Resin, epoxy, polyurethane, power float, screed
What does industrial flooring cost per square metre?
Industrial floors are priced by the square metre, and that rate falls as the area grows, because mobilisation, set-up and preparation plant get spread over more floor. What sets the rate in the first place is the system you specify, the state of the slab underneath it and how many hours you can give the contractor with the building empty. Tell us about the floor and industrial flooring contractors will price it properly.
Three steps
- Tell us the floor: what the building does, roughly the area, what is down now and how much downtime you have. Two minutes, no account.
- We pass it to industrial flooring contractors covering your postcode, and to no one else.
- They price the job and, on anything serious, come and survey the slab. Compare, choose, or walk away.
Industrial Flooring Cost is a free introduction service operated by Ellul Solutions Ltd; we pass your details to industrial flooring contractors who quote you directly. We may receive a fee from providers; you pay nothing and are under no obligation. We are not a flooring contractor and we are not affiliated with the HSE or any manufacturer or body named on this site. Nothing here is specification, engineering or safety advice: system selection belongs to the contractor and the manufacturer's technical data sheet for your process.
What sets an industrial floor rate: the nine cost drivers
Last updated
Industrial flooring is quoted per square metre, but the rate is an output, not an input. These nine variables produce it. The right-hand column is what to put in front of every contractor so that three quotes are actually comparable rather than three different jobs.
Compiled from how industrial flooring is specified and priced in the UK: system type and build-up thickness, area, substrate condition, preparation method, moisture, surface finish requirements such as anti-slip and chemical resistance, downtime and working hours, line marking and detailing, and access for plant. No monetary rates are published here, because a rate per square metre without an area, a substrate survey and an access window is not a quotable price. Reviewed August 2026.
| Cost driver | Why it moves the rate | What to ask for on the quote |
|---|---|---|
| System type | A thin epoxy sealer, a self-smoothing resin, a heavy-duty polyurethane screed, a power floated slab and a sand-cement screed are different products with different materials cost, application labour and life. Ranked roughly cheapest to dearest, that is also the order. | The named system and its manufacturer, not just the word resin |
| Build-up thickness | Resin is sold and applied by thickness. Doubling the build-up roughly doubles the material and changes the application method. Thickness is chosen from the duty, not from the budget. | The specified thickness in millimetres and the duty it is rated for |
| Area | Mobilisation, plant hire, set-up and the first day of preparation get spread across the floor. The same specification costs materially more per square metre on a small floor than on a large one. | The rate at your actual area, and the rate if the area changes |
| Substrate condition | Sound, clean, level concrete is the cheap case. Contamination, laitance, previous coatings, cracks, spalling and falls that need correcting all add work before any new floor goes down. | A written substrate survey, and what happens if it is worse than assumed |
| Preparation method | Preparation is not a line to negotiate away: it is the single biggest driver of whether the floor sticks. Shot blasting, diamond grinding and scabbling differ in cost, dust, noise and the profile they leave. | The named preparation method and the profile it achieves |
| Moisture in the slab | Resin over a slab that is still releasing moisture is the classic failure. Testing, and where needed a damp-suppressing membrane or primer, is a cost, and skipping it is a much bigger one. | Whether moisture testing is included, and what the result triggers |
| Performance requirements | Anti-slip profiles, chemical and solvent resistance, thermal shock resistance, hygiene detailing and coving are specification choices, each with a material and labour consequence. | The performance criteria written into the specification |
| Downtime and working hours | Cure times are fixed by chemistry, not by goodwill. Night work, weekend shifts, phased bay-by-bay working and containment to keep production running all add labour and time. | The access window assumed, and the cost of nights or phased work |
| Line marking, detailing and edges | Bay markings, walkways, hatching, coving, drainage falls, thresholds and expansion joint detailing are separate operations, priced by length and complexity, not by area. | Line marking priced separately, by metre, with the layout agreed |
- Industrial flooring is priced per square metre and the rate falls as the area grows, because mobilisation, plant and set-up are spread across more floor.
- Substrate preparation and moisture testing drive both the cost and the failure risk of an industrial floor: resin applied over a contaminated or damp slab fails regardless of how good the resin is.
- Epoxy, polyurethane, power floated concrete and sand-cement screed are different products with different duty, different cure times and different downtime, not different names for the same floor.
- Anti-slip profile and chemical resistance are specification choices with a cost consequence, not default properties of a resin floor.
- Cure times are set by chemistry, so the amount of downtime a site can give the contractor influences which system can be specified at all, not just what it costs.
Cite this page
“What sets an industrial floor rate: the nine cost drivers”, Industrial Flooring Cost, https://industrialflooringcost.co.uk/ (updated 2026-08-14). Compiled from how industrial flooring is specified and priced in the UK: system type and build-up thickness, area, substrate condition, preparation method, moisture, surface finish requirements such as anti-slip and chemical resistance, downtime and working hours, line marking and detailing, and access for plant. No monetary rates are published here, because a rate per square metre without an area, a substrate survey and an access window is not a quotable price. Reviewed August 2026.
Guides
The longer answers, with sources.
- Resin flooring cost: what actually sets the rate per m2
Why resin flooring is priced per square metre, what makes one quote double another, and how thickness, preparation, moisture and area combine to produce your rate.
- Epoxy vs polyurethane industrial flooring: which one your building needs
Epoxy and polyurethane resin floors behave differently under heat, chemicals, impact and washdown. What each suits, where each fails, and how the choice changes the cost.
- Concrete floor preparation and moisture testing: where floors fail
Shot blasting, grinding and scabbling compared, why moisture testing matters before resin, and how to stop a preparation shortcut costing you the whole floor.
- Warehouse floor downtime: phasing a floor without stopping the site
Cure times, night and weekend working, bay-by-bay phasing and racking moves. How the access window you can offer changes both the specification and the price.
Frequently asked
How much does industrial flooring cost per square metre?
There is no single rate. The rate is produced by the system and its thickness, the area (larger floors are cheaper per square metre), the condition of the substrate and the preparation method needed, whether moisture testing triggers a membrane or primer, the performance requirements such as anti-slip or chemical resistance, and how much downtime the site can give the contractor.
What is the cheapest industrial floor finish?
A power floated concrete slab, or a thin sealer over sound existing concrete, is the least expensive way to get a serviceable floor. Cost rises through self-smoothing resin to heavy-duty polyurethane screeds. The cheapest finish that survives the duty is the right answer; the cheapest finish overall usually is not.
Why do industrial flooring quotes vary so much?
Because they are often quoting different jobs. Differences in specified thickness, preparation method, whether moisture testing is included, whether line marking and coving are in scope, and what access window is assumed can each move the price substantially. Ask for a named system at a named thickness with the preparation method stated.
How long does an industrial floor last?
It depends far more on whether the system matched the duty and whether the substrate was properly prepared than on the brand of resin. A correctly specified and prepared floor under the traffic it was designed for lasts for years; a thin coating under forklift traffic, or any resin over a damp or contaminated slab, does not.
Do I need to close the warehouse to have the floor done?
Not necessarily. Work can run at nights and weekends, or bay by bay while the rest of the site operates, but both cost more than an empty building and phased work adds joints and racking moves. Decide the access window first, then ask what can realistically be specified inside it.
Is this quote service really free?
Yes, free to you, with no obligation to accept any quote. We pass your details only to industrial flooring contractors covering your site, who quote you directly. We may receive a fee from those contractors, which is how the service is funded.