How to Vet a Tampa Garage Floor Coater

1. Surface prep: the question that decides everything

Ask: “How do you prep the concrete — grinding or etching?”

• Diamond grinding — the professional standard. Mechanically abrades the surface, removing curing sealers, laitance, old paint, oil-contaminated concrete, and the smooth trowel finish. Creates a consistent profile the coating bonds to. Dust-controlled grinders with vacuums are the norm now; a contractor grinding without dust control is behind the times.
• Acid etching — acceptable for DIY or small areas, inadequate as a contractor’s primary prep. It can’t remove sealers or paint, performs inconsistently on hard-troweled Florida slabs, and leaves neutralization chemistry to manage. As the only prep on a professional job, it’s a red flag.

Follow up with: “Do you grind to bare concrete everywhere, including edges and corners?” Edges are where lazy prep shows first — and where peeling starts.

2. Moisture testing: Florida’s non-negotiable

Ask: “Do you moisture-test the slab, and what do you do if readings are high?”

Tampa’s water table means vapor drive through concrete is a fact of life, not a freak occurrence. A professional tests — calcium chloride kits or in-slab relative-humidity probes — and has a plan: normal readings get standard primer; elevated readings get a moisture-mitigation epoxy primer rated for vapor suppression before the coating system goes down. “We’ve never had a moisture problem” is not a testing protocol. Neither is eyeballing it.

3. The system spec — in writing

Ask: “Put the full system in writing — products, solids content, and mil thickness.”

A real quote names the system: primer type, base coat (100% solids epoxy? polyurea?), flake broadcast level (partial or full), topcoat chemistry (polyaspartic? polyurethane?), and total dry mil thickness. “Epoxy floor, $3,000” is not a spec — it’s a price attached to a mystery. Two contractors can both say “epoxy” while one applies 10 mils of 100% solids and the other rolls two thin coats of water-based product. The spec is how you compare quotes instead of just prices.

4. Warranty terms that actually mean something

Ask: “What exactly does the warranty cover, for how long, and what voids it?”

• Get it in writing — verbal warranties evaporate with the crew’s taillights.
• Coverage should name delamination/peeling and hot-tire pickup explicitly.
• Reasonable exclusions exist: structural slab movement, flooding, and chemical abuse beyond the rated exposure are commonly excluded. Exclusions aren’t the enemy — unstated exclusions are.
• Ask who backs it: the installer, the manufacturer, or both? A “manufacturer warranty” on materials means little if the failure was installation — which most failures are.
• “Lifetime warranty” with no written terms is a sales phrase, not a warranty. Treat it as zero.

5. References and proof of work

Ask for three references from the last 12 months — and actually call one. Also ask to see photos of completed work, and for metallic or decorative systems, ask to see their work specifically: metallic patterns are the installer’s technique, and stock photos tell you nothing. A contractor with no recent local references is either new (fine — price should reflect it) or avoiding scrutiny (not fine).

6. Insurance and business basics

• General liability insurance — certificate in hand, current dates, not a verbal promise.
• Workers’ comp or a valid Florida exemption — know which one applies.
• Local business tax receipt — the baseline “license” for this trade in Florida (see our licensing guide).
• Written payment terms — deposit reasonable (not 100% upfront), balance on completion.

Red flags — walk away when you see these

• Prep is “etching” or “a really good cleaning” with no grinding.
• No moisture testing, or dismisses the question.
• Can’t or won’t name products, solids content, or mil thickness.
• Quote is dramatically cheaper than the others with no explanation of what’s different.
• Demands full payment upfront, or cash-only with no receipt.
• “Lifetime warranty” with nothing in writing.
• No local references from the past year.
• High-pressure “sign today” discount tactics.

The 10-minute phone screen

Before anyone drives out, ask three questions on the phone: (1) grinding or etching for prep, (2) do you moisture-test every slab, (3) will the quote list products and mil thickness in writing. Good contractors answer all three crisply and appreciate being asked. The rest will tell on themselves.