Why Epoxy Floors Fail
A quality epoxy floor should provide many years of service, but coatings can fail, particularly when they were installed without proper preparation. Common signs include peeling or flaking, bubbling, hot-tire lifting, recurring cracks, worn patches and discolouration. Repairing the surface without addressing the cause allows the problem to return, so every repair begins with a diagnosis. Request a free estimate to discuss your floor.
Common Causes of Failure
- Poor preparation: the slab was not ground, so the coating never bonded
- Moisture vapour: moisture rising through the slab lifts the coating from below
- Wrong product: a thin paint-type coating used where a thick system was needed
- Cracks and movement: unrepaired cracks that move and reflect through the coating
- UV and wear: an unprotected topcoat that yellowed or wore through
How We Repair and Recoat
Assess and Diagnose
We inspect the floor, test adhesion and moisture and work out why it failed.
Remove What Has Failed
Loose, peeling and failing coating is ground back to sound material, along with contamination.
Repair the Concrete
Cracks, pits, spalls and joints are repaired. See our concrete repair service for bigger damage.
Recoat the System
A primer, base coat, flake if wanted, and a protective topcoat, often polyaspartic, bring back a floor that lasts.
Honest recommendations. If a floor can be saved with a light repair we say so. If it needs a full recoat or the slab has a moisture problem, we explain that too before any work starts.
Repair or Replace?
Many floors can be repaired and recoated rather than torn out. Spot repairs suit isolated damage on an otherwise sound floor. A full grind and recoat suits widespread peeling, wear or a floor you simply want to refresh. If the slab itself is failing or wet, we recommend fixing that first. We will lay out the options with the pros and cons at the site visit.
Timeline and Pricing Factors
Repairs vary from a short spot fix to a full recoat. We confirm the schedule at your free site visit and give you a written quote. The main factors are:
- The area affected and whether repairs are spot or floor-wide
- How much failed coating has to be removed
- The condition of the concrete and the repairs it needs
- Moisture conditions and any mitigation required
- The new system you choose
See our epoxy flooring cost guide, or if you are starting from bare concrete, our garage epoxy floors page.
Keeping the New Floor in Good Shape
Sweep regularly, clean with a pH-neutral cleaner, wipe up oil and chemicals promptly and use mats under jacks and heavy equipment. A well-prepared, well-sealed floor needs very little else.