What to expect during a concrete coating consultation (6 steps)

Summer’s approaching, school is almost out, and the Texas heat is coming.

You haven’t yet had the opportunity to use your backyard pool because of the bipolar, frequent cold snaps San Antonio still endures through the spring months. 

As you walk around your back patio to inspect the pool area, you notice a few deep cracks in the concrete. That can’t be safe for pool days and birthday parties when your backyard fills up with friends and family. 

Video: "What goes into a concrete coating installation" link down below

So you decide to research and are thinking of scheduling a consultation with a concrete coating company for your repair. Inviting a stranger into your home can be nerve-racking; what are you supposed to expect? 

Southwest Exteriors is a local home remodeling contractor for over 30 years, and we have been coating concrete for three years now. We want you to have all the information you need to feel prepared for a consultation. 

In this article, we will outline the steps of a concrete consultation with Southwest Exteriors so that you will know what to expect and prepare. 

After reading, you can feel comfortable and confident going into your concrete coating consultation.

1. We’ll set the agenda for the consultation

Before getting into the details of your project, we will outline what all is going to happen so you know where we are headed. 

The consultation should take about 45 minutes. The reason we take this much time is that we want to be able to give you all the information about the products, installation, warranty, and pricing. 

An important first step to the consultation is also establishing your goals and desires for your project. 

2. We’ll measure the area of the project, test the concrete, and visualize your project

After establishing the agenda and talking over what you are looking to get out of this project on a surface level, we will go out to the area you are wanting to be coated. 

We can coat any concrete surface from garage floors, outdoor patios, sidewalks, and driveways. 

We will measure the area of the prospective project so that later we can give you an exact price. During this time, we will also test the concrete for moisture content, hardness, and look for any cracks or problem areas. 

The reason the concrete must be inspected for these things is that if the concrete is too moist, a moisture barrier will have to be added to the concrete before the coating which will cost a little extra.

Similarly, if the concrete is too soft, a densifier will have to be added to the concrete before coating.

Any cracks or pitting in the concrete will have to be repaired before coating as well which will add to the total cost. 

While we measure and inspect the concrete area, we will talk more about your vision for your project. What colors are you interested in? What customizations are you interested in?

We want to dive deep into your project so that we can guide you through the process and help you with your decisions. 

Once we’ve talked through your goals and wants for the project and measured the area, we’ll settle down in a comfortable area to dissect the details.

We can do this in any area you are comfortable with. If you would rather stay outside in the garage or on the patio and do not want us to go inside of your home, that is completely fine.

3. We’ll talk about the company, products, and installation

We want you to know who Southwest Exteriors is and a little history about the company. We have been a locally established home remodeling contractor for over 30 years and have been installing concrete coatings for three years now. 

Once you’ve got a feel for who we are as a company and what principles we work off of, we get into the product specifics.

We offer polyurea concrete coatings from Penntek.  The coatings consist of a polyurea base coat, a vinyl chip blend with the color of your choice, and a polyaspartic topcoat. 

The coating process consists of an initial grinding of the concrete with an industrial diamond grinder, fixing any cracks or pitting, apply any densifiers or moisture barriers if necessary, apply the base coat, disperse the flakes, and finally apply the topcoat. 

We go into detail about the coating process so that you have any idea of the work that goes into a quality concrete coating. 

We will also provide a comparison of polyurea to epoxy, a popular coating material for concrete, so you can see how they stack up against each other. 

This part of the consultation is informing you of the products and services we offer to help you determine if we are the right contractor for you. 

4. We’ll review the warranties

An important aspect of any home improvement project is the warranty. 

For concrete coatings, Penntek offers a lifetime warranty against UV damage and a 15-year product failure warranty. Chipping, peeling, separating, and delaminating are all included as product failure.

With Southwest Exteriors, we offer a lifetime warranty for as long as you live in your home. If anything goes wrong, the cost of the product, labor, and installation are all included with that warranty.

5. We’ll look at example photos

Envisioning your project is one thing, but seeing what it might actually look like is another.

Once we’ve gone over all of the product and warranty information, we’ll look at real before and after photos of projects from the past so you can see different looks and what we do.

If there is a project we’ve done in the past with the same color choice and location you are wanting, we will try and show those examples to you so you can get a better idea of what it will look like.

6. We’ll present you with an exact price

Now that we’ve established your exact wants and goals for the project, we will present you with the exact price of the project. 

During this time, we will also educate you on the different payment/finance options we offer. You'll be given a price that is valid for seven days and a second price valid for 30 days. This includes installation, labor, and warranty, and will not change unless you add customizations or change the area of the project. 

Do I need to prepare anything before my consultation?

The only thing you can prepare before your concrete coating installation is to research and prepare questions ahead of time. 

Find home remodeling blogs that give you information on concrete coatings so you can learn more about what you are looking for and get some of your questions answered ahead of time.

It is important to have a little information and background on what you are looking for so that we can help guide you through the different options available to you. 

We want you to know that there is no need to clear or clean the area of concrete we will be looking at. We are there to help make your dream become a reality, not to judge how many boxes you might have in your garage. 

For virtual consultations, the agenda remains the same and the same information will be covered. We can give an estimated cost by using your county’s appraisal district records to get the approximate square footage for the area. 

Ready to schedule your concrete coating consultation?

Now that you know what to expect during a concrete coating consultation with Southwest Exteriors, you can feel more comfortable going into your appointment. 

We want you to feel as prepared as possible and want you to know that we are there to serve you. 

While preparing questions and researching ahead of time is important, our design consultants will equip you with all the information you need for your project. 

Ready to schedule your consultation? Schedule a free in-home consultation by filling out the form on our webpage. Virtual consultations are available for your safety and convenience.