Epoxy Flooring in Auburn, KS

Epoxy flooring in Auburn often means working on a split-level house. Wikipedia's article on the town says roughly 100 new split-level homes went up between 1975 and 1985. In a small city with 501 housing units at the 2020 census, that is a big share of the houses in town. Those homes are now forty to fifty years old, and their floors are ready for attention.

Why split-levels need a different plan

A split-level usually has two kinds of concrete floor:

• The garage, often tucked under or beside the upper level, with a slab that takes cars, salt and hot tires.
• The lower level, a family room, laundry or storage area set partly below grade, with a slab that sits close to the soil.

The garage needs a tough, cleanable surface. The lower level needs a moisture check first. We treat them as two jobs with two plans, even when they are done the same week.

The garage

On a 1970s or 1980s garage, we often find worn sealer, oil in the parking lanes and cracks along the control joints. We grind it all off, fill the cracks and build the floor back up. Most Auburn owners choose a flake garage floor coating. If the garage door faces west and the floor takes afternoon sun, a polyaspartic topcoat resists yellowing better than standard epoxy.

The lower level

Lower-level rooms in split-levels are often where a family spends its evenings. Before we coat one, we test the slab for moisture and look for cracks where water may enter. A dry slab can take basement floor epoxy in a solid color, or a metallic epoxy floor if you want the room to look finished without carpet. A slab that shows high moisture gets a moisture-tolerant primer, or a recommendation to fix drainage first.

A young town with older roots

Auburn was founded in 1856 as Brownville and renamed in 1857. It nearly became the state capital before the railroad passed it by, and it was not incorporated until 1963. The median age was 34.5 at the 2020 census, and Auburn-Washburn USD 437 serves the town. Younger households with kids tend to ask for floors that clean up fast and handle bikes, strollers and sports gear.

Steps, landings and the door into the house

Split-levels have short flights of stairs and a landing between the garage and the house, and these are often concrete or sit on concrete. We can coat a concrete landing or step to match the garage floor, with an edge and texture that keep footing safe. Wood or carpeted stairs we leave alone, since our work is on concrete only. We also coat a few inches up the stem wall where it meets the floor, which makes the edge easier to clean.

What a split-level job looks like day to day

We usually start in the garage, since grinding is loud and dusty and the door can stay open. Our vacuums collect the dust at the grinder, and we seal off the door to the house with plastic. The lower level comes next, with fans and windows used to move air while the coating cures. Most families stay in the house the whole time. We tell you which rooms to avoid and for how long, and when you can bring furniture back.

Call (785) 508-1522 or

Get a Free Estimate

and we will look at both your garage and your lower level.