Most garages coated in one day. Since 2001.
Garage Floor Coating in Dallas-Fort Worth
Short answer
A garage floor coating is a resin system applied over a mechanically ground slab, in four builds: solid color, full flake, metallic and polyaspartic. Installed pricing in Dallas-Fort Worth starts at $5 to $6 per square foot for solid color and runs to $12 and up for metallic. Most garages are finished in a single day.
A garage floor that stops staining, stops dusting, and does not peel when you park a hot truck on it.
Overview
This page covers garage floor coatings in Dallas-Fort Worth: the four systems we install, what each one costs per square foot, how the install actually runs, and which system fits your slab. Professional Garage Concepts has worked on DFW garages since 2001 and carries 532 Google reviews at 4.8 stars.
Most coating failures in this market are not a product problem. They are a preparation problem. A coating rolled onto an acid-etched or unground slab has almost nothing to grip, and the first 105-degree August afternoon with a hot tire parked on it pulls the coating up in sheets. Everything below is built around avoiding that.
Call (817) 381-6173 for a measured quote, or come see the samples in person at our Keller or Grand Prairie showroom. Flake blends and metallic panels look nothing like they look on a phone screen.
The four systems we install, and what each one is actually for
Nearly every residential garage floor in DFW ends up as one of four builds. They are not interchangeable. The right pick depends on your slab condition, how much sun the floor sees, whether you park hot vehicles on it, and what you want it to look like.
We will tell you when a cheaper system is the correct answer for your floor. A 400 square foot garage that stores boxes does not need a 12 dollar per square foot metallic pour.
- Polyurea base with polyaspartic topcoat. Cures in hours instead of days, holds its color under UV, stays slightly flexible over a moving slab. Best for: nearly every DFW garage, one-day installs, and anyone who needs to park on the floor fast.
- Epoxy. Rigid, thick-building, high compressive strength, and the only chemistry we use for a true moisture vapor barrier primer. Ambers under sunlight. Best for: slabs with high moisture vapor emission, garages needing serious mil thickness, and budget-driven solid-color jobs.
- Flake broadcast. Vinyl chip cast into the base coat, then locked under a clear topcoat. Adds texture, hides slab imperfections, and gives you a floor that does not show every drip. Best for: family garages, workshops, and any slab with patch marks or old crack repairs.
- Metallic epoxy. Reflective pigment moved through a clear resin so the floor reads like poured stone or liquid metal. No two are alike. Best for: showrooms, retail spaces, collector garages, and any floor that is meant to be looked at.
Polyaspartic vs epoxy: the honest comparison
Most coating companies in DFW now sell polyaspartic and attack epoxy to do it. That is half true. Polyaspartic is the better topcoat for a garage in Texas. Epoxy still does two jobs polyaspartic cannot do as well, and pretending otherwise costs customers money.
Here is the plain version, side by side.
- Cure and return to service. Polyaspartic: walk on it in a few hours, park on it the next day. Epoxy: 24 to 72 hours to walk, 5 to 7 days before vehicles. This alone is why the one-day install exists.
- UV stability. Polyaspartic is aliphatic and holds its color. Epoxy is aromatic and ambers to a yellow cast wherever direct sun hits it, which in a DFW garage means the strip inside the door.
- Temperature range at install. Polyaspartic cures from roughly 0 to over 100 degrees, so we install in January and in August. Epoxy wants 55 to 90 degrees and slows badly outside that.
- Flexibility. Polyaspartic has meaningfully higher elongation and rides small slab movement. Epoxy is rigid and telegraphs new cracks faster on an expansive clay slab.
- Abrasion and chemical resistance. Polyaspartic topcoats outperform on abrasion and on road salt, brake fluid and battery acid. Epoxy holds its own but scratches show sooner on gloss.
- Film build. Epoxy is the better body coat. It builds thick in one pass and fills minor profile. Polyaspartic goes down thin and fast.
- Moisture. A 100 percent solids epoxy moisture vapor barrier primer is still the correct answer for a slab pushing vapor. Polyaspartic is not a vapor barrier.
- Cost. Epoxy material is cheaper per gallon. Polyaspartic costs more and installs faster, so the finished per square foot numbers land closer than people expect.
- DIY. Epoxy kits have a workable pot life. Polyaspartic has a pot life measured in minutes and is not a homeowner product.
Why DFW slabs need a different approach
Garage floors here sit on some of the most active soil in the country. The Blackland Prairie clay that runs under Dallas, Ellis, Collin and much of Tarrant County swells when it rains and shrinks hard in a July drought. Slabs move. Hairline cracks open and close with the season. A rigid coating over a moving slab shows every one of them.
