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EPOXY FLOOR COATING FAQ — STRAIGHT ANSWERS.
Thirty-plus questions we get asked on site in Pittsburgh, including the ones that talk people out of buying.
JT - OWNER/OPERATOR
LET'S PLAN YOUR FLOOR.
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PICK YOUR QUESTION.
COST & QUOTING.
Real ranges, why a professional quote costs more than a kit, and our $3,000 minimum.
How much does a floor coating cost in Pittsburgh?
$5 to $12 per square foot installed — a typical two-car garage runs $2,600 to $5,000, and most of our projects land between $3,500 and $5,000. Our minimum job is $3,000; below that, mobilisation and grinding equipment cost more than the job is worth, and we would rather say so than pad a small quote.
Why is professional coating 3–4× the price of a box-store kit?
Almost all of it is prep and material. A kit gives you acid etch and roughly 2 mils. We give you diamond grinding, crack and spall repair, full flake broadcast and a Simiron polyaspartic topcoat — 20 to 40 mils, mechanically bonded.
Do you charge for the estimate?
No. Walkthrough, measurements, crack and damage inventory and a slab moisture reading, and you keep the written result whether or not you hire us.
Will I get a price at the appointment or afterwards?
At the appointment. We measure, assess and give you options and pricing before we leave.
Is there financing?
Yes. Ask at the assessment for current terms.
What makes one quote cheaper than another?
Usually one of four things: acid etch instead of grinding, a thinner mil build, partial flake instead of broadcast to refusal, or an epoxy topcoat instead of polyaspartic. Ask any contractor those four questions and the gap explains itself.
Do you have a minimum job size?
$3,000. A single-bay garage or a small basement usually clears it comfortably.
MATERIALS & SYSTEMS.
Epoxy versus polyaspartic, what Simiron certification buys you, and how flake works.
Epoxy vs polyaspartic — which do I want?
Epoxy is cheaper, cures in 12–24 hours per coat, yellows under UV and goes rigid. Polyaspartic cures in about an hour, does not yellow, stays flexible, installs from −30°F to 140°F. Most of our floors use both — epoxy or polyurea base, polyaspartic top.
What is Simiron and why does it matter?
The manufacturer whose systems we install; our crews are certified in their install process. A material warranty is only valid if the maker agrees the product went down to spec — mil thickness, cure windows, flake rate. Certification closes off the cheapest place to cut a corner.
Will it yellow in sunlight?
Polyaspartic topcoats are UV-stable and will not. Epoxy will, which is why we do not use it as a topcoat outdoors.
Is it slippery when wet?
A flake floor has texture built in and grips better wet than sealed concrete. On steps, ramps and shaded exterior surfaces we add aggregate to the topcoat.
What is full flake broadcast to refusal?
We keep throwing flake at the wet base coat until it physically will not take more, then scrape and vacuum the loose material the next morning and topcoat. Roughly three times the flake of a partial broadcast, and no bald patches.
Do you offer metallic epoxy?
Not at launch — it is on the roadmap. Ask at the assessment and we will be straight with you about timing rather than selling you something we are not ready to install.
INSTALLATION & TIMING.
How long it takes, when you can walk and park, dust, fumes and winter installs.
How long does installation take?
Most residential floors are one day. Larger multi-bay garages and exterior work can run two.
When can I walk on it? Drive on it?
Walk that evening, roughly 6–8 hours after the topcoat. Drive after 24 hours. Full chemical cure is about five days.
Do I need to move everything out?
Yes. We will help move heavy items on the day; boxes, tools and shelving need to be out beforehand.
Will there be dust or fumes?
Grinders run under HEPA-shrouded vacuums, so dust is minimal. Polyaspartic is low-odour and low-VOC compared to solvent epoxy.
Can you install in winter?
Yes. Polyaspartic cures down to −30°F, which is one of the main reasons we use it in this climate.
What if it rains on install day?
Exterior jobs get rescheduled, no charge. Coating a damp slab guarantees a failure and we will not do it.
Can I stay and watch?
Please do. The prep is the part you are paying for and the part most people never see.
DURABILITY & CARE.
Lifespan, hot-tyre pickup, cleaning, ice melt and working under a jack.
How long will the floor actually last?
Fifteen-plus years in a residential garage with normal use. Exterior surfaces are shorter — see the warranty tiers.
What is hot-tyre pickup and will it happen to me?
Hot tyres soften a thin or poorly-bonded coating and lift it in patches when you park. Classic DIY-kit failure. It does not happen with a ground, full-build polyaspartic system, and if it did, it is a claim.
How do I clean it?
Push broom and a pH-neutral cleaner. Pressure washer is fine outdoors. No steel wool, no wire brush.
Will a dropped wrench chip it?
A wrench, no. A dropped engine block, yes — nothing survives that. Impact damage is repairable.
Can I use ice melt on it?
On a cured coated exterior surface, yes — the barrier is non-porous. Wait 30 days after installation and rinse in spring.
What about a floor jack or jack stands?
Fine. Put a pad under jack stand feet — point loads under a stand are far higher than under a tyre.
PREP & CONCRETE.
Cracks, diamond grinding, old sealer, moisture readings — and when we say no.
My concrete is cracked — can you still coat it?
Usually. Static cracks get routed, filled and re-profiled, and flake hides the repair. Active cracks still moving from settlement or heave are a different problem — coating over one just means it telegraphs through.
What is diamond grinding and why does it matter?
Diamond-segment discs remove the smooth surface layer and open the pores, creating a mechanical profile the coating locks into. Acid etching only approximates this, inconsistently. Grinding is the single biggest predictor of whether a floor is still down in ten years — and the first thing a rushed crew skips.
My slab has an old sealer or paint on it. Now what?
It comes off — grinding or shot-blasting. That adds cost, and we show you the line on the quote before we start.
What is a moisture reading and why do you do one?
Water vapour moves up through concrete and a coating is not breathable, so pressure builds underneath and blisters it off. Pass, we coat. Marginal, we quote a vapour-mitigating primer. Fail, we tell you to fix the source first.
Can you coat a brand-new slab?
Not immediately. Fresh concrete needs about 28 days to cure and release initial moisture. We will book you for day 30.
When should I not coat a floor?
When the slab is actively heaving or settling. When spalling has gone past the aggregate. When there is a standing-water problem nobody has fixed. When there is an unbonded existing overlay. And on asphalt. We turn down jobs for all five reasons.
WORKING WITH US.
Who we are, the counties we cover, and how soon we can get to you.
How new is Gateway Floor Coatings?
We opened in August 2026. Our install crews are certified in Simiron’s manufacturer install process, our warranty is written before work starts, and you are welcome to stand in your garage and watch every step. We would rather earn it than claim it.
What area do you cover?
Western Pennsylvania within about 50 miles of Pittsburgh — Allegheny, Butler, Washington, Westmoreland and Beaver counties.
How fast can you get to me?
We complete about six projects a week, so lead times move with the season — longest in spring, shortest in winter. Ask at the assessment and you will get a real date.
ASK IT ON SITE. THE ASSESSMENT IS FREE.
Walkthrough, measurements, crack inventory and a slab moisture reading — then your pricing options before we leave. You keep the written result either way.
WHAT YOU GET ON THE VISIT
- Free written assessment
- Price at the appointment, not after
- Warranty in writing before we start
- Simiron-certified crews
LET'S PLAN YOUR FLOOR.
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