Before we arrive
- Empty the garage completely. Everything, including shelving where possible and anything against the walls. This is the single biggest thing that determines whether the day runs smoothly.
- Clear driveway access. We need room for the truck, the grinder and the vacuum.
- Plan your vehicles. No garage access for the day, and no parking on the new floor for 24–72 hours after.
- Tell us about pets. The door into the house stays masked, but we'd rather know.
The sequence
The order below does not change. How long each stage takes depends on the size of the space, the condition of the slab, and the weather — which is why we give you timings after we have seen the floor rather than before.
- Walk-through and masking. Confirm the colour, then mask the walls, door frames and the entry into the house.
- Grinding. Diamond grinding with dust extraction, including hand grinding every edge and corner. Usually the longest stage.
- Repairs. Vacuum, then rout and fill cracks and patch spalls. If repairs need to cure before coating, this is what can push a job into a second day.
- Final clean and primer. Vacuum and tack, then primer where the slab calls for it.
- Base coat and broadcast. Pigmented body coat, then flake thrown to refusal.
- Scrape and vacuum. Once cured enough, excess flake is scraped down and recovered.
- Topcoat. Clear polyaspartic, laid off in sections.
- Cleanup and walk-through. Masking removed, floor inspected with you.
Many standard two-car garages are completed within a single working day. Larger floors, slabs needing significant repair, and jobs in peak summer heat often run longer, and a crew that tells you otherwise before seeing your slab is guessing.
Afterwards
Cure times vary by product and by temperature, so these are typical ranges rather than promises. Your installer will give you specific times for the system that went down.
- Foot traffic: commonly a few hours after the topcoat
- Moving items back in: usually the following day
- Parking on it: typically 24 to 72 hours, longer in cold conditions
- Full chemical cure: around a week. Avoid harsh cleaners until then
Parking early is the one thing a homeowner can do that damages a good floor. A vehicle on a coating that hasn't reached hardness will mark it permanently, and it isn't covered by any warranty. If you're unsure, wait another day.
The night before
- Garage completely empty, including anything against the walls
- Vehicles parked where they will not need to move for 24–72 hours after
- Driveway clear for the truck, grinder and vacuum
- Garage door working and able to stay open through the day
- Anything precious in the adjoining room moved or covered — fine dust travels
- Pets planned for; the door into the house gets masked
What you will hear and see
Grinding is the loud part, roughly three hours, comparable to a large shop vacuum plus a floor sander running together. It is audible next door. If you have neighbours who work nights or a baby who naps, a heads-up saves a conversation later.
Dust is well controlled with HEPA extraction but not eliminated. Expect a light film on surfaces near the garage, which we clean before leaving. Resin odour is present during application and for a few hours after, and it is noticeably stronger during the topcoat phase.
Weather and scheduling in Reno
| Season | Considerations |
|---|---|
| Nov–Mar | Ideal. Long working windows, comfortable slab temperatures |
| Apr–May | Very good. Peak demand, so book further ahead |
| Jun–Sep | Early starts required. Topcoat down before afternoon heat |
| Oct | Very good. Second demand peak |
We occasionally postpone a summer job rather than apply a fast-cure topcoat to a slab that is already too hot. It is frustrating for everyone in the moment and it is the correct call.
The first week after
Typical ranges for a polyaspartic-topped system in mild conditions. Cold slabs and high-build systems take longer, so confirm the actual times with your installer before you move anything back in.
| Roughly | What you can usually do |
|---|---|
| Same evening | Walk on it in soft-soled shoes |
| Next day | Move light items back in — shelving, boxes |
| 1–3 days | Park on it |
| About a week | Full chemical cure; normal cleaning resumes |
| After full cure | Jacks, stands, mats rated non-staining |
Snagging
We walk the floor with you before we leave, in good light, and we would rather you were fussy at that point than polite. Things worth looking at: the termination line at the threshold, the coating at the perimeter, consistency of the flake density across the field, and any debris caught in the topcoat.
Small inclusions — a hair, a speck of dust — are almost inevitable on any floor coated in a real garage rather than a clean room. What is not acceptable is lap marks, thin coverage, or a ragged edge, and we will fix those.
Common questions
Do I need to be home?
Only at the start and the end. We'll confirm colour and walk the space with you first thing, and walk the finished floor with you before we go.
The middle of the day doesn't need you. Plenty of customers leave a key or a garage code.
What if it rains or it's extremely hot?
Rain is rarely a factor for interior garage work. Extreme heat is — polyaspartic's working time shortens dramatically above about 95°F at the slab.
Between May and September we start early and aim to have topcoat down before the hottest part of the afternoon. Occasionally we'll move a job rather than apply in bad conditions.
How loud and dusty is it?
Grinding is loud — comparable to a shop vacuum plus a floor sander, for about three hours. Neighbours notice.
Dust is well controlled with HEPA extraction. You'll get a light film on nearby surfaces, which we clean before leaving. It's nothing like an unextracted grind, which fills a house.
Ready for a floor that survives a Sierra winter?
Free on-site measure, honest assessment of your slab, and a written quote you can hold us to.