Garage Floor Epoxy Troy MI: Before & After of a 1984 Garage
Updated: 10 minutes ago
A worn-out Troy garage floor, made new
Looking for garage floor epoxy Troy MI homeowners can count on? This fall our SKY Living crew turned a pitted, stained 450 sq ft garage floor in Troy, Michigan into a seamless, full-flake coated floor with an anti-slip finish. The garage, its two entry steps, and the threshold to the house were all coated.
Here's what we found, how we fixed it, what a project like this costs, and why we now recommend polyurea and polyaspartic coatings for most Metro Detroit garages.
The before: a 40-year-old slab with deep pitting
The home was built in 1984. Decades of Michigan winters, road salt dripping off cars, and freeze-thaw cycles had left the concrete heavily pitted across the whole floor, with cracks along the control joints.
An older slab raises one more question most homeowners never think about: is there a vapor barrier under the concrete? Many homes from that era were built without one, or with one that has broken down. Moisture rising through the slab is one of the most common reasons garage coatings bubble and peel. Since we couldn't confirm what was under this slab, we built the system to handle it.
How we coated this floor
This floor got a multi-layer, 100% solids epoxy system with a UV-stable urethane topcoat:
Clear and protect. We moved and organized the garage contents, then taped off walls, trim, and the door.
Diamond grind. We ground the entire floor, edges, and steps with diamond tooling and HEPA dust collection. Grinding opens the concrete so the coating bonds into it, not just onto it. Acid etching or a quick scuff can't do this.
Moisture-blocking primer. Because of the slab's age, we applied a moisture-barrier epoxy primer before anything else.
Pit and crack repair. We filled every pit and crack with an epoxy and silica sand slurry, about 20 lb of sand across this floor, so the finished surface would be smooth and solid.
Base coat and full flake. We rolled out the epoxy base coat and broadcast decorative vinyl flake to 100% coverage, steps included.
Scrape and seal. After scraping and vacuuming the loose flake, we applied clear epoxy coats to lock the flakes in and smooth the texture.
Topcoats with anti-slip grit. Two coats of clear, UV-stable urethane finished the floor. The final coat carries anti-slip additive, so wet tires and snowmelt aren't a slipping hazard.
Epoxy vs. polyurea: what we recommend now
Epoxy gave this floor a tough, glossy finish. For most Michigan garages, though, we now install our SKY Shield system instead: a polyurea base coat with full flake, sealed with a clear polyaspartic topcoat.
Traditional epoxy | SKY Shield polyurea + polyaspartic | |
Sunlight | Epoxy can yellow or fade near open doors unless topcoated | UV-stable, won't yellow |
Flexibility | Hard and rigid | Slightly flexible, handles freeze-thaw and slab movement |
Install time | 3-5 days with cure time between coats | 1-2 days |
Cold weather | Needs a slab around 55°F | Topcoat can go down on a slab as cold as 35°F |
Back in service | Park after about 3 days | Park after about 48 hours |
Every SKY Shield floor still gets the same prep that made this Troy floor last: full diamond grinding, crack and pit repair, and a moisture test before we start.
How much does a garage floor coating cost?
Most 2-car garages (about 450 sq ft) cost $2,950 to $4,650 with SKY Living, depending on the slab's condition and how much protection you want:
Option | Layers | Price (450 sq ft, up to 2 steps) | What it adds | Warranty |
Essential | 3 | $2,950 | Grind, repair, polyurea base, full flake, polyaspartic topcoat, anti-slip | 10-year workmanship, in writing |
Signature | 4 | $3,750 | A second polyaspartic topcoat for a thicker, smoother wear layer | 15-year workmanship, in writing, transferable |
Signature + Glass Finish | 5 | $4,200 | A thick clear build coat that fills the flake texture for a smooth, glass-like look, with fine anti-slip grit on top | 15-year workmanship, in writing, transferable |
MoistureGuard | 5 | $4,650 | Moisture-vapor-barrier primer for older or damp slabs | 15-year workmanship, in writing, transferable, also covers slab moisture |
MoistureGuard + Glass Finish | 6 | $5,100 | MoistureGuard protection with the glass-like build coat | 15-year workmanship, in writing, transferable, also covers slab moisture |
Ultimate | 7 | $6,250 | MoistureGuard + Glass Finish, plus a pit-fill layer for badly pitted slabs and a third clear coat for heavy use | 15-year workmanship, in writing, transferable, also covers slab moisture |
Every estimate includes a free slab moisture test, so you know which option your floor needs before you sign. Heavy pitting, extra steps, or clearing the garage for you are quoted separately.
