Epoxy floor coating is a two-part resin that is mixed on site, spread over bare concrete, and hardened into a tough layer bonded to the slab. On a garage floor it is a system, not one coat. The concrete is ground, cracks are filled, an epoxy base coat goes down, color flakes go into it, and a clear topcoat seals it. A pro-installed epoxy garage floor in St. Louis costs $6 to $10 per square foot and usually takes 2 to 3 days.
I’m Brandon Coleman. I started at Garage Designs in 2014 putting down epoxy floors, and I’ve owned the company since May 2023. I also get called in to repair failed epoxy floors that other companies installed. So you’ll see how floors fail, and how to keep yours from failing.
Short on time? The prices are in what it costs, and the dates are in when you can park on it.
What is in a coated garage floor, layer by layer?
Epoxy is a resin that hardens when you mix it with a second part, called a hardener. Britannica explains the chemistry if you want it. On a garage floor, the epoxy is one layer in a stack, and each layer has one job. Here they are in the order they go down on your floor:
- Day one: grind the concrete. A diamond grinder with a vacuum attached takes off the weak top of the slab. The rough surface it leaves is what the base coat grips.
- Day one: fill cracks and chips. Filler goes into cracks and divots so they don’t show through the finish.
- Day one: add a moisture barrier where the floor needs one. The Better and Best packages include it.
- Day one: roll on the base coat. The base coat is a 100% solids epoxy, and it is the layer that bonds to your concrete.
- Day one: broadcast the flakes. Color flakes go into the wet base coat until they cover the whole floor. Once it sets, the loose ones come off with a broom.
- Day two: roll on the topcoat. The clear top layer is polyaspartic. The topcoat takes the tire traffic and protects the flakes. The Best package gets two coats, which can add part of a third day.
Small floors can finish in one day, like the 200 sq ft Clayton garage. You can follow a real job day by day in the installation process, step by step.
Why grinding decides how long the floor lasts
Concrete looks smooth, but its top skin is weak and dusty. Grinding matters because a coating rolled onto that skin sticks to the dust, not the slab. Diamond grinding cuts the skin off and opens the surface so the base coat can lock in.
Skip the grind, and the floor peels or lifts. That usually shows within two to three years. Grinding is the one step I would never let anyone skip. Every package includes it, and crack repair too, so neither one is an add-on for you.
Some floors need more than a grind. In July 2024, we found the concrete in a Clayton garage breaking up. The house was about to go on the market. We repaired it and coated all 200 sq ft in one day. The Clayton case study has the photos.
Want the steps before any coating goes down? Read epoxy floor preparation.
Is a coating the same as floor paint or a store kit?
No. The difference is how much stays on your floor and how well it sticks. Solids are what stays behind when it dries. A store kit is water-based at 40 to 50% solids, so about half of what you roll on dries away. A 100% solids base coat leaves all of it on the floor.
On a small phone, swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| Floor paint | Store epoxy kit | A pro-installed floor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What goes down | A thin coat of paint | Water-based epoxy, 40 to 50% solids | 100% solids epoxy base, polyaspartic topcoat |
| Prep | Clean and roll | Usually a cleaner or an acid etch | Diamond grind with a vacuum, plus crack repair |
| Flakes | None | A light scatter, if any | Thrown until the floor is fully covered |
| Written warranty on the work | No | No | Limited lifetime |
Paint and kits cost less up front. If you’re weighing doing it yourself, why hire a professional epoxy floor contractor lays out the trade-offs.
What it looks and feels like
Most homes get a full flake floor. Flakes give the floor texture and help hide dirt between sweeps. You can also choose a metallic or solid color floor. At the estimate you can see samples, including flake blends, quartz and chipped stone. All three use the same base coat and topcoat, and only the middle layer changes. You can compare each look in types of epoxy finishes.
A flake floor grips better than a smooth coat. For more grip, ask for a non-slip additive. We added one to a home gym floor in Ballwin in October 2024. In June 2025, a Des Peres family chose a non-slip flake finish for the same reason: safer footing.
What does an epoxy floor coating cost in St. Louis?
You choose from three packages, priced per square foot and installed. The price includes labor and materials.
| Package | Per sq ft, installed | Moisture barrier and topcoats |
|---|---|---|
| Good | $6 | No barrier, one topcoat |
| Better | $8 | Barrier, one topcoat |
| Best | $10 | Barrier, two topcoats |
No package skips the prep. Grinding and crack repair come with all three, along with the 100% solids base, full flake coverage, and a limited lifetime warranty in writing. The prices are for a full flake floor. You get a price for metallic or solid color at your estimate.
