Worked case: a 240 sq ft one-car solid-color garage in Burbank with an old coating removed — what happens and what it costs

The scenario

Picture a single-car garage in a Burbank condo row or a small house near Hayward BART, 12 by 20 feet. A coat of floor paint was rolled on years earlier and is lifting in sheets near the door, with small curls where the car's tires turn. There is a step up into the house, and the owner uses the bay for storage and a small workbench.

The garage belongs to the owner, so approval is simple. The budget is tight, which points to a solid-color system; the old coating has to come off first, since new coating cannot be laid over a film that is already peeling.

The starting conditions at a glance:

• Area: about 240 sq ft, one-car
• Slab: sound underneath, old painted coating peeling
• Entry: one step into the house
• Use: storage, a small bench and one car
• Look: a mid-gray solid color, fine grit

What the job involves

1. The installer pulls up a loose sheet to see what the film is, checks it for lead or asbestos if the home is old, and tapes a plastic sheet to check moisture.
2. A diamond grinder with coarse tooling takes off the old coating, working across the whole slab and the step; a hand grinder handles the corners.
3. The slab is vacuumed until no dust or paint remains; small chips are filled and ground flush.
4. A solid-color epoxy base is rolled on in a mid-gray; fine grit is broadcast lightly for grip.
5. A clear coat is rolled over the base, the step is coated, and the floor cures for the time on the data sheet.
6. The owner is told when feet and later the car can return, and to keep the door open for ventilation while it cures.

Materials and prep

• Diamond grinder with coarse tooling, hand grinder and a vacuum with a shroud
• Solid-color epoxy base coat in a mid-gray
• Fine anti-skid grit and a clear epoxy or polyurethane topcoat
• Rollers, masking, plastic sheeting and spiked shoes
• Lead and asbestos test kits where the home is old

Add-ons often paired with this job

• Coat garage steps or an entry landing — +$100–$250. The step into the house gets the same system so the floor and the entry match.
• Move and return garage contents — +$100–$300. A small garage packed with boxes adds a flat line for moving and returning them.

Why it is done this way

Solid-color epoxy is the right pick because the garage is small, the budget is tight and the owner wants an easy-to-sweep floor, not a decorative one. Removing the old film is a necessary expense; coating over peeling paint would carry the failure forward.

Small bays often carry a premium per square foot because setup and cleanup take the same time as for a bigger floor. The estimator shows the per-foot ranges, and the installer prices the actual job.

The alternatives that were weighed and set aside:

• Another coat of floor paint is cheap and fails the same way again.
• Flake epoxy at $6–$10 per square foot would hide more but cost more on a floor this small.

What would change the price

• The old film is a thick multi-layer system — a heavier grinding pass adds time.
• The slab turns out to be damp near the door — a moisture primer becomes an extra.
• The paint tests positive for lead — dust control and cleanup get stricter.
• The condo association limits grinding hours — the job spreads over more days.
• The owner wants a lighter color — the second clear coat gets more attention for stains.