Commercial Epoxy Flooring in Fort Myers, FL

Commercial epoxy flooring is a different job than a home garage. A business floor in Fort Myers might see forklifts, pallet jacks, rolling tool carts, grease, brake fluid, cleaning chemicals and hundreds of people a day. Wikipedia describes Fort Myers as the gateway to Southwest Florida and a major tourist destination, and the Cape Coral to Fort Myers metro area had 834,573 residents in 2023. That adds up to restaurants, hotels, auto and marine shops, warehouses, clinics, gyms and retail spaces, nearly all standing on concrete.

Matching the system to the load

We start with how the floor is used, not with a product. A dry storage room needs far less than a commercial kitchen. A marine repair bay needs chemical resistance and grip. HomeAdvisor's figure for 100% solids commercial and industrial coatings starts at $12 per square foot or more. This Old House notes that high-grade coatings for heavy use add about 20% to 30%. Thicker, harder and more chemical-resistant systems cost more, so we only specify them where the floor needs them.

Industrial concrete floor coating options

For warehouses and shops, the workhorse is 100% solids epoxy, which builds thick and resists oil and many chemicals. Floors near open bay doors get a polyaspartic or urethane topcoat for abrasion and UV resistance. Retail floors, offices and gyms often use a flake system that hides dirt and adds texture. Kitchens and wash bays need textured, slip-resistant finishes and coved bases where floor meets wall, so water and grime cannot collect in the corner. Safety striping, walkways and parking lines can be coated right into the floor.

Boats, aircraft and vehicles

Lee County runs on boats and cars. Cape Coral alone has more than 400 miles of canals, so marine service shops and dry storage are common, and those floors see fuel, bottom paint, solvents and trailer traffic. Southwest Florida International Airport served 9,373,178 passengers in 2018, per Wikipedia, and Page Field handles general aviation, so hangars and airport-area warehouses need floors that resist fuel and hydraulic fluid. Auto shops deal with hot oil and jack stands. In each case, we degrease and grind deep, because oil left in the concrete is the most common reason shop coatings fail.

Working around your hours

Bob Vila's guide notes that a coating project can shut a business for a day or two. We plan to keep that as short as possible. Large floors can be done in sections, at night or over a weekend. Fast-curing polyaspartic topcoats shorten the time before people can walk on the floor. You get the plan on paper, showing each area's closing and reopening times.

Moisture, heat and flood history

Commercial slabs face the same local problems as homes, at a larger scale. Fort Myers gets about two thirds of its rain from June through September, and Hurricane Ian flooded businesses across the county in 2022. A big slab with high moisture or leftover salt will blister under a coating. We test at several points across the floor and check older slabs for cracks, settlement and past coatings. In open warehouses with big doors, we plan coats around humidity and the summer afternoon storms.

Inspections and rules

Your health inspector, landlord or insurer may have their own requirements for a floor, especially in food service. Tell us what they have asked for and we will specify a finish that meets it. Every commercial quote spells out the system, thickness, prep, schedule and total. Get a free estimate or call (239) 785-2180.