How to choose Your Next epoxy flooring contractor

Deciding to renovate your home can be a stressful process. Upgrading your floors can take months of planning and research. Floor coatings in our homes are one thing that gets changed the least. Most of the time they stay with us for years if not decades.
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When deciding to renovate your floors is important to first decide on the right coating for your needs and then choose the right epoxy flooring expert.

Research The Epoxy Flooring Contractor

If you are buying a new car or a house, the first thing you'd do is to research. Is the brand reliable, is it a good/safe neighborhood, are there any reviews.
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It's the same with any contractor you choose. How long have they been in business, have people left any reviews?
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With social media nowadays is easy to find the answers to these questions. Look on the company's Instagram, check their photos, the description they put on the photos. Check Facebook and google to see if people have left any comments about the company.
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Companies who take pride in their work, try to get as much exposure as possible.
However, do not rule out new companies immediately. Usually, they are founded by people who have already worked for other flooring companies.

Know your Epoxy

Do your research about different epoxies. Just like soaps, paint, washing machines, there isn't one epoxy that does all. There are different types and each type has its properties and benefits. Figure out what you want your epoxy to do and where you want to use it.

Some of the questions you might ask yourself are:

Is it for indoor or outdoor use?
Does it need to have anti-slippery properties?
Does it need to resist high foot/machine traffic?
Is it going to be exposed to direct sunlight?
What is the current surface?
Does it need to be moisture-proof?
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Answering these questions will help you determine what type of epoxy will suit your house best. It will also help the contractor understand your needs.
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When selecting an epoxy flooring company, ask them to send you the datasheet of the product they are planning to use. This way it will give you an idea if this epoxy is suitable for your floors.

Talk to the epoxy flooring companies

Once you've narrowed down the flooring companies, it is best to talk to them whether on the phone or by email. It is important to know the company that will install the floor for you, their view on floor prep (the best floor prep is concrete grinding), their techniques, their knowledge about epoxy.
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Ask if you can see examples of their work. Maybe they have done a café or a restaurant or a repair shop, somewhere where you can easily pop in and have a look at the floor. Seeing an actual floor is better than looking at photos.
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Experience is important when hiring a flooring contractor and the materials they use for installation. Your contractor should use materials that are in line with the weather conditions in your area. Epoxy can be greatly affected by weather conditions, such as rain, extremely high or low temperatures, or high levels of humidity during application.

Price of epoxy flooring

We know price plays a huge factor when deciding to buy something. Out of experience, we can guarantee that a lower price usually equals lower quality. If you compare two companies and there is a huge difference in the prices they've quoted, ask them why.
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Lower price usually means the company will cut corners in the floor prep or use lower quality epoxy. They might acid-etched instead of concrete grinding. Or they might half-concrete grind the concrete floor, without opening the concrete pores enough for the epoxy to bond to them. They might use lower quality epoxy than epoxy which suits your needs.
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The higher price is usually the right price for epoxy flooring. Some of the reasons why a company would charge more are the amount of time they spend preparing the floor. A double garage can take up to a whole day to be properly diamond ground and for every hole and crack to be filled and repaired.
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Floor preparation is the most important part of epoxy flooring. It ensures that the epoxy bonds properly with the concrete, to ensure long-lasting durability.

Epoxy Flooring Warranty

Make sure the company you select offers a warranty and what the warranty covers. Usually, companies who are well experienced and have pride in their workmanship will offer longer than the standard warranty.
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Make sure everything is in writing and there are no verbal agreements. This is to protect you and the contractor from future disputes.
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Most importantly trust yourself. You know what you are looking for and you are paying for it, so make sure you are comfortable with the contractor you choose.