Most people know the category of “Resinous Flooring” only by its more common name “Epoxy Floors”. Epoxy is a type of resinous flooring, but in reality, there are countless other products, materials, and combinations that fall under the category of resinous flooring, and each one has its strengths, weaknesses and preferred applications in commercial and industrial spaces. This article will look at the installation times for various types of resinous flooring when installed in commercial and industrial settings. 

Important note: These are estimates based on general specs. Actual install time will vary based on the specific needs of your project. If you want to know the exact timing for your project, call us and we’ll walk you through your options and how long the whole process will take.

Quick Guidelines 

Installation estimates based on floor size.

1,000 sq.ft. Commercial or Industrial Project: 

It typically takes 3-5 days to install resinous flooring. This would include surface preparation of the concrete slab and primer install (day 1), body coat (day 2), top coat (day 3) assuming a 3 coat system. In general, add another day for a 4 coat system and potentially add a day for cove base installation, if desired.

5,000 sq.ft. Commercial or Industrial Project: 

Usually these projects take 5-7 days to install

10,000 sq.ft. Commercial or Industrial Project:  

In spaces this size, installations typically range from 7-14 days depending on the layout, number of coats, and complexity of the project. Wide open warehouses with simple coatings may only take a few days, for example.

Larger Projects: 

Installation time will vary from a few weeks to a few months.

Other Contributing Factors

Overall Job Size

The size of each project will always dictate how long it takes to install the resinous flooring. A small install of 1,000 sq. ft. vet clinic will obviously take less time than a 100,000 sq. ft. food manufacturing facility. A small project may only take a few days, while large projects can take months at a time.

Number of Coats

Different resinous flooring systems call for a different number of coats. For example, a water treatment facility will almost certainly prefer a 3-coat urethane cement/epoxy hybrid system with a rougher surface profile for non-skid properties. While a hospital would likely prefer a 4-coat system with a smoother surface for cleanability and general use. Additionally, a knowledgeable installer may modify the number of coats in order to achieve a desired surface profile.

Up to a size of, say, 5,000 sq. ft, each additional coat typically adds one day to the installation.

Material Selection

Different resinous flooring materials have different dry times and thus may increase or decrease the speed of the installation. Typically each coat needs to dry overnight before the next coat can be applied. Some materials, however, like polyaspartic or certain low temp epoxies, will dry in a few hours. With these shorter dry times, certain projects can be “doubled” meaning two coats can be applied on the same day.

Including Cove Base

Installing cove base can significantly change the amount of time it takes to complete an installation. This is due to the labor intensive nature of troweling and shaping the cove base (1-2 days) and the drytime for the cove base (12-24 hours) before you can begin installing the floor coats.

Surface Preparation Considerations

The condition of the existing concrete slab will dictate how long it will take to grind and/or shotblast the floor before you can begin the new floor’s installation. A newly poured concrete slab will be substantially faster than an old, uneven slab with a lot of repairs or leveling required.

Additionally, whatever was installed on the floor beforehand matters substantially. Old carpet mastic or thin set mortar from a prior tile install must be ground off the floor. Similarly old epoxy coatings, paint, or self leveling materials typically all must be removed.  

If a crew can typically prepare 3,000 sq.ft. of new concrete in a day, the conditions mentioned above could reduce that productivity to 1,000 sq.ft. or less in a day. 

Comparing Install Time Quotes

If you are shopping for a flooring contractor and comparing bids, you may notice that some contractors quote faster install times than others. Our advice: ask them about their process and how they are able to save time. It’s possible they have more workers or grinders available, but no one can magically cure epoxy faster than anyone else. If they only need 2 days for a 3-coat system, something is up. Make sure you understand exactly what you are getting from your flooring installer and that it will meet the needs of your space. Saving one day upfront won’t feel so great if your whole floor starts chipping after a month. 

Summary

As you can see, there are many factors in play when trying to answer the question of how long it takes to install an epoxy floor. For a more precise answer, feel free to give us a call to discuss the specifics of your project over the phone. Typically we can provide a good ballpark estimate once we understand the needs of your specific floor and the job that it is to be designed to do.  

(303) 762-1600