The table below prices four real floors listed further down. Clayton is 200 sq ft, Oakville 500, Kirkwood 550 and Ballwin 800. Each total is simply the rate times the size. None of them is what those customers paid, and your estimate sets the price for your floor.
| Floor size | Good | Better | Best |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200 sq ft | $1,200 | $1,600 | $2,000 |
| 500 sq ft | $3,000 | $4,000 | $5,000 |
| 550 sq ft | $3,300 | $4,400 | $5,500 |
| 800 sq ft | $4,800 | $6,400 | $8,000 |
Financing is available on qualifying projects.
How long does it take, and when can you park on it?
Most garages take 2 to 3 days. You can walk on the new floor after 24 hours, and you can drive on it after 48 to 72 hours.
Real jobs run the same way. Eight of the nine floors listed further down took two days, and one took a single day.
Plan for the time before work starts. Clear the garage, and park outside from the first day of work until 48 to 72 hours after the last coat. Cold weather can slow curing, so see epoxy floor cure time for the details.
How long does it last, and what does the warranty cover?
How long a floor lasts depends on how you use it and how well it was put down. The full answer, and what wears a floor out, is in how long epoxy flooring lasts.
What you can count on is the warranty in writing. Every floor comes with a limited lifetime warranty. The warranty covers peeling, blistering, and delamination, which means the coating letting go of the slab.
The clear topcoat is polyaspartic for a reason. Epoxy tends to yellow in strong sun, and polyaspartic holds its color better. If you’re comparing the two, see polyaspartic vs epoxy.
Where else it goes: basements, patios and businesses
The same coating works on more than garage floors.
- Basements. Your basement floor can get the same epoxy system we put down in garages, from the grind to the topcoat. The job is a floor coating, not a basement remodel.
- Patios and home gyms. In Fenton in April 2026, we coated a garage and a new screened patio as one 700 sq ft system in two days. The Ballwin floor above was a home gym.
- Businesses. At Blueberry Hill in February 2026, we ground the old restroom tile and laid an 800 sq ft flake floor over it in two days. More on commercial epoxy flooring.
When epoxy is the wrong choice
Epoxy is not for every floor, and some floors need other work first. Here is when I would tell you no, or not yet.
- The slab is broken, heaving or sinking. We repair cracks and divots, but we don’t pour or replace concrete. A slab like that needs concrete work first.
- The slab stays damp. The Good package has no moisture barrier, so it will not hold back a damp slab. A damp floor needs the barrier in Better or Best.
- The garage is about to be torn up. If a new slab or an addition is coming, wait and coat the finished floor.
- You only need it to look better for a season. Paint costs less up front and may be all you need.
The pros and cons of epoxy flooring cover the trade-offs in more depth. For more of the cases where the answer is no, see when not to use epoxy flooring.
Real St. Louis floors we have coated
Each one has its own case study, so you can see the photos and the problem it solved.
- Weldon Spring, March 2023. 800 sq ft in two days. A plain epoxy floor replaced with flake and crushed stone.
- Clayton, July 2024. 200 sq ft in one day. Failing concrete repaired and coated before the home was listed.
- Ballwin, October 2024. An 800 sq ft home gym in two days, with an extra non-slip additive.
- Ladue, February 2025. 800 sq ft, done inside a two-day window before move-in.
- Fenton, December 2025. 400 sq ft in two days, finished the day before Christmas.
- Oakville, December 2025. 500 sq ft in two days. Ground, cracks filled, DT-454 base coat and Tuxedo flake, then the polyaspartic topcoat the next day.
- University City, February 2026. Blueberry Hill’s restrooms, 800 sq ft over ground tile in two days.
- Fenton, April 2026. 700 sq ft of garage and screened patio as one system in two days.
- Kirkwood, August 2026. 550 sq ft in two days, right after the owner finished the walls.
You can see more finished floors on the case studies page.
Short videos on the same questions
The four clips below answer the questions above in under a minute each. Tap one and it plays right here.
How many coats a garage floor needs
See the written answer
What it costs to epoxy a garage floor
See the written answer
When you can walk and drive on it
See the written answer
How long an epoxy floor lasts
See the written answer
Questions people ask about epoxy floor coating
Where to start
Measure your garage floor in square feet and multiply by a rate from the price table. That gets you close. Then plan the time. Most floors take 2 to 3 days, and you can park inside again 48 to 72 hours after the last coat.
Garage Designs dates back to 2002 and has held BBB accreditation since 2008. More about me is on my page. The office is at 772 Merus Ct. in Fenton, open weekdays from 8 AM to 5 PM. We cover the St. Louis area, including St. Louis, St. Charles, Jefferson and Franklin counties.
When you want your floor looked at, call 314-308-7780 or book an on-site estimate. We check the slab, and you leave with the package that fits your floor, the price and the dates before any work starts.