Why cheaper quotes cost more later: many low-price installers skip the diamond grind, use partial flake, or apply one thin coat with a short warranty or none. Coatings without real prep are the ones that peel within a couple of winters.
Our 10- and 15-year warranties, in plain words
Every SKY Shield floor comes with a written workmanship warranty: 10 years on Essential, 15 years on Signature and MoistureGuard. We don't advertise "lifetime" because a warranty is only worth what it actually covers. Here's exactly what ours covers.
Covered for the full warranty term:
Peeling, lifting, or delamination of the coating caused by our materials or installation
Bubbling or blistering caused by installation
On MoistureGuard floors, delamination caused by moisture vapor coming up through the slab
We repair the affected area at no charge, labor and materials included
Not covered:
Moisture vapor from the slab on Essential or Signature floors (that's why we test first)
Standing water, flooding, or water pushed up from below by groundwater pressure
New cracks or slab movement after installation (we can patch them, quoted separately)
Impact damage, gouges, or dragging sharp or heavy objects
Chemical spills left standing, or damage from harsh cleaners
Normal wear of the gloss in heavy-traffic lanes
On Signature and MoistureGuard floors, the warranty transfers to the next owner if you sell the home within the warranty term.
To keep your warranty valid:
Clean the floor with mild soap and water, not harsh acids or solvents
Tell us within 30 days of noticing a problem, with photos
Let us make the repair; outside repairs or recoats by others void the warranty
Repairs cover the affected area, and total warranty work never exceeds the original contract price.
Garage floor coating FAQ
Is a coated garage floor slippery? Not ours. We mix anti-slip grit into the final topcoat, and the full flake adds texture underneath, so the floor stays grippy with wet tires or snow.
Will it hold up to Michigan road salt? Yes. A coated floor seals the concrete, so salt and meltwater sit on top and wipe off instead of soaking in and pitting the slab.
My house is older. Does that matter? It can. Many slabs poured before about 2000 have no working vapor barrier underneath. We test every slab for moisture at the estimate, and if it's high we use our MoistureGuard primer.
How long until I can use my garage? With SKY Shield you can walk on it in about 6 to 12 hours and park on it after about 48 hours.
Can you do it in fall or winter? Yes. Polyaspartic topcoats cure on slabs as cold as 35°F. When a primer needs more warmth, we heat the garage during the install.
Do you coat steps and stoops? Yes. Up to two steps are included in every option.
Other companies offer a lifetime warranty. Why don't you? Read the fine print on any "lifetime" warranty: many exclude moisture, cracks, and wear, which are the most common reasons a garage floor fails. We'd rather give you up to 15 years in writing with every exclusion spelled out above, and stand behind every word.
Is SKY Living licensed? Yes. SKY Living is a licensed Michigan residential builder (License No. 242500593) serving Troy, Sterling Heights, Rochester Hills, Shelby Township, Warren, Macomb, Detroit, and all of Oakland and Macomb County.
Get a free garage floor estimate
Thinking about coating your garage floor? We'll measure your garage, test the slab for moisture, and give you a written quote with all three options.
Call or text: 313-580-7005 / 313-580-3138
Email: contact@myskyrides.com
SKY Living, the renovation division of SKY Rides Inc., Detroit, MI. Serving Oakland County, Macomb County, and Metro Detroit.
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