Choosing a contractor for a major home project can feel overwhelming. Whether it's a kitchen remodel or a new garage floor coating, you want someone you can trust, who does quality work, and who stands behind their product. At Stronghold Floors, we believe you deserve the best, and we want to help you make an informed decision. 

NOTES 

1. This article is only about garage floor coating contractors, where a project is just a matter of a few key data points like floor size, concrete condition and needed repairs. Some items below may or may not apply to other types of specialty contractors.
   
   
2. You can download a PDF file of the checklist shown in the image above and at the bottom of this article by clicking here.

Here are eight key things to look at when hiring a garage floor coatings contractor.

1. Start Your Search with a Critical Eye

Your first step is to find companies in your area. Typically, through an online search on Google or Bing using something like “garage floor coatings near me” or “garage floor coatings contractors <your city>”.

Once you have a list of companies, don't just stop there. Take a close look at each garage floor coating company’s online presence.

• Website: Is their website well-maintained and full of helpful information?   Has their blog posted new articles recently? 
  
  
• Social media: Check platforms like Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Do their social media profiles show recent activity? A lack of recent additions and updates can be a red flag, suggesting the business may be new, unstable or barely staying in business. You want a company that will be around for years to honor their warranty. 

Our Social Media Presence links can be found at the bottom of this page (in the footer).

2. Dive Deeper than the Review Score

A high star rating is a good start, but it's not the whole story. Go beyond the number and actually read the reviews.  

• Look for trends: Do customers mention specific details about the quality of work, the professionalism of the team, or the communication throughout the process? Are their reviews spanning years or just a few months? If nearly all reviews lack comments, it’s likely these reviews were provided by family and friends. If the reviews seem to be provided after the sales call, but before the actual coatings installation – proceed with extreme caution!
• Beware of "incentivized" reviews: Some companies offer a discount or incentive for a review. This can artificially inflate their ratings. We believe a quality job should speak for itself, and we never pay for positive feedback.   Be careful of reviews that show customers holding gimmicks, such as pre-made signs from the company.
• Check multiple platforms: Don't rely on a single source. Check sites like Google, Yelp, and Facebook to get a well-rounded view of their reputation.   While not as common anymore, you may still want to check the company on the Angi platform.
• Find their Better Business Bureau rating:       While most businesses no longer get accredited, you can still check their score and look at the reviews/complaints filed.

Click here to see our A+ BBB rating

 3. Ask About Experience and Longevity

Experience is crucial for a successful, long-lasting garage floor coating. The older a company is, the more likely they are to be stable and available to support their warranty.

• How long have they been in business? Be wary of companies that have only been around for a few months or years.       Many contractors like to try offering coatings, only to make a lot of mistakes (or take shortcuts) in the early years and then change businesses.  
• Beware of franchise network numbers: Some companies might claim decades of experience, but that can be the total for the entire franchise network, not the local owner. Always ask for the local company's specific start date and experience.

Our longevity: Stronghold Floors has been in business since 2004, and our leadership team alone has over 55 years of combined experience. Adding all our team together brings the total nearly 100 years!

Over the past 15+ years, Stronghold Floors has replaced many “professional” coatings offered by competitors that no longer exist. Often, the coatings we replaced failed due to poor surface preparation or poorly bonded coatings (caused by using fast setting materials that did not soak into the concrete).

4. Know Their Project Count

Longevity is important, but so is the number of jobs they've successfully completed. This shows they have real, hands-on experience with a variety of garage floors and challenges.

• Get specific numbers: Again, ask for their local project count, not the national franchise total. If the project count is a close ratio to their number of reviews, it may be a bit suspect.
• Diversity in the completed projects: If your project has special items or requires repairs, ask about completed projects that encompassed these special items and their “best practices” for the special items (examples include steps, drains, stem walls and aprons).

Our track record of success: With over 9,000 garage floor coatings completed in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, Stronghold Floors has the proven experience you can count on.

