How Much Does Garage Floor Replacement Cost? [2024 Data]

How Much Does It Cost to Replace a Garage Floor by Square Footage?

On average, the cost to replace a garage floor is around $7 per square foot, but prices range from around $2 up to $14 per square foot. One-car garages will run around $1,680 to finish 240 square feet, while a two-car garage will run around $3,080 to finish 440 square feet.

The cost to replace a garage floor will depend on what parts of the job you tackle yourself. 

Doing minor repairs and recoating can save you around $3 to $4 per square foot.

Keep in mind that installing a new floor in your garage can also mean you’ll need a garage door replacement, as the new floor might be too high for the door to sit fully closed. This can add to your cost if your garage door won’t close after replacing the floor.

Could I Get a Concrete Slab Instead?

If you're only working with a gravel pad, and there is no concrete foundation, you might be able to upgrade to a concrete slab, but you’d have to speak with a professional concrete expert to confirm and get pricing. If you have a concrete foundation or cement block walls around the area where you want to build flooring, you might be able to pour a new concrete floor over the existing one to forgo repairs. Again, speak with a concrete expert or foundation company to see if this is an option.

Garage Floor Replacement Cost Breakdown

While the cost of living will determine labor, there are a few other items that are going to affect the final price of a garage floor replacement. Because you’re dealing with the concrete of the home, you need to consider repairing any cracks in the existing foundation. And maybe you’re tired of the simple gray flooring and want to switch it up for another color stain!

Structural Testing

Since the garage floor is often a part of the concrete foundation of the home, you’re likely going to need to call out a structural engineer to verify that there are no structural issues. You might also be required to have a geotechnical engineer come out to test the soil to make sure the land is still suitable to build on.

Common prices for evaluations include:

• The cost to hire a structural engineer: $550 for a single report

• The cost to hire a geotechnical engineer: $1,500 for a single report

Repair

In the event that either of these reports brings about needs for repairs, then they are considered a priority, and you’ll need to tackle these issues first. These can be small repairs that only cost you around $10 to tackle yourself. 

Or it could be something major such as foundation repair, which could cost upwards of $5,000. Below are some common garage floor repairs and associated costs you might run into:

• Sealing hairline cracks: $10 to $250

• Sealing leaking cracks: $150 to $500

• Concrete leveling: $220 to $1,000

• Mudjacking: $300 to $3,300

• Underpinning: $3,000 to $10,000+

Garage floor repairs will tend to be more expensive in attached garages because the foundation issues are usually more severe. Repairs in detached garages cost less in most cases because issues are often not as severe and because the slab tends to be easier to access from all sides.

Staining or Stamping

The garage doesn’t need to be a dull and boring place where you just park your car. You can spruce it up by adding in different colors or textures, though doing so will raise the overall price.

The cost to stain a concrete floor can vary by type of concrete:

• Single stain: $4 per square foot

• Multi-stain: $10 per square foot

• Stamped concrete: $14 per square foot

How Much Does It Cost to Replace a Garage Floor by Type?

Photo: Konstantin L / Adobe Stock

Don’t feel like you’re stuck with the same concrete flooring that’s been there since you bought the home. While concrete flooring is the standard, you can always put different flooring over it if you want to change the purpose of the garage.

Concrete With Epoxy

Concrete with an epoxy coating is the best way to protect your garage from future problems. 

Epoxy is the garage equivalent of calcium for our bones. It helps keep the concrete strong so it has a higher resistance to cracking and helps keep any stains from soaking into the concrete. 

You’ll also find it adds a nice shine to the garage floor, so the garage tends to feel a little brighter.

To resurface a concrete floor and then coat it with epoxy, expect to pay around $2,200. Keep in mind that adding epoxy can seem like an easy DIY job, but the application can be tricky to get right. We recommend reaching out to a concrete and garage floor coating contractor near you for the best results when adding epoxy to your garage floors.

