Epoxy Flooring in Boulder, CO

Epoxy flooring in Boulder has to handle a harder mix of conditions than most places. Boulder averages about 90 inches of snow a season (89.71 inches over the 1991 to 2020 period, by NOAA's count at the NIST site), and the frost season commonly runs from early October into early May. Between storms, chinook winds and bright sun can swing a garage from frozen to mild and back again. A coating here has to be tough, flexible and stable in strong sunlight.

What winter drags into the garage

Colorado's highway department uses liquid magnesium chloride among its de-icers. It works well on roads, but it rides into the garage on every tire and wheel well, and research done for state transportation departments has found concentrated magnesium chloride can chemically attack concrete. Left on a bare slab, it dries, soaks back in with the next storm and slowly pits and scales the surface, starting by the door. A sealed, coated floor keeps that brine on top, where a squeegee or hose can clear it.

Sun at 5,430 feet

UV gets stronger as you go up; the EPA puts the increase at about 2% for every 1,000 feet. At Boulder's elevation, a garage door left open on a summer afternoon puts real sunlight on the floor, and ordinary epoxy topcoats can turn amber under it. That is why we recommend finishing most garage floors here with a UV-stable polyaspartic topcoat.

Slabs that move

The Colorado Geological Survey calls expansive, swelling clay the state's most significant geologic hazard and notes that cracked and heaved garage and basement floor slabs are very common. Most of that cracking is cosmetic and can be repaired before coating. A slab that is still actively heaving is a different problem, and we tell you plainly when a floor needs an engineer or concrete contractor before it needs a coating.

Why prep decides how long a floor lasts

Most failed garage floors were not bad products. They were good products put on a slab that was not ready. Smooth, sealed or dusty concrete gives a coating nothing to grip, and moisture rising through the slab pushes it off from underneath. Every floor we coat is diamond-ground first, cracks and pits are filled and ground flush, and the slab is tested for moisture before anything is mixed.

Which coating fits your floor

There is no single best floor coating. A two-car garage that sees daily winter driving is usually best served by a full-broadcast flake system with a polyaspartic topcoat: it hides imperfections, adds grip and handles hot tires. A finished basement or a lightly used garage may suit metallic epoxy. A workshop that takes dropped tools and rolling jacks needs a thicker build. The estimate visit is where we sort that out with you, standing on the floor.

What the estimate visit covers

We measure the space, note the condition of the slab and any old coating, look for signs of movement, test for moisture, and ask how you use the room: daily parking, a workshop, ski and bike storage, a home gym or a finished basement. Then we recommend a system, show flake or metallic samples in your own light, and leave a written quote. If the slab has a problem a coating cannot fix, we say so instead of selling you a floor that will fail.

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Caring for a coated floor

Coated floors are low maintenance, but a few habits add years. In winter, squeegee or rinse de-icer meltwater off the floor instead of letting it dry in puddles. Use a soft-bristle broom and a mild cleaner, not acids or citrus degreasers. Put a pad under kickstands, jack stands and ski racks with sharp feet. If the floor gets a chip, have it patched before brine works under the edge.

Boulder is home base. From there we serve 29 more communities across Boulder County and the northern Front Range: the east county towns of Longmont, Louisville, Lafayette, Superior, Erie, Niwot, Gunbarrel and Hygiene; the foothill and mountain communities of Lyons, Nederland, Jamestown, Eldorado Springs and Estes Park; the northern and western Denver suburbs of Broomfield, Westminster, Arvada, Wheat Ridge, Golden, Federal Heights, Northglenn and Thornton; and the growing towns to the northeast and north, including Brighton, Dacono, Frederick, Firestone, Mead, Berthoud, Johnstown and Loveland. Each area page covers what is specific to floors there, from older slabs in historic mining and farm towns to brand-new homes rebuilt after the Marshall Fire.