In addition to garages, Stronghold Floors has completed hundreds of commercial projects (including production floors, chemical containment areas, showrooms and hangars), basement floors, sunrooms, patios and more.

5. Get a Straightforward Price Estimate

A reputable company should be able to give you a ballpark estimate over the phone. If a contractor insists on a lengthy, in-person consultation just to give you a price, it can be a red flag for "price-point" or "customer-based" pricing. This is where they might start with an inflated price to see how much they can get from you, then offer aggressive discounts to pressure you on a sale.

Honest, upfront pricing: Stronghold Floors will give you a reliable estimate over the phone or by email. This saves you time and ensures we're on the same page from the very beginning. We don't play pricing games.

6. Inquire about appointment particulars and job scheduling

Don’t get trapped in a long, drawn-out appointment designed to wear you down and talk you into a large expenditure (or a financing package you did not want). During the initial conversation, ask:

• How long does the appointment normally take?
• Will the salesperson only need access to the garage, or do they insist on coming into the home?

Quoting a garage floor is NOT an appointment that requires sitting down at the kitchen table, nor should the appointment take very long.   After all, it’s only a matter of measuring the garage floor, selecting your coatings and discussing the particulars of your project.  It should only take more than 30 minutes if you have a lot of questions or take your time selecting a decorative chip blend.

In addition, during the initial phone call, inquire about when you can get the garage floor coatings installed.

• If the flooring contractor is available to install coatings in just days, that’s often a sign they are not a fully established business. It may even be a “side business”.  
• Reputable coatings contractors usually have a backlog of a few weeks at a minimum, sometimes more during the busy spring and summer months.  
  

A Quick True Story

In the summer of 2025, Stronghold Floors completed a two-car garage floor coating for Eric in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. Eric really caught our attention with his inquiry, where he stated:

I don't want to negotiate. I want to purchase a product and service that has a finite price. I'd like to know what that price is for your company. Last estimate started at $28k, changed products and went down to $11k and when I still said no, went down again to $8k. It was like talking to a car salesman, including the "let me call my manager"

We provided pricing over the phone (projected as around $3,300 based upon the square footage).   He had one of our competitors out to provide a quote where that salesperson took over 2 hours of his time and started with a price of $28,000 and then discounted all the way down to $11,000. Talk about “price pointing”.   Our actual quote was within $40 of the estimate we provided, and his garage floor coatings were completed 3 weeks after his inquiry.

Eric’s Google review states "Staff easy to work with and cost is straight forward. Attention to detail is excellent and finished project beautiful. Oversized 2 car garage $3,300 all-inclusive for York coating."

7. Do They Partner with Homebuilders?

Ask if the company works with local or regional homebuilders. Reputable builders are very selective about their partners and demand fair, consistent pricing and high-quality work. A lack of these partnerships, especially long-term partnerships, can indicate that a contractor's pricing model isn't transparent, their work scheduling is unreliable or their quality isn't up to industry standards.

Stronghold Floors partners with over 75 custom homebuilders and large community builders, including Toll Brothers, DRB Homes/DRB Elevate, Miller & Smith, EGStoltzfus Homes and Garman Builders (just to name a few).  We have builder partners who started using our services in 2005 and continue to do so today.

8. Ask for Referrals (For Older Projects)

If you're still not sure, ask for a few references from projects completed several years ago. A company that stands behind its work will be proud to show you a floor that still looks great years later.

Final Words of Advice

Pay attention to your gut.

• If it doesn’t feel right, the company may not be the right choice for you.
• When you call a company, is the person on the other end knowledgeable and helpful?
• Do they answer your questions directly, or do they try to push you into an immediate sales appointment?  
• Does it feel like you are talking to an actual company employee or someone at an answering service that just takes your name and number?

We believe the first conversation and sales appointment should be informative, not a sales pitch. It’s the initial steps in building the trust you need for a successful garage coatings project.

You can download a PDF file of the checklist shown below by clicking here.