness. A contractor confident in their scope will answer specifically. A vague answer is itself useful information.
How to compare quotes
Get every bid in writing, itemized by scope rather than a single lump-sum number. Confirm each quote covers the same square footage, the same prep method, and the same system — "epoxy" and "polyaspartic" are not interchangeable line items, and neither are "one coat" and "full system." Ask what the warranty covers and for how long, and ask to see the product data sheet for the specific system being quoted, not just a brand name. See how to choose a concrete coating contractor for the full vetting checklist, including licensing and insurance.
Financing
Some contractors offer third-party financing options for larger projects, typically through a lending partner rather than in-house credit. If financing matters to your decision, ask upfront whether it is available and what the terms are — interest rate, term length, and whether the promotional rate is deferred-interest (which can retroactively charge interest if not paid off in the promotional window) or a straightforward fixed rate.
Cost — questions
Q Why do two contractors quote such different prices for the same garage?
Usually because they are not quoting the same scope. One may include diamond grinding, moisture testing and crack repair; the other may be pricing an acid-etch with a single thin coat. Ask each contractor to itemize exactly what prep is included before comparing the bottom-line numbers.
Q Is the cheapest quote ever the right choice?
Sometimes, if the scope genuinely matches a higher quote at a lower price. More often a low outlier is missing a step — usually prep, moisture testing, or coat count — that shows up as a failure within a few years. Compare scope line by line before comparing price.
Q Does color or flake choice change the price?
It can. A standard flake blend is usually priced into the base system cost. Metallic finishes, custom color blends, and multi-color designs take more labor and material control, which is why metallic epoxy carries a higher price band than a standard flake system.
Q How accurate is a quote given over the phone without seeing the garage?
Treat it as a rough estimate, not a number to plan a budget around. Slab condition, existing coatings, cracks and moisture are impossible to assess without seeing the floor — in person or from clear photos — which is why a real quote should always follow an inspection.
Q Do you charge more for a garage with a lot of cracks or stains?
Extensive crack repair, spall patching or moisture mitigation adds labor and material beyond a straightforward grind-and-coat job, so yes, a slab that needs more prep costs more to finish correctly. We would rather tell you that upfront than quote a bare-slab price and find the real cost mid-project.