Garage Floors (Epoxy & Coatings)
Your garage floor works hard every day. We install professional-grade epoxy and polyurea coatings that protect the concrete, resist stains and damage, and make your garage look like a showroom in Little Rock, AR.
(501) 621-2844
A bare concrete garage floor is porous, which means it soaks up oil, chemical spills, and moisture. Over time that leads to staining, surface deterioration, and a floor that is harder to clean with every passing year. A quality coating seals all of that out and gives you a surface that wipes clean, resists cracking from daily use, and holds up to heavy vehicle traffic.
At Advanced Little Rock Concrete Company, we use contractor-grade epoxy and polyurea systems designed for real-world garage conditions. Not the store-bought single-part paint that peels up in a couple of years. We prep the concrete properly, apply the right primer and coating for your situation, and finish it with a broadcast layer of colored flakes or a solid color, depending on what you want.
Epoxy vs. Polyurea: What Is the Difference?
Both are significantly better than bare concrete, but they perform differently. Here is how they compare so you can make an informed choice.
- Epoxy: excellent adhesion and durability: Epoxy bonds tightly to properly prepared concrete and creates a hard, impact-resistant surface. It is a great all-around option for residential garages and workshops.
- Polyurea: faster cure and more flexible: Polyurea coatings cure in hours rather than days and stay slightly flexible, which helps them handle the thermal expansion and contraction that comes with temperature swings. They are harder to scratch and more UV-stable than standard epoxy.
- Multi-layer systems: the strongest option: The most durable installations use a base layer of epoxy for adhesion, a colored flake broadcast for texture and appearance, and a polyurea topcoat for maximum protection and scratch resistance. This is what we recommend for most garages.
- DIY kits vs. professional systems: Store-bought epoxy paint is typically a single-part water-based formula that does not bond the way two-part professional systems do. It can look fine initially but tends to peel, especially in humid Arkansas summers when moisture vapor pushes up through the slab.
- Surface prep is everything: No coating system, professional or otherwise, holds up if the concrete was not properly prepared. We diamond-grind the surface to open the pores and ensure maximum coating adhesion. This is the step most DIY and budget installs skip.
We walk you through the system options during the estimate and recommend what actually makes sense for your garage and how you use it.
How We Install Your Garage Floor Coating
Here is what the process looks like from start to finish. Most single-car and two-car garage installs are completed in one to two days.
Step 1: Concrete Prep
We diamond-grind the entire floor surface to remove any existing sealer, contaminants, or weak surface concrete and to open up the pores for maximum coating adhesion. Cracks and spalls are repaired with a filler product that is compatible with the coating system. If the floor has moisture vapor issues, we address those before any coating goes down. Skipping proper prep is the primary reason garage floor coatings fail. We do not skip it.
Step 2: Base Coat Application
The primer or base coat is mixed and applied to the prepared surface. This layer penetrates the concrete and creates the bond between the slab and the decorative and protective layers above it. Color flakes are broadcast into the wet base coat to full rejection, meaning we apply enough to cover the entire surface, then sweep back the excess. This gives you full flake coverage with no bare spots. If you are also planning other concrete work like a concrete driveway, we can schedule that work around the garage coating project to minimize disruption.
Step 3: Topcoat and Finish
Once the base coat cures, we apply one or two topcoats of clear polyurea. This is the protective layer that gives the floor its gloss, scratch resistance, and chemical resistance. We finish with a matte or satin sheen if you prefer something less reflective. The floor is ready for light foot traffic within a few hours of the final coat and ready for vehicle traffic within 24 hours.
Is Your Garage Floor Ready for a Coating?
Most garage floors are good candidates for a coating, but there are a few things we check before recommending a system.
Existing Cracks and Surface Condition
Minor cracks and surface pitting are normal and can be repaired as part of the prep process. Structural cracks that are actively moving or indicating a slab that is shifting are a different story. We assess the slab condition during the estimate and let you know if any structural work is needed before a coating makes sense. For slabs with significant damage, our concrete repair and replacement service can address those issues first.
Moisture in the Slab
High moisture vapor transmission is one of the main reasons coating systems fail prematurely. If your garage floor is sitting on ground with drainage problems or a high water table, vapor can push through the slab and lift the coating from below. We test for this before we commit to a system and use a vapor-blocking primer when the moisture level calls for it. Addressing it properly is a small additional step that makes a big difference in how long the coating holds up.
Common Questions About Garage Floor Coatings
Here are the things people most often want to know before committing to a garage floor coating project.
How long does an epoxy garage floor last?
A professionally installed multi-layer epoxy and polyurea system installed over properly prepared concrete typically lasts fifteen to twenty years or more with normal residential use. The floor holds up well to vehicle traffic, hot tire pickup, oil spills, and regular cleaning. The topcoat may show light scratching over time from heavy use, but the underlying system stays intact and protective. Single-part DIY epoxy paint typically lasts two to five years before peeling becomes a problem, which is why the system and prep quality matter so much.
Can you coat a garage floor that already has a sealer or old paint on it?
Yes, but the existing coating has to be removed first. We grind off old paint, sealer, or failed epoxy during the prep process so the new coating bonds directly to the concrete. Coating over existing product that is not fully bonded just means the new coating will eventually peel along with the old one. Our diamond grinding process removes most existing coatings efficiently and gives us a clean surface to work with.
Do I need to move everything out of my garage before you start?
Yes, the floor needs to be completely clear for the grinding and coating process. Vehicles, storage shelving, workbenches, and any items on or near the floor should be moved out before we arrive. If your garage is heavily loaded with storage, we can usually work with you on a phased approach where one section is cleared and coated at a time, but this does add time and some complexity to the project. Most homeowners find it easiest to clear everything out before the start date and use it as an opportunity to reorganize before moving back in.
Ready to Upgrade Your Garage Floor?
We provide free estimates for epoxy and polyurea garage floor coatings across Little Rock and the surrounding area. Call us to schedule your site visit.
(501) 621-2844