Industrial Epoxy CoatingFinding an Industrial Epoxy Coating contractor is likely something you don’t do every day. Obviously you want to get the best vendor possible for your budget, but how do you know whether they are an efficient, professional company at a great value, or a guy selling coating services out of his basement? Having had 40 years combined experience in the industrial epoxy coating industry, we decided to put together this list of 6 essential questions to ask when you are selecting an industrial epoxy coating contractor.

 

Question # 1: How long have you been in the Industrial Epoxy Coating business?

This is an obvious question, however you can save a lot of stress in the long run by asking it. If they just started doing industrial epoxy coating in the last year, you may not want to risk your concrete floor to inexperience. A great way to double-check their facts is to run a “whois” report on their domain (www.whois.net)- this will tell you how long their website has been running. Also, make sure to inquire about the experience level of their team. At the end of the day the company owner could have 10 years experience in industrial epoxy coating, however if their team has only been doing it for a month, your project will suffer.

Question #2: Do you have a website with examples of other industrial epoxy coating projects you have done?

Although certainly not the only thing to look for, a website is an important credibility builder. If they are a company that is doing large industrial epoxy jobs on a regular basis, then they should be able to afford hosting a website. More importantly, they should be savvy enough entrepreneurs to have taken a picture of their completed projects.

Question #3: Do they have their own crews, or do they sub-contract epoxy coating projects out?

This is probably going to be the most common issue you encounter, especially when considering larger industrial epoxy coating companies. It is very common for epoxy contractors to basically farm-out their business to smaller, local epoxy crews. Ultimately, you have to determine if you are comfortable with this, or if you are talking to a company that is just a bit too big. Just be aware that when epoxy jobs are farmed out like this, (1) you are paying more because you are essentially paying a middle-man and (2) you have no idea of the experience level of the crew to which this business was given.

Question #4: Do you own or rent your own industrial epoxy coating equipment?

This question is generally the least common one asked, yet can give you great insight into the potential contractor. Companies that have been in business a long time, are planning on staying in business a long time, and do great work, can generally afford their own equipment. If you are talking to a contractor that rents their equipment, then you are either talking to a brand new company or to one that is seriously in debt. Either way, a company that rents all their equipment should be a huge red flag for you.

Question #5: How much equipment do you own?

Ok, we might be splitting hair a bit on this one, but sometimes a good follow-up to question #4 is how much? There are two compelling reasons to ask this question.

  • 1. The first is this makes a good question to flush-out a residential contractor that “can do industrial too.” If they only own a little bit of equipment, then they may do primarily residential projects, which are very different than industrial projects. If you are looking to spend the kind of budget it takes to get industrial epoxy coating, then you want a contractor who has lots of industrial experience – not residential experience.
  • 2. The second reason is you may be talking to a vendor who is trying to mask the flags we mentioned in Question 4 – just remember, owning one piece of equipment should be as much of a red flag and owning none at all.

Question #6: Do you have Industrial References I can call?

If they have been in business for a number of years, and have done countless industrial epoxy coating projects, then they should have a boatload of references that you should be able to call. Here are some things to make sure to ask for when getting references:

  • 1. A name of a decision-maker for each reference, phone number and email address
  • 2. A picture of the project
  • 3. Large companies as references

Also, as a small tip for getting references for any company- always ask for more. Typically the first set of references you are given are friends of the vendor. To get a true taste of the work that they do, ask for a round #2 of clients to call.

Just remember, when you are looking for the right industrial epoxy coating contractor, it’s always better to take a little extra time and ask a lot of questions before you sign the dotted line.

 

We hope you have found our blog on selecting an industrial epoxy coating contractor useful. If you would be interested in having us provide a bid for your next industrial epoxy coating project, we would be more than happy to do so. Please feel free to give us a call or fill out a form for more information on our industrial epoxy coating.