Garage Floor Preparation Built for a Coating That Lasts

$1,500 covers up to 400 sq ft, a typical 2-car garage or driveway, within 50 miles of Hurst. That includes shot blasting, grinding the edges along walls and corners, dust extraction, and cleanup.

51 to 150 miles out, a travel fee of $425 or $650 is added, depending on distance. Bigger garages, 3-car garages, and longer driveways are quoted from your photos. You get a written price before we schedule.

Empty the garage, then the slab needs to be clean, dry, and profiled. That means old sealers, paint, and peeling coating removed and the surface opened up to the texture, or CSP, your coating’s instructions call for.

Store-bought kits often say to acid etch. Etching leaves a shallow profile and can’t remove curing compounds or oil, and leading coating makers recommend mechanical prep like shot blasting instead.

The two most common reasons are improper floor prep and coating concrete that isn’t fully dry.

Improper prep. Epoxy needs clean, textured concrete to grip. Dust, oil, old sealers, curing compounds, and smooth, weak surface paste all get in the way.

Coating too soon after rain. After a rain, concrete can look dry on top and still be holding water inside. Rain blowing or running into the garage, water dripping off cars, and moisture coming up through the slab all add to it. Water between the slab and the coating weakens the bond, and the epoxy can blister or peel later even if it seemed to cure fine. Give the slab time to dry out completely, and follow your coating maker’s moisture guidelines.

What about “hot tire pickup”? That’s when warm tires lift the coating as you pull out. It’s mostly a coating problem: thin, low-solids or water-based epoxy kits soften under hot tires. A weak bond from poor prep makes it worse. Ask your installer about a coating rated for hot tires.

Shot blasting removes oil and grime on the surface and the top layer of concrete with it, so most stains look much lighter. Oil that has soaked deep into the slab stays in the slab, and a coating may not bond well over that spot.

Send close-up photos of your stains and we will tell you plainly what to expect before you commit. We don’t offer chemical degreasing.

We shot blast the main floor and grind the edges and corners with a dust-shrouded grinder. On a garage, shot blasting cleans and profiles the slab faster and more evenly than grinding the whole floor. If your coating’s instructions call for grinding instead, tell us and we’ll quote it.

No. We prep concrete for coatings like epoxy and polyaspartic, and for sealers and overlays. We don’t level floors, pour underlayment, or prep for wood, tile or vinyl plank.

No. BlastTex provides preparation only; you or your installer apply the coating. Because we do not sell coatings, our recommendations are product-neutral.

Shot blasting is dry, with no water or chemicals, so there’s no drying time from our work. We leave the floor swept and vacuumed. When to coat is up to your installer and your coating’s instructions, including any moisture limits for the slab.

A typical 2-car garage is a one-day job. The blaster runs with a HEPA dust extractor that captures most of the dust as we work, though no prep method is completely dust-free. The machines are loud while they run, so we recommend letting your neighbors know ahead of time.

No. We bring our own generator, and shot blasting doesn’t use water.

Empty the garage completely, including shelves and anything stored along the walls. Let us know the coating you plan to use, if you know it, and send photos of any stains, cracks, or peeling areas. Someone who can approve the work and pay needs to be there at the end to walk the floor with us.

Not at this time. Crack and joint repair is handled by your coating installer or a concrete contractor. Shot blasting first exposes the cracks and gives the repair material a clean surface to bond to, and we’ll point out any cracks we see.

Shot blasting removes the surface layer of the concrete, along with oil film, tire marks, grime, old sealer and paint, and leaves an even, textured surface. Most stains get much lighter, but oil that soaked deep into the slab can stay. It isn’t a decorative finish. Send photos and we’ll tell you what to expect.

No. We don’t pressure wash. Shot blasting is a dry, mechanical process that removes the top layer of the concrete, which goes further than washing for stains, sealers and paint.

No. We prep the concrete so your sealer, stain or coating bonds. You or your installer apply it, following the product’s instructions.

Yes. Sidewalks, walkways, porches and patios are priced at our project minimums, so combining them with a garage or driveway often makes the most sense.

Yes. We prep garages between tenants, remove failed coatings, clean up driveways before a listing, and can schedule several properties in one trip. Every job gets a written proposal and time-stamped photos.

Clean, dull, and evenly textured. It’s a prep finish, not a decorative one. Blasting can also show old patches, repairs, and stains that were already in the concrete. Send photos and we’ll tell you what to expect for yours.

A small, fixed deposit holds your date: $250 within 50 miles, $500 for jobs 51 to 100 miles out, or $650 for jobs 101 to 150 miles out. It isn’t an extra fee. It’s applied to your total, paid by card through a BlastTex LLC invoice, and you get a receipt.

If we cancel, or you cancel at least 72 hours ahead, you get it back in full. One reschedule is free with 48 hours’ notice, and there’s no charge for weather. The balance is due when the job is done, before our equipment leaves.

Acid etching leaves a shallow profile and can’t remove curing compounds, sealers, or oil, which is why leading coating makers recommend mechanical prep instead.

You can rent a shot blaster, but once you add the dust collector, a generator, steel shot, and delivery or a trailer, one day often costs as much as hiring us, or more, and the equipment is unforgiving in inexperienced hands. Pausing in one spot can gouge the slab, and the gouge shows through the coating.

See the full DIY cost breakdown →