What installers charge to coat a basement floor, from their own published prices, and why moisture decides more about a basement floor than anything else. Price your basement below, then see it coated in a photo of your own floor.
Researched by Arian Askarizad · Prices checked October 5, 2026 · How we research
Pick your basement size and finish, upload a photo, and see it coated, with a price range built from what installers publish for basements. If you want quotes, leave your details and we'll pass them to an installer near you where we know one.
Honest answers here make the estimate accurate — prep is the biggest cost variable in any coating job. Not sure? Leave the defaults and we'll confirm on site.
Textured, durable — the garage favourite
| Source | System | Published price | Dated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duraamen (installs in NYC)New York City | Epoxy / epoxy + moisture primer / polyaspartic / polyurea | $3–$5 / $5–$8 / $6–$10 / $8–$14 per sq ft | Feb 2026 |
| EpoxyShineWoodland Park, NJ | Basement floor | $5–$12 per sq ft ($5–$7 clean and dry; $8–$12+ with cracks, old coatings or moisture) | Jun 2026 |
| Basement Waterproofing ScientistsRadnor, PA | Basement floor | $4–$12 per sq ft; 500 sq ft $2,000–$5,300; 1,000 sq ft $4,000–$10,500 | Aug 2025 |
| Polypro ConcreteSouth Bend, IN | Epoxy / polyaspartic or polyurea | $3–$7 / $6–$12 per sq ft | May 2026 |
| Croc CoatingsNorth Idaho & Spokane | Polyaspartic basement | About $6–$12 per sq ft with moisture mitigation or crack repair; 400–800+ sq ft $2,400–$9,600+ | Aug 2026 |
| GLI Epoxy FlooringToronto | Solid / flake / metallic (CAD) | $7–$11 / $9–$14 / $12–$18 per sq ft; moisture primer +$1.50–$3 | May 2026 |
| ProEpoxyToronto | 500 sq ft basement (CAD) | $3,500–$5,500 dry slab; $4,500–$7,000 with elevated moisture | Aug 2026 |
| Epoxy Floor VancouverVancouver | 500–800 sq ft basement (CAD) | $3,000–$7,500 before GST | Sep 2026 |
| HomeGuideNational guide | Basement (300–2,000 sq ft) | $1,200–$20,000 | Feb 2026 |
| Today's HomeownerNational guide | 1,000 sq ft basement | $2,800–$11,500 | Apr 2025 |
Canadian figures are in CAD; the calculator above prices in USD. Prices as published on each source's own site, re-checked October 5, 2026. They change, and none of them is a quote. Pictimate is not affiliated with these businesses.
A basement has no hot tires, road salt or sun through a garage door, so wear is lighter. What it has is a slab below grade, often with groundwater around it. Moisture rising through the concrete is a leading reason basement coatings fail, by blistering or peeling, so a good basement job starts with testing, not with colours.
The two standard tests are ASTM F2170, probes that measure humidity inside the slab, and ASTM F1869, a calcium chloride test on the surface. Typical limits for standard coatings are about 75 to 80 percent relative humidity, or 3 pounds of moisture per 1,000 sq ft per day. Sherwin-Williams recommends the in-slab humidity test. A taped plastic sheet only shows whether moisture is present. The proper tests take a few days, so they happen before install day.
When readings go over the coating's limit, installers put down a moisture-mitigating epoxy primer first. Depending on the product these are rated up to roughly 85 to 100 percent humidity, or 20 to 25 pounds. Older homes often have no vapor barrier under the slab, and manufacturers warn that seasonal swings can push moisture up even after a passing test, which is why some installers prime every older basement.
A floor coating does not stop an active leak or water pushing up under pressure. Sherwin-Williams says its moisture barrier primer must not go over a slab under hydraulic pressure, and installers send active leaks to a waterproofing contractor first.
Old paint, sealers, adhesive and old flooring have to come off, by diamond grinding or shot blasting. White salt deposits (efflorescence) are a moisture warning sign and are removed mechanically too. Acid etching is not a substitute: several manufacturers do not recommend it, and some do not permit it under their moisture barrier primers.
Cracks are opened and filled before coating; a crack that keeps moving is honored rather than sealed over. Floor drains and sump pits are detailed around, not coated over.
Temperature matters below grade. Many epoxies need a slab of about 50 to 60°F to cure properly, and some polyaspartics are rated much colder. A cold basement in winter may need heat before and during the job.
A coating is not radon mitigation. The US EPA says it does not recommend sealing alone to reduce radon, because sealing has not been shown to lower radon levels significantly or consistently. If you have a radon system, the installer works around its pipe; if you need one, that is a separate job.
Store kits are thin coatings. Rust-Oleum's own data sheet for its basement floor coating says it is for floors in good, sound condition, free of curing agents and sealers, and not for floors with a moisture problem. A professional moisture-mitigating primer alone goes on several times thicker.
US installers publish about $3 to $12 per sq ft depending on the system and the slab. A 500 sq ft basement often lands around $2,000 to $5,300 and a 1,000 sq ft basement around $4,000 to $10,500. A moisture-mitigating primer adds roughly $2 to $3 per sq ft.
It resists water from above, like spills and wet boots. It does not stop moisture coming up through the slab: trapped under a coating, that moisture is what causes blistering and peeling. That is why the slab is tested first and a moisture barrier primer is used when needed.
Not usually per square foot. Basements need more moisture work, equipment has to come down the stairs, and older slabs often need more repair. They also see lighter wear, so a simpler topcoat can be enough.
Installers report both: full-flake systems for durability and hiding imperfections, and metallic finishes for finished living spaces. A basement with a walkout door or large windows needs a UV-stable topcoat where sun reaches the floor.
No. The EPA does not recommend sealing alone to reduce radon. A radon system is separate work; your installer just works around its pipe.
No. It is a range built from what installers publish. An installer tests your slab and confirms the real price after seeing it. If you want quotes, leave your details and we will pass them to an installer near you where we know one.
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