How to Start an Epoxy Flooring Business
For new and aspiring contractors
If you are working out how to start an epoxy flooring business, start with the slab, not the logo. Latux Epoxy has supplied flooring contractors from Pompano Beach since 2004, and we have watched a lot of new crews get going. This is what we tell new installers across the counter: what the job really is, what to buy first, what to learn first, and where first-year businesses lose money.
Supplying installers since 2004 · Hands-on training at the LTX Training Center · Contractor, Distributor and VIP pricing · Authorized dealer for every brand we carry · Local pickup in Pompano Beach · Free UPS Ground on orders over $150
The honest version
Is epoxy flooring a good business to start?
It can be. The barrier to entry is lower than most trades, and a finished garage sells the next one because the neighbor sees it. But the part customers see is the easy part. Most of a coating job is surface prep: grinding, crack repair, dust control, moisture checks. The resin goes down in a few hours at the end.
Where the margin is
Your margin is made or lost before the first kit is opened: how fast your crew preps, how accurately you order material, and how rarely you go back to fix a floor.
Where the risk is
Three things cause most failures we hear about. Weak prep, meaning an acid wash or a quick sanding instead of a diamond grind. Slab moisture that nobody tested. And topcoat shortcuts that leave raw epoxy under hot tires and sun. Each one shows up months later as a callback. Our epoxy floor problems guide walks through what failure looks like and where it starts.
We will not quote you an income figure. What a crew earns depends on your market, your pricing and how many floors you finish without a callback.
Skills first
Epoxy flooring training before your first paid floor
Learn on your own slab or a friend's, not on a paying customer's. You want to have mixed, poured, broadcast, scraped and topcoated at least once before anyone is paying you and watching.
The LTX Training Center runs hands-on classes in small groups. The Epoxy Floor Systems program covers concrete grinding and prep, moisture testing, full-broadcast flake systems, metallic epoxy and polyaspartic topcoats. Waterproofing Systems and Urethane Cement Systems programs are there for when you move into commercial work. For the next class date, contact us or use the enquiry form on the training page.
Between classes, the installation tutorials and our guide to concrete prep are free.
Paperwork
Do you need a license to do epoxy flooring?
It depends on where you work. The rules are set by your state, county and city. Some places treat floor coating as a specialty trade that needs a contractor license, others only need a local business registration. Before you bid, call your county building or licensing office and check your state contractor licensing board.
In Florida, that means checking with your county and city, and with the Construction Industry Licensing Board at the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Many Florida cities and counties also require a local business tax receipt under Chapter 205 of the Florida Statutes, and that chapter bars a local government from issuing one to a business that needs a state license until the state license or registration is shown. Get the answer from the county in writing before you advertise.
Insurance
Talk to an insurance agent who writes policies for contractors. Plan on general liability at a minimum, because commercial clients will ask for proof of coverage before you start. Ask about workers' compensation once you hire, and commercial auto for the work truck.
Dust rules
Grinding concrete makes respirable crystalline silica. OSHA's construction silica standard, 29 CFR 1926.1153, applies to this work. Run a HEPA dust extractor matched to your grinder on every job, and read the standard before you hire your first helper.
What to buy
Epoxy flooring equipment list for a new crew
Buy the prep side before the coating side. A new crew that buys a pallet of resin and rents a grinder has the order backwards.
| Item | Why you need it | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|
| Planetary floor grinder | Opens the concrete so the coating can grip. A compact machine in the 20 inch class suits garages and tight rooms. | Floor Grinders |
| HEPA dust extractor | Grinder and vacuum are one system. An undersized vacuum chokes and you are back to making dust. | Dust Extractors, Dust Collectors & Vacuums |
| Hand grinder and cup wheels | Edges, corners, steps and patches the big machine cannot reach. Every crew ends up with both. | Accessories, Cup Wheels & Diamond Tooling |
| Diamond tooling for the floor grinder | Soft bond for hard concrete, hard bond for soft. Tell us your slab. | Call with your machine and slab, or see the grinder guide |
| Moisture test kits | Test every slab on grade before you coat it. | How to test, Moisture Vapor Barrier |
| Crack filler and primer | Cracks telegraph through the finish if they are not filled and ground flush. | Crack Fillers, Primers |
| Mixing gear | A low-speed drill, a mixing paddle and clean buckets. | Any hardware counter |
| Squeegees, roller frames and covers | Spread the base, back-roll it even, lay the topcoat. | Application Tools |
| Spike shoes | Walk the wet floor to back-roll and broadcast flake without leaving marks. | Application Tools |
| Gloves and respiratory protection | Nitrile gloves for resin. A respirator suited to the job for grinding dust and for mixing. | Safety & PPE |
Rent or buy the grinder?
Rent while you are still finding out what your work looks like. Buy when rental invoices start looking like payments, or when you are turning down jobs because the rental yard has no machine that weekend. Our rent vs buy guide shows how to run the break-even with your own local numbers, and the grinder buying guide covers sizing, power and tooling.
What to learn first
Start with the flake garage system
A full-broadcast flake floor is the system most new crews should master first. A pigmented epoxy base coat, vinyl flake broadcast into it while wet, a scrape once it cures, and a clear polyaspartic topcoat. It hides an imperfect slab and it is the floor most homeowners picture when they ask for epoxy. The full walkthrough is on our flake flooring page.
