Project example: a 2-car polyaspartic flake garage in a new Alamo Creek home — what it involves and what it costs

The scenario

A family has just moved into one of the new detached houses in the planned community off Leisure Town Road. The garage slab is smooth, has no visible cracks and was poured within the last few months. The family wants the floor done before the cars and boxes move in, and they would like to be able to park soon after.

The garage is a typical two-car, about 420 square feet. The builder's slab has a hard troweled face, and it may have been sealed with a curing compound, which the grinder has to remove.

The moisture reading is the key step. A slab this young can still be releasing water, so the readings come first, and they come back high in one corner. A vapor-barrier primer is added before the base layer.

The owner picks a custom blend of tan, brown and cream flakes, which is priced as its own line since the blend is mixed to order.

What the job involves

1. The owner clears the garage and the installer checks the slab surface for a curing compound or a sealer.
2. A dust-shrouded diamond grinder opens the troweled surface, and the vacuum collects the dust.
3. Moisture is tested with in-slab probes and calcium chloride kits, and the high corner is noted.
4. A vapor-barrier primer is rolled out and allowed to cure per its data sheet.
5. A thin polyaspartic base is applied in small batches in the cool morning hours, and flakes are broadcast by hand.
6. A polyaspartic clear coat is rolled over the flakes, and the garage stays closed to vehicles until the data sheet allows.

Materials and prep

• Dust-shrouded diamond grinder and HEPA vacuum
• Calcium chloride kits and in-slab humidity probes
• Vapor-barrier primer, polyaspartic base and clear coat
• Custom vinyl flake blend, rollers, scrapers and spiked shoes

Add-ons often paired with this job

• Coat the stem wall (garage-door threshold wall) — +$150–$400. The threshold wall at the door can take the same system.
• Moving garage contents out and back — +$100–$300. Moving boxes and shelving out and back is a separate line.

Why it is done this way

Polyaspartic goes down fast, and its short working time is the thing to plan for in a Vacaville morning: batches are small and the work lines fall at joints and thresholds rather than across the middle of the floor.

A new slab is the case where the primer earns its place. A slab that is warm and young can outgas through a fresh coat, and a vapor barrier is cheaper than a recoat.

Because the slab has no cracks, no repair line appears in the price. The total comes from the rate, the primer and the custom flake blend.

What would change the price

• The moisture test reads normal everywhere and the primer is dropped.
• The owner picks a stock flake blend instead of a custom one.
• A curing compound needs an extra grinding pass.
• The home has a duet-size garage of 240 square feet.
• The garage measures 20 by 24 feet instead of the typical 420 square feet.