Epoxy Flooring in Fort Lauderdale, FL

Epoxy flooring in Fort Lauderdale has to deal with water from every direction. The city has 165 miles of waterways within its limits, 7 miles of beaches and an elevation of about 7 feet. Rain, salt air, high ground water and the occasional storm all reach garage and ground-floor slabs. We plan each floor with that in mind.

April 12, 2023

On April 12, 2023, Fort Lauderdale received 25.91 inches of rain, about two feet in half a day. The flooding was historic and closed the Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport for a time. Many garages and ground-floor rooms took on water. If your floor was flooded, the slab may have stayed wet for a long time and may still hold moisture. Old coatings, tile and carpet may have lifted.

After a flood, here is how we approach a floor: 1. Remove anything that lost its bond, including tile, carpet, old coatings and adhesive 2. Let the slab dry, then test the moisture before choosing a primer 3. Grind the surface and repair cracks, spalls and low spots 4. Coat with a system that can be cleaned easily if water comes in again

A coated floor will not stop a flood. A sealed, seamless surface does clean up faster than tile or carpet, and there is no grout or padding to hold water and mold afterward.

Rain and storms in a normal year

The airport averages 60.95 inches of rain a year, mostly from May through October, with about 131 days of rain. Summer highs run 86 to 90°F. Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma both struck the city in 2005, and Irma was the most recent direct hit in 2017. For outdoor and open-garage work we watch the weather closely and schedule coats for drier hours.

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The marine trades

Fort Lauderdale is known as the yachting capital of the world, with more than 50,000 registered yachts and around 100 marinas and boatyards. The annual Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show brings more than 125,000 visitors. Behind that industry are boat shops, engine rebuilders, canvas and upholstery shops, parts warehouses and detailing bays. Their floors see fuel, oil, solvents, resins and constant washing.

For these spaces we use:

• Thick, chemical-resistant epoxy for engine and fabrication shops
• Textured topcoats where floors are often wet
• Light colors that brighten work areas and make dropped parts easier to find
• Line striping for work bays and walkways

Older neighborhoods near the river

Fort Lauderdale was established in 1911 and has homes from nearly every decade since, from older houses near the New River to postwar ranch homes and newer townhouses. Older ground floors may have terrazzo, tile over tile or patched concrete from past plumbing work. We remove what has to go, check the slab and repair it so the coating sits on one sound surface. Terrazzo in good shape is sometimes worth restoring instead, and we will tell you when we think so.

Waterfront homes and salt air

Homes along the canals often have a garage at the water side, a covered dock area or a ground-floor storage room for boat gear. Salt air and wet gear are hard on bare concrete. For these floors we suggest a flake system with a UV-stable topcoat, which handles sun through an open door and wipes clean after a day on the water.