The garage kit collections group the base kits, flake, topcoat and tools each garage size needs:
- 1-car garage epoxy kit
- 2-car garage epoxy kit
- 3-car garage epoxy kit
- Flake & Quartz Systems
- Polyaspartic & Polyurethane Topcoats
Once flake is routine, add metallic epoxy for showrooms and higher-end homes. It needs more material and more skill per square foot, so learn it on a small floor first. Commercial systems such as urethane cement come later, when you are ready to bid kitchens and plants. Our commercial flooring page shows what changes at that scale.
Bidding
Pricing your first epoxy floors
Price the floor from the bottom up: prep, repair, each coat of material, labor, then your margin. Never from a number you saw online. Our garage floor cost guide puts professional installs at roughly $3 to $12 per square foot, and prep alone at about $1.50 to $3.00 per square foot, rising on a rough or contaminated slab. Use them to check your bid, not to set it.
Material has to be sized coat by coat. Primer, base and topcoat each have their own coverage, so a single number for the whole floor is how a crew runs short in the middle of a pour. The contractor material takeoff guide shows the method: add 10% for waste on a smooth slab and 15 to 20% on a freshly ground one, then round up to whole kits. The coverage calculator does the math for you, and every product's numbers are on its technical data sheet.
Put the scope in writing: prep method, moisture test, crack repair, each coat and the topcoat. That list is what shows a customer the cheaper bid skipped something.
Buying smart
Setting up your supply side
Trade pricing
We run three trade tiers, Contractor, Distributor and VIP. The tier is applied to your account, so your pricing follows you at checkout on every order without a code. Apply for a trade account or call and we will set it up on the phone. If you want to resell coatings as well as install them, the Distributor program terms are on the same page.
Pickup and shipping
Local pickup at our Pompano Beach counter is available on everything we stock, usually the same day if you call ahead. Free UPS Ground on orders over $150. Grinders and anything on a pallet move by freight and are quoted per order, because the delivery address and access change the cost.
Financing
Financing is available through the FINANCING link in our site menu. Terms come from the finance partner, so check them there before you plan around a machine.
One supplier for the whole job
We are an authorized dealer for every brand we carry, so warranty and parts come through us, and coatings, tooling and grinders come off one counter. See the epoxy flooring supplies page.
Learn from other crews
First-year mistakes when you start an epoxy flooring business
Skipping prep
Acid etching or a quick scuff instead of a diamond grind. The floor looks perfect on day one and peels in year two. Grind every floor to an open profile and vacuum it properly.
Ignoring moisture
A slab can feel dry and still push too much vapor to coat. The common limit for standard epoxy is 3 lbs per 1,000 sq ft per 24 hours on a calcium chloride test. Over that, a moisture vapor barrier goes down first. Everflow EF-160 is rated to 25 lbs per 1,000 sq ft per 24 hours. Above that, you have a water problem no coating fixes.
Underbidding
New crews price to win and then work for free. Leaving out crack repair, the moisture test or the topcoat does not make you competitive. Bid the full scope and explain it.
No topcoat decision
Raw epoxy ambers under UV and does not hold up to hot tires on its own. Decide the topcoat before you quote, not on the day. Our epoxy vs polyaspartic guide covers the trade-off.
Questions
Common questions
How much does it cost to start an epoxy flooring business?
It depends mostly on whether you buy or rent your grinder and dust extractor, the largest purchases. After that come tooling, tools, safety gear, licensing, insurance and your first material orders. Call us with your plan and we will price the equipment side as a package.
Is epoxy flooring a good business to get into?
It can be, if you treat it as a prep trade. Most of the work is grinding, repair and moisture control, and that is where margin is made or lost. Crews that skip prep or moisture testing spend their first year on callbacks.
Do you need a license to do epoxy flooring?
Rules vary by state, county and city. Some areas require a specialty contractor license, others only a local business registration. Call your county building or licensing office before you bid. In Florida, also check with the Construction Industry Licensing Board at the Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
What equipment do I need to start epoxy flooring?
A planetary floor grinder with a matched HEPA dust extractor, a hand grinder with cup wheels for edges, diamond tooling, moisture test kits, squeegees, rollers, spike shoes, nitrile gloves and respiratory protection.
Where can I get epoxy flooring training?
The LTX Training Center at Latux Epoxy runs hands-on classes in Epoxy Floor Systems, Waterproofing Systems and Urethane Cement Systems. Contact us or use the enquiry form on the training page and we will tell you when the next class is scheduled.
How should I price my first epoxy jobs?
Build the price from prep, repair, material for each coat, labor and margin. Our garage floor cost guide puts professional installs at roughly $3 to $12 per square foot. Use that as a check, not as your price, and put the full scope in writing.
Can a new business get contractor pricing?
Apply for a trade account on our distributor page or call (800) 413-1427. Once your tier is set, it is applied to your account and the pricing shows at checkout on every order.
Should I rent or buy a concrete grinder when starting out?
Rent while you are learning what your work looks like. Buy once you have steady repeat floors, because every rental day is money you do not get back.
Talk to a coatings expert
Starting out? Call before you buy
Latux Epoxy
2201 N Andrews Ave, Suite 108
Pompano Beach, FL 33069
(800) 413-1427
Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Saturday by appointment.
Sunday closed.