Vinyl Flooring

Vinyl flooring that you install yourself will run you around $1 to $2 per square foot, depending on the color and style of the flooring you choose. This is perfect if you’re looking to turn the garage into more of a utility room or entertainment space rather than a storage area. Vinyl flooring installation costs are higher ($2 to $7 per square foot) when you hire a pro to handle the job.

Carpet

Because carpet requires a few more steps than vinyl flooring, expect to pay around $3 to $5 per square foot for carpet installation. Carpet is a decent solution if you need flooring with a little more padding when entertaining. You should only consider carpet in your garage if the space is finished, insulated, and converted to living space, as carpet in an unfinished garage will likely get wet and harbor mold. You might be able to get away with carpet if you just insulate your garage door and add heating and cooling to control the temperature and humidity.

Rubber

Rubber flooring will run you an extra $1 to $2 per square foot. Rubber flooring is a great option out there if you want your garage to double as a home gym. It not only saves the flooring from your gym equipment, but you can still easily park your car on rubber flooring.

Tile

Tiling your garage will cost between $4 and $8 in most cases. Tiling can add character to your garage floor and create a luxe feel. However, tile often won’t be strong enough to withstand the weight of a car, so ceramic, porcelain and most other tile types aren’t suitable if you still want your garage to serve its original purpose.

Average prices for different types of tile flooring are as follows:

Comparing Garage Floor Replacement vs. Repair

You don’t always have to jump straight to garage floor replacement when issues arise; in many cases, you may simply need to make some basic epoxy repairs. Repairing garage floor damage is an attainable DIY task if you have a free afternoon and some tools at your disposal; here’s how to repair a concrete garage floor in six easy steps.

So how can you tell if your garage floor can simply be repaired or if it’s time for a total replacement? Here are a few things to consider:

• How old is the concrete floor? Concrete doesn’t last forever. If it’s more than 20 years old, it’s probably smarter to replace the entire floor rather than attempt to fix individual cracks. But if the concrete is only a few years old, it may be worth it to try to repair individual cracks rather than replace the entire floor.

• How extensive are the cracks? Repairing garage floors by filling in cracks with epoxy filler is a simple DIY project, but if the floor is suffering from more than basic surface cracks, you may need to consider a replacement. Long, deep, and wide cracks can let water in; as it freezes and thaws, it will lead to further deterioration of your garage floor.

• What’s the issue? Concrete crack repair is a great alternative to full garage floor replacement, but if there are other issues with the floor or foundation, such as a sinking concrete slab or ineffective water drainage, it may be best to install an entirely new garage floor.

How Much Does It Cost to Replace a Garage Floor Yourself?

By resurfacing a garage floor yourself, you’re probably only going to spend around $2 to $5 per square foot, on average. You can tackle this project yourself if you’ve worked with concrete in the past, but it’s hard work, and mistakes can be costly. We recommend hiring a professional, but if you do opt to do it yourself, you’ll need a few materials to get started:

• 80lb. bag of concrete mix: $5 per bag

• 5-gallon mixing bucket: $6

• Darby to smooth the concrete: $50

• Utility gloves: $15

• Epoxy: $35 per gallon

Once the concrete portion of the garage is finished, you can then go about picking out the top layer of flooring.

Epoxy is a popular floor covering for garages, but if this is your first time tackling concrete and epoxy, it’s definitely worth it to hire a professional epoxy flooring company. It’ll cost you around $7 per square foot on average, but they’ll make sure they get the major repairs taken care of and that the epoxy settles and protects your garage floor effectively. That way, you’re not having to redo this project in six months.

DIY Garage Floor Replacement vs. Hiring a Pro

Making simple repairs to cracks in your garage floor is one thing, but replacing a whole garage floor is an entirely different kind of project. Unless you have an advanced understanding of flooring—whether you’re pouring concrete or installing tiles—we recommend working with a garage floor contractor near you to get the job done.