Most DFW homes built since the late 1980s also sit on post-tension slabs. There are steel tendons under tension inside that concrete. We do not saw cut, core drill or drive anchors into a post-tension slab without scanning first, and any contractor who is casual about that is a problem. Grinding and patching is safe. Cutting is not, unless it is located properly.
The third issue is water. Slab moisture vapor emission is invisible and it is the number one cause of coating delamination that looks like a bond failure but is not. Vapor pushes up through the slab, condenses under a non-breathable film, and lifts it. Older DFW slabs frequently have no vapor retarder under them at all.
- Expansive clay: seasonal slab movement, hairline cracking, occasional differential settlement at the apron.
- Post-tension construction: scan before any cut, patch and grind only unless a cut is verified clear.
- Moisture vapor emission: measured, not guessed, before we choose a primer.
- Summer surface temperature: garage slabs regularly run over 100 degrees, which changes both product selection and installation timing.
- Hot tire pickup: the specific failure mode this climate produces more than any other.
Hot tire pickup: why coatings fail in Texas and how we stop it
Hot tire pickup is when a coating lifts off the slab in a patch shaped like a tire contact patch. It happens because a tire that has been on I-35 in August comes home at 140 degrees or better, softens the coating film, and sticks to it. When the tire cools it contracts and grips. If the bond between the coating and the concrete is weaker than the grip of that tire, the coating loses.
The fix is not a better product. It is bond strength. We diamond grind every slab to a concrete surface profile in the CSP 2 to 3 range, which is a mechanical tooth the coating locks into. We do not acid etch. Acid etching leaves a soft, contaminated surface and residual salts, and it is the single most common reason a garage floor coating in this market fails inside two summers.
The second half is cure time. A polyaspartic system is ready for vehicles the next day. An epoxy system is not, no matter how dry it feels. Parking a hot vehicle on epoxy that has skinned over but not cured through will pull it up, and that is on the schedule, not the product.
One-day installation: how it actually works
A standard two-car garage with a sound slab gets ground, repaired, base coated, broadcast, scraped and topcoated in a single day. You are off the floor overnight, walking on it that evening or the next morning, and parking on it 24 hours after the topcoat goes down. That is the polyurea and polyaspartic system doing the work. Recoat windows are measured in hours.
One-day is not always the right call, and we will say so. A slab with heavy oil saturation needs degreasing and a dry-out period. A slab with high moisture vapor emission needs an epoxy vapor barrier primer that has its own cure schedule. A floor with significant spalling or a failed previous coating needs a full mechanical removal day before anything goes down. Three-car and oversized garages sometimes run into a second day simply because of square footage.
What we will not do is compress the prep to protect a one-day promise. Prep is the entire job.
Color, flake and finish: pick it in the showroom, not on a screen
Flake blends photograph badly. A blend that looks gray online can read blue or brown once it is broadcast to refusal and locked under a clear topcoat, because you are seeing hundreds of chips at once instead of a swatch. Metallic is worse. A metallic pour changes completely depending on the light in the room.
We keep real, full-size samples at both showrooms, 220 N Main Street in Keller and 801 Greenview Drive in Grand Prairie. You can put a sample panel on the floor, stand over it, and see what it does. Every other coating company competing for this work in DFW is a truck and a trailer.
- Solid color: single-tone base with a clear topcoat. Clean, industrial, shows more.
- Partial flake broadcast: light chip coverage with the base color still visible. Subtle, lower cost.
- Full flake broadcast: chip cast to refusal, ground flat, clear coated. The standard residential build.
- Flake size: 1/16 inch reads as a fine speckle, 1/8 inch is the most common look, 1/4 inch reads bold and terrazzo-like.
- Metallic: single color or multi-color pour, gloss or satin topcoat.
- Gloss level: high gloss shows the most depth, satin hides dust and tire marks better.
Coat the floor while the rest of the garage is open
The floor is the messiest part of a garage project and it is the one that dictates the schedule. Everything has to come out of the garage anyway. That is the cheapest moment to handle the door, the opener, the cabinets and the wall storage, because the crew is already there and the space is already empty.
Professional Garage Concepts does doors, openers, gates, floor coatings, decorative concrete, cabinets and slat wall with our own people. No DFW competitor covers all of it. Coating companies do not touch doors. Door companies do not touch floors. When a coating contractor and a door contractor both work the same garage, you own the argument about who scratched what. With us there is one crew, one schedule and one number to call.
- Coating plus new insulated door on the same visit window.
- Coating plus cabinets and slat wall, installed after the floor cures so nothing gets dragged across fresh coating.
- Coating plus a new opener, done while the door is already off the tracks.
- Interior floor plus driveway or patio coating, color matched across the threshold.
Why DFW homeowners hire us for this
We have been working on garages in this metroplex since 2001. That is 25 years of watching what this soil and this heat do to slabs and coatings, on the same streets, in the same neighborhoods.
