Project example: a 2,200 square foot gym floor in a Nut Tree area retail unit — what it involves and what it costs

The scenario

A small fitness studio takes a former shop unit in a retail center beside the freeway. The landlord's shell has a bare, sound slab with no cracks worth a repair line. The tenant plans free weights along one wall, a turf strip down the middle and a stretching area at the front.

The center's rules allow floor work after closing, so the coating goes down in two phases over two weekends: the training half first and the front half second.

A flake system is chosen for the look and for texture under bare feet and shoes. The turf strip and the weight area will be covered by rubber, which is bought separately and not part of the price.

Striping marks the zones, and a coved base is run along the locker-room wall so wet floors meet a continuous edge instead of a seam.

What the job involves

1. The tenant gets the landlord's written consent and the center's contractor rules, and the installer measures the unit.
2. A walk-behind diamond grinder with a dust collector grinds the first half of the unit.
3. The floor is vacuumed, a moisture spot check is made and the primer is applied.
4. A pigmented epoxy base is rolled and flakes are broadcast by hand, then a clear top coat is applied.
5. Zone lines are masked and striped, and the cove is formed along the locker-room wall.
6. After the data sheet allows foot traffic, the equipment moves onto the finished half and the second half is done.

Materials and prep

• Walk-behind diamond grinder and industrial dust collector
• Primer, pigmented epoxy, vinyl flakes and clear top coat
• Masking tape and line paint for the zones
• Cove trowels, rollers and spiked shoes

Add-ons often paired with this job

• Saw-cut joint filling, about 150 linear feet — +$300–$1,200. Saw-cut joints in the shell can be filled before the system goes down.

Why it is done this way

A gym floor takes impact from dropped weights and the feet of racks, so the plan puts rubber under the heavy lifting and uses the coated floor where people walk and train lightly.

The price is simple: a rate for the system, no surcharge for a sound slab and two flat lines. It is the closest example to the plain arithmetic of the business-path calculator.

The flake system is chosen for appearance and for texture, not for a safety claim. How slippery any floor feels depends on moisture, shoes and the top coat, so the installer asks what the floor will see rather than promising a result.

What would change the price

• A moisture test reads high and a vapor-barrier primer is added.
• The landlord asks for a specific color or a satin sheen.
• The unit has old tile or mastic that needs removal first.
• The tenant skips the cove or the striping.
• The unit is 3,500 square feet instead of 2,200.