How to Choose an Epoxy Flooring Contractor in Queensland: 12 Questions

Choose epoxy floor installers by asking 12 questions about licence, insurance, slab preparation, named products, the written quote and the warranty. Ask them on site, before you pay a deposit. Vague answers to any of them are a reason to keep looking. The table below lists each question and what a good answer sounds like.

Epoxy is easy to sell and hard to inspect. A floor can look perfect on handover day and lift within two summers because the slab was etched, not ground. You can’t see that afterwards, so you have to ask beforehand.

What are the 12 questions to ask an epoxy installer?

The 12 questions cover licence, insurance, references, an older job, preparation, moisture testing, product name, topcoat, the itemised quote, exclusions, the written warranty and who attends a claim. Good installers answer with specifics. The table gives the test for each.

Is the installer licensed and insured?

Ask for the licence number and check it on the regulator’s register, then ask for a certificate of currency for public liability insurance. The Queensland Building and Construction Commission says working with an unlicensed contractor can void your access to Queensland Home Warranty Insurance. Check before the deposit, not after.

QBCC says a licence is needed for building work valued over $3,300, and its licence guidance tells homeowners to ask to see the card or digital licence. Whether floor coating counts for your job is a question for QBCC, not the installer. Its contact centre is 139 333.

QBCC also says licensed contractors must show their name and licence number in ads, and an ad without them may mean an unlicensed operator. Its find a licensed contractor page covers the search and the licensee register. For Northern NSW jobs, Service NSW lets you search by name, licence number or ABN.

How do you judge reviews and past work?

Look for volume, recency and detail. Twenty recent reviews that name a suburb, a system and an outcome beat two hundred generic five-star ratings. Then ask to see a job that’s over a year old, because that’s where poor preparation shows up as lifting, staining or fading.

Resin Masters’ own Brisbane installer guide suggests checking review volume, how recent the reviews are, how the business replies to bad ones and whether the details are specific. It’s a fair test for any installer.

• Ask for one customer you can phone, not only a testimonial.
• Ask for photos of that specific system, not stock images.
• Check that the business has a fixed address, not only a mobile number.
• Look at how long the reviews have been building. A new page can still be good, but you have less to go on.

How should the slab be prepared?

Ask what equipment prepares the slab and whether moisture is tested before quoting. Diamond grinding is the professional standard, and acid etching alone is the warning sign. Resin Masters’ standard preparation is diamond grinding, crack repair, moisture testing and primer. Get the method written into the quote.

Preparation is where most failures start. Our guides on preparing concrete for epoxy and testing concrete moisture show what a careful installer does. If the installer can’t describe both, keep looking.

Which products and data sheets should you ask to see?

Ask for the brand and system name, then the manufacturer’s data sheet and safety data sheet. Safe Work Australia says anyone who supplies, uses or stores hazardous chemicals must keep copies of the safety data sheet in the workplace. A named product with a data sheet beats “premium epoxy” every time.

The Safe Work Australia safety data sheet page says these sheets carry important safety information about hazardous chemicals. Read yours for handling and cleaning advice, and follow it. For health questions about fumes or reoccupation, use the data sheet and the regulator, not the sales pitch.

Then ask about the topcoat. In Queensland sun, an outdoor or sunlit floor needs a UV-stable one. Resin Masters’ standard is a polyaspartic topcoat, and our polyaspartic vs epoxy guide explains why.

What should an itemised quote include?

An itemised quote lists the floor area, the preparation method, the system and number of coats, the topcoat, and every extra on its own line. It also states what’s excluded. A single square-metre rate with no detail makes it impossible to compare two installers fairly.

• Area and preparation. Metres coated, grinding, primer and any moisture treatment.
• System and topcoat. Named products, build thickness and finish.
• Extras. Resin Masters lists crack and defect repair at $5 to $20 per m2 for heavily damaged slabs. A moisture barrier is $3 to $8 per m2. Old coating removal is assessed at quote.
• Minimums. Small spaces may carry a flat minimum project fee, so ask.

Resin Masters gives an itemised written quote within 48 hours of the site visit. For typical price ranges, see epoxy flooring cost.

What should the warranty say?

Get the warranty in writing before you pay a deposit, and read what it covers. Resin Masters gives a written 7-year workmanship warranty, and its warranty guide says the written terms and the agreed use of the floor are the reference point. Ask what’s excluded and who attends a claim.

A long number means little without conditions. Our epoxy floor warranty guide covers what a warranty should protect and what’s normally excluded, so we won’t repeat it here.

What are the red flags when comparing installers?

The main red flags are a quote with no preparation method, no written warranty, pressure to book the same day and a price far below the others. Resin Masters’ Brisbane guide says a quote 40 to 50 per cent under market usually means cheaper products, skipped steps or no UV topcoat.

• No site visit before a price is given.
• No mention of moisture testing or the topcoat.
• A licence number that won’t check out, or none in the ad.
• Vague product names and no data sheet on request.

The Gold Coast contractor checklist adds local moisture questions if you’re building on the coast.

How would Resin Masters answer these questions?

Resin Masters says every installation uses diamond grinding, moisture testing, a UV-stable polyaspartic topcoat and a written 7-year workmanship warranty. You get an itemised quote within 48 hours of a free on-site visit. Ask us for licence and insurance documents too, as you would anyone.

Use the same 12 questions on us and on every other quote. A free, no-obligation on-site visit is the easiest way to compare answers side by side. Contact Us!

Who is this checklist not for?

This checklist isn’t for a DIY job, a formal commercial tender or a price-only comparison. Tenders have their own prequalification, and price-only shoppers will skip most of these questions. If you’re a homeowner or small business hiring an installer in Queensland or Northern NSW, it fits.

• Anyone applying a retail kit themselves.
• Large tenders run through a procurement team.
• Buyers who’ll take the lowest number without reading the quote.

Frequently asked questions

What licence does an epoxy flooring installer need in Queensland?

QBCC says a licence is needed for building work valued over $3,300. Whether floor coating falls within that for your job is a question for QBCC, which you can reach on 139 333. Check the installer’s number on the QBCC licensee register before you sign anything.

How do I check an installer’s licence in NSW?

Service NSW runs an online check where you can search by licensee name, licence number, licence type, ABN or ACN, or by suburb. Use it for Northern NSW jobs, and ask the installer which licence covers the work you want done.

Is a cheap epoxy quote a red flag?

It can be. Resin Masters’ Brisbane guide says a quote 40 to 50 per cent below market usually means cheaper products, skipped steps or no UV topcoat. Ask what’s excluded, compare the preparation method and topcoat, and read the warranty before deciding on price.

Should I ask for a safety data sheet?

Yes. Safe Work Australia says people who supply, use or store hazardous chemicals must keep the safety data sheets at the workplace, so a reputable installer can produce them. Ask for the sheets for every product in your system, and follow their handling advice.

What should I ask about the warranty before booking?

Ask for it in writing, then check what it covers, what’s excluded, how you report a problem and who attends. Resin Masters gives a written 7-year workmanship warranty, and says the exact written terms and agreed use of the floor are the reference point.