The proof is public. 532 Google reviews at 4.8 stars. International Door Association certified. BBB A plus rated. Licensed, bonded and insured, with 24/7 emergency service on the door side. Our commercial work includes Herzog and Coca-Cola facilities, which is a different level of scrutiny than a residential garage and it shows up in how our crews prep.
And we are not a franchise buying leads. We are local, we have two physical showrooms you can walk into, and the person who quotes your floor works for the company that installs it.
How it works
How we coat a garage floor, step by step
- STEP 01
1. Slab inspection and moisture testing
We walk the slab before quoting and look for spalling, previous coatings, oil saturation, control joint condition and crack activity. On slabs that raise a flag we run a moisture test, either a calcium chloride test or an in-slab relative humidity probe, because vapor drive decides whether you need an epoxy vapor barrier primer. Guessing here is how coatings delaminate two years later.
- STEP 02
2. Diamond grinding and profile
We grind the entire slab with diamond tooling on a dust-shrouded planetary grinder to open the concrete and cut a CSP 2 to 3 profile. Edges and corners get hand-ground with a shroud so the perimeter has the same tooth as the field. No acid etching, ever. This step is the difference between a coating that lasts and one that lets go under a hot tire.
- STEP 03
3. Crack, spall and joint repair
Cracks get chased open, vacuumed and filled with a rigid or flexible polymer depending on whether the crack is active. Spalls, pop-outs and old anchor holes get patched with a fast-set repair mortar and ground flush. On post-tension slabs we do not cut without scanning. Control joints are either filled flush or honored through the coating, and we tell you which we recommend and why.
- STEP 04
4. Vacuum, detail and mask
The slab gets HEPA vacuumed, then vacuumed again after any hand work, because grinding dust left in a crack becomes a bond breaker. Walls, door jambs, thresholds and any adjacent finish get masked. We set the coating terminations at the door line so the edge is clean and does not chip when the door seal drops on it.
- STEP 05
5. Primer or moisture vapor barrier
If the moisture test called for it, a 100 percent solids epoxy vapor barrier primer goes down first and gets its own cure window. Otherwise the polyurea base coat serves as the primer. On slabs with heavy porosity we prime to stop pinholing and outgassing, which is what causes bubbles in the finished floor.
- STEP 06
6. Base coat and flake broadcast
The polyurea base goes down at spec thickness, and vinyl flake is broadcast into it immediately while it is wet. Full broadcast means we throw flake until the floor rejects it, so no base color shows through. Partial broadcast is a controlled lighter coverage. This is the step where the floor gets its color, its texture and most of its slip resistance.
- STEP 07
7. Scrape, vacuum and prep for topcoat
Once the base has set, we scrape the entire floor to knock down flake standing on edge, then vacuum the loose chip back up. On 1/4 inch flake this step gets aggressive because larger chips stand up more. Skip it and the topcoat sits on a floor that feels like sandpaper and reads cloudy.
- STEP 08
8. Polyaspartic topcoat
A clear polyaspartic topcoat locks the flake down, seals the surface and does the actual work of resisting UV, chemicals and abrasion. Gloss or satin is your call. Where slip resistance matters more, such as a garage that gets wet or a walkway, we blend a polymer or aluminum oxide grit into the topcoat at a texture level you approve.
- STEP 09
9. Cure, walkthrough and return to service
Polyaspartic systems are walkable in a few hours and take vehicles about 24 hours after topcoat. Epoxy systems need 5 to 7 days before you park on them. We walk the floor with you, hand over care instructions, and tell you exactly what day your vehicles can come back in. Do not put down rubber-backed mats for the first week.
Straight pricing
What a garage floor coating costs in DFW
These are installed per square foot ranges for typical DFW residential garages. Slab condition moves the number more than anything else, so a floor needing moisture barrier primer, coating removal or heavy spall repair prices above these bands. We measure and quote in writing before any work starts.
Solid color system
$5 to $6per sq ft installed
Budget-conscious garages, storage spaces, and slabs in good condition where a clean single color is the goal.
- Full diamond grind to CSP 2 to 3 profile
- Crack and spall repair
- Pigmented base coat in your color
- Clear protective topcoat
- Cleanup and haul-off
Full flake broadcast with polyaspartic topcoat
$6 to $10per sq ft installed
The standard DFW residential garage. Hides slab imperfections, adds slip resistance, most floors installed in one day.
- Full diamond grind and joint detailing
- Crack, spall and pop-out repair
- Polyurea base coat
- Vinyl flake broadcast to refusal in your chosen blend
- Scrape and vacuum
- Clear polyaspartic topcoat, gloss or satin
Metallic epoxy system
from $12per sq ft installed
Showrooms, retail floors, collector garages and any floor meant to be a feature rather than a work surface.
