Salt Lake City Epoxy Flooring Questions, Answered
Plain answers on cost, road salt and magnesium chloride, high-altitude sun, slab prep, grip and the towns we cover across Salt Lake County.
Winter, Sun & Valley Slabs
Yes, as long as the slab is ground and prepped first and the salt gets rinsed off now and then. NOAA normals put the airport at or below freezing on about 112 nights a year, and Salt Lake City spreads 16,000 to 20,000 tons of salt on its streets each winter. The city also lists magnesium chloride as a de-icer for sidewalks and driveways. The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association notes that magnesium-based de-icers are tracked in by cars, build up on concrete and make freeze–thaw scaling worse. On a coated floor that slush stays on the surface, so you can squeegee it out the door instead of letting it soak into bare concrete.
Summers here run hot and very dry: the airport averages about 62 days a year at 90°F or above, and the normal July high is about 94°F. The valley floor also sits at roughly 4,200 feet, and the EPA notes that UV intensity rises with elevation, which matters wherever sun pours through an open garage door. That is why flake floors get a UV-resistant protective topcoat. Heat also shapes the install itself, so the work is planned around the slab temperature and each product’s own instructions.
Yes. Every slab is checked for moisture before anything goes on it, and in this valley that step earns its keep: about a quarter of Salt Lake City’s homes were built before 1940, and the Utah Geological Survey has mapped shallow groundwater across the west side of the valley, which it links to basement flooding. If a slab reads damp, we explain what that means for your floor before work begins. One thing to know up front: a coating will not stop water from a leak or water rising through the slab. What it gives you is a sealed surface that is easy to mop.
Usually, yes. Hairline cracks are normal in concrete, and cracked or damaged spots are repaired during prep, before any coating goes down. Ground conditions vary across a valley built on old Lake Bonneville sediments, though, and a crack that is still moving can show again through a new coating. If one looks active, we will point it out before work starts instead of coating over it.
No single month is best. What counts is the slab temperature on install day and the product’s own instructions. At the airport the median first fall freeze is October 31 and the median last spring freeze is April 8, so winter jobs are planned around cold concrete and summer jobs around hot, very dry afternoons. Tell us your dates and we will tell you what fits.
Cost & Estimates
Every floor is priced after a free on-site estimate, because no two slabs are alike. The price depends on the size of the space, the condition of the concrete (cracks, old coatings, salt scaling, moisture), the system and finish you choose, and how much prep the slab needs. Commercial and industrial floors are priced per project after a site visit as well. Call (801) 618-0565 or request a free estimate to book that visit; the exact price comes with no obligation.
For most homeowners it is, mostly because of how easy it is to keep clean. Salt residue, oil drips and dust wipe off a coated floor instead of soaking into bare concrete, the surface resists chemicals and stains, and a bare-concrete room finally looks finished. No installer can honestly promise what it adds to a sale price, so we don’t. For a business the case is simpler: one seamless surface that cleans quickly and stands up to carts, equipment and daily mopping.
Systems & Install Days
Most garage floors are installed over about two days. The installer will tell you when you can walk on the new floor and when you can park on it, since that depends on the system and the temperature of the slab. Commercial and industrial floors are scheduled per project after the site visit.
Both are resin coatings that bond to prepared concrete. They differ in chemistry, working time and the temperatures they tolerate, and each product’s data sheet sets those limits. Flake, metallic and solid-color epoxy floors are all available here, topcoats come in matte, semi-gloss or high-gloss, and polyaspartic systems are available as well. Which suits your floor depends on the slab and how you use the space, and the installer will go through the options at your estimate.
Yes. Alongside garage, basement and commercial floors, the crew seals and stains driveways, patios, walkways and steps, and can resurface them with an overlay. Outdoor concrete here deals with snow, salt and strong summer sun, so the right treatment depends on the surface; ask about yours at the free estimate.
Yes. The floor must be completely clear so it can be ground, repaired and coated from wall to wall, and things stay out until the installer says the floor is ready for use. For a business, timing is worked out at the site visit.
Grip, Wear & Upkeep
A smooth, glossy coating can turn slick when it is wet, and a garage here gets wet every time snowmelt drips off the car. Slip-resistant additives are available: a fine grit mixed into the topcoat gives a textured finish with more grip. Flake floors already have a slight texture, and extra traction can be added where it matters most, such as entries, ramps, steps, commercial kitchens and work areas. Let us know who will be walking on it and we can set the texture to suit.
Peeling at the door usually comes down to prep. Every garage floor here is diamond ground first, so the base coat bonds to clean, open concrete rather than a slick or dusty surface, and salt-scaled or damaged concrete by the door is repaired before coating. If your current floor is already peeling, the old coating can be taken off by grinding or shot blasting and the floor done again.
We won’t put a number of years on it, because wear depends on the prep, the system and how hard the floor is used. Thorough grinding and a protective topcoat are what keep a coating firmly attached, and a floor that dulls in its traffic lanes can often be refreshed instead of replaced. Flake floors come with the installer's limited warranty; you get the terms with your estimate.
Sweep or dust-mop once a week and damp-mop with a pH-neutral cleaner as needed. On snowy days, squeegee the meltwater and salty slush out the door, and hose the floor down now and then so magnesium chloride and road-salt residue don’t build up and dull the finish. Avoid harsh acids and solvent cleaners; nothing more is needed.
Service Area & Crew
All of Salt Lake County: Salt Lake City, Draper, Herriman, West Jordan, South Jordan, Sandy, Millcreek, Murray, Taylorsville, Holladay, Cottonwood Heights, Midvale, Riverton, South Salt Lake, West Valley City, Bluffdale, Kearns and Magna. Not sure you’re in range? Call (801) 618-0565.
A local installation crew that has coated garage, basement and commercial floors around Salt Lake County for years. Estimates are free and done on site, so the price you get is based on your actual slab.