- Full diamond grind and full slab repair
- Pigmented epoxy basecoat
- Hand-worked metallic pour, single or multi-color
- High-build clear topcoat in gloss or satin
- One-of-a-kind finish, quoted per floor
Typical two-car garage, all in
$2,200 to $4,500installed
A standard 400 to 550 square foot two-car garage with a sound slab, coated in flake or solid color.
- Everything from prep through topcoat
- Written quote before work starts
- Most jobs completed in one day
Answers
Frequently asked questions
Still stuck? Call (817) 381-6173 and talk to someone who does this every day.
How much does a garage floor coating cost in Dallas-Fort Worth?
Garage floor coatings in DFW run $5 to $12 per square foot installed, and a typical two-car garage lands between $2,200 and $4,500. Flake systems price around $5 to $8 per square foot, and metallic epoxy starts near $12. Slab condition and repair needs move the number more than the coating itself.
How long does a garage floor coating take to install?
Most two-car garages are ground, repaired, coated and topcoated in a single day using a polyurea and polyaspartic system. You can walk on the floor that evening and park on it about 24 hours later. Epoxy systems take longer and need 5 to 7 days before vehicles return.
What is the difference between epoxy, polyaspartic, and a flake system?
Epoxy and polyaspartic are chemistries, and flake is a decorative layer that can go into either. Epoxy is rigid, thick-building, cheaper, and ambers in sunlight. Polyaspartic cures in hours, holds color under UV, and stays flexible. Flake is vinyl chip broadcast into the base coat for texture and appearance.
Will my garage floor coating peel from hot tire pickup?
Hot tire pickup happens when the bond between coating and concrete is weaker than a hot tire gripping the surface as it cools. A slab that has been diamond ground to a CSP 2 to 3 profile, properly primed, and fully cured before vehicles return does not lift. Acid-etched floors do.
How long does a garage floor coating last in Texas heat?
A properly prepped polyaspartic garage floor in DFW should hold up for 15 to 20 years of normal residential use, and the topcoat can be refreshed rather than replaced when it eventually dulls. Coatings that fail early almost always failed at the preparation stage, not from age or heat.
Are coated garage floors slippery?
A clear gloss topcoat with no additive is slick when wet, the same as polished tile. A full flake broadcast creates surface texture that improves traction significantly, and we can blend polymer or aluminum oxide grit into the topcoat for more grip. Tell us if the floor will get wet and we will spec accordingly.
Can you coat a garage floor that already has old epoxy on it?
Yes, but the old coating has to come off first. We mechanically remove failed or unknown coatings by grinding or shot blasting down to bare concrete, then treat the slab as a fresh install. Coating over an existing film means the new system is only as strong as the old bond underneath it.
Do you coat garage floors over post-tension slabs?
Yes, we coat post-tension slabs routinely, and they are common across DFW homes built since the late 1980s. Grinding and surface patching do not disturb the steel tendons inside the concrete. What we will not do is saw cut, core drill or drive anchors into a post-tension slab without scanning to locate the cables first.
Can I see the flake blends and metallic finishes before I buy?
Yes, we keep full-size sample panels of every flake blend and metallic finish at both showrooms, 220 N Main Street Suite A in Keller and 801 Greenview Drive in Grand Prairie. Flake and metallic look different in person than in photos, so seeing a real panel under real light is the only reliable way to choose.
What areas do you serve for garage floor coatings?
We coat garage floors across the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, including Keller, Grand Prairie, Fort Worth, Dallas, Arlington, Southlake, Colleyville, Grapevine, Mansfield, Frisco, Plano and the surrounding communities. Call (817) 381-6173 and we will confirm scheduling for your address.
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Related services
Polyaspartic Coatings
A polyurea base coat with a clear polyaspartic topcoat is the system we install on most DFW garages. It cures fast, resists UV, and flexes with a slab that moves on Blackland Prairie clay.
Learn moreEpoxy Floor Coatings
We grind every slab to bare, profiled concrete, test for moisture vapor, and prime accordingly. Then we tell you honestly whether epoxy or polyaspartic is the better spend on your floor.
Learn moreFlake Floor System
Vinyl flake broadcast to refusal into a polyurea base, scraped flat, and locked under a clear polyaspartic topcoat. Most two-car garages done in a single day.
Learn moreMetallic Epoxy
Metallic pigment is worked through clear resin by hand, so the pattern is created on your slab and cannot be repeated. Showrooms, retail floors and collector garages across DFW.
Learn moreComplete Garage Transformation
We do the floor, the storage, the lighting, the door, the opener and the driveway gate on one schedule with one company standing behind the finished garage. 532 Google reviews at 4.8 stars.
Learn moreReady to get garage floor coatings handled?
Call (817) 381-6173 or send the form. We answer quote requests the same business day, and we have been doing this across DFW since 2001.