The Hidden Costs of Nature Stone Flooring You Need to Know

How much does nature stone cost? Unfortunately, this is a tricky question. In fact, comparing estimates using contractor websites or simple Google searches is not the best method for estimating your garage floor renovation cost. The size of your garage is just one factor that goes into the price you will ultimately be charged for your stone and resin floor. However, there are other factors that will quickly increase what you will ultimately be charged, including how accessible the garage is and any obstacles that may get in the way. Another factor that adds to the average cost of nature stone flooring is preparation work. Often, the concrete substrate must be leveled or otherwise repaired before nature stone flooring can be installed. This preparation work can quickly add up. In fact, if you research nature stone pricing reviews, you are likely to find that the actual cost per square foot is $9.00 and $14.00.

OGI eliminates surprise surcharges by our thorough estimates. We conduct a complete audit of your space and the scope of the work before providing you with a complete and detailed job estimate. This is something to keep in mind next time you research “how much is nature stone per square foot” and are tempted by the 99-cents-per-square-foot advertisements. The actual cost will be much higher every time, a sad fact that leads to many nature stone flooring complaints.

When you ask questions or use Google to find out “how much is nature stone per square foot” or “how much is nature stone flooring,” you will get answers, but they won’t reflect your actual price. At Ohio Garage Interiors, we are often asked how our pricing compares with nature stone garage flooring, or how much our processes cost in comparison with the cost of nature stone. At first glance, the answer might surprise you. Our overall quote on the front end of a project may be very different from nature stone pricing you receive. There are a few differences, however, in how we quote versus how other companies quote.

First, when we quote our polyaspartic polyurea garage floor projects, we include all of the preparation work to avoid surprises. The actual nature stone flooring cost alone may truly be close to what is advertised, but almost without exception, a contractor can’t simply put a new flooring epoxy down with no prep work. Leveling and other repairs, as well as preparing the concrete to adhere to the nature stone epoxy are not included in the advertised nature stone installation cost.

On the other hand, Ohio Garage Interiors takes all substrate preparation work into consideration flooring we will be replacing or renovating and make sure we work everything in so that our quote will not need to change. Second, as will be discussed below, the nature stone epoxy flooring options simply do not last as long, so you also need to consider how many repairs you will need over how many months or years when getting answers to, “how much does nature stone cost?”

There’s a reason you should be wary of nature stone flooring, like pebble stone flooring / pebble stone epoxy, as opposed to Ohio Garage Interior’s tried and true process. When you ask us what our cost is, you get a straight answer. When you ask, “how much is nature stone,” you don’t always get the most truthful answer.

At Ohio Garage Interiors, we offer cost-efficient flooring with sensible pricing.

These nature stone flooring structures have individual stones mixed together with epoxy. The result is a textured and porous stone-like floor often referred to as pebble stone flooring / pebble stone epoxy. Unfortunately, this nature stone flooring structure leads to many problems and repair costs for homeowners. If you’ve ever looked at nature stone garage floor reviews or reviews of pebble stone flooring, you may have seen some of the horror stories.

Remember, these natural stones have been developing beneath the earth for millions of years. Their varying elements can react to the surface air in different ways because of the oxidation.

A quick scan of reviews online reveals the unfortunate truth in detail. Natural stone flooring complaints run rampant. Problems with nature stone include pricing as mentioned above, the stone fading in areas that are in the sun all day, cracking, pitting, mildew, and more. Natural stone reviews do not have to be the deciding factor for you. Sometimes online reviews seem fishy. However, the sites that some of these natural stone reviews appear on, such as the Better Business Bureau, lead one to believe there is some authenticity in them.

Common complaints show the nature stone flooring costs only continue to grow over time, thanks to all the maintenance and repairs needed. Cleaning natural stone flooring is time-consuming and difficult. This floor needs more TLC than soap and water. Plus, these floors can be fragile, and even a simple vacuum can scratch the stones.

The ads in newspapers, online, and in-home mailers talk about $1.99 to $2.99 per square foot.  But spoiler alert: your price per square foot is much higher than most nature stone competitors claim. The installation labor and materials run up the actual nature stone flooring price — they can cost as much as the stones themselves. The price per square foot you were concerned about? That was just the beginning.

The prep work can run up the bill fast. The underlying substructure must be professionally prepared and leveled before you can begin to install nature stone.

Ohio Garage Interiors will give you straight pricing, with no hidden fees in our estimates. Researching and talking to nature stone competitors is crucial, so you don’t blow your budget. And you won’t be sacrificing that look you’re after from our nature stone competitors’ ads. Check out our beautiful epoxy color options.

The textured, porous nature of these kinds of natural stone flooring makes it easy for grit and grime to settle in between the individual stones. Imagine bringing in your groceries and dropping a carton of milk or a bottle of wine.  You’ll have a difficult time cleaning the liquid out of the grooves and getting all the little shards of glass up.

Also, a car’s tires bring in dirt, tar, and salt, all of which then settle into these grooves.  Oil and antifreeze spills are also possibilities in a garage.  These chemicals, along with the spilled milk, have already seeped through the top layer to your concrete floor before you can get it cleaned up.  In short, these kinds of natural stone flooring are difficult to thoroughly clean, and most homeowners don’t enjoy thinking about all the gross dirt and spills lurking between those stones. If you have seen natural stone near me, you likely have also seen neighbors who are deeply frustrated by how quickly their new beautiful floors became a source of shame instead of pride.

Your installer probably knows that the textured, porous surface of your epoxy stone floor will need more than a vacuum and mop to really clean it.  Indeed, most of these flooring companies suggest you buy their “specially formulated cleaner.”  Moreover, many contracts warn that if you opt-out of professional yearly cleaning—done by them at an additional cost, of course,—your floor’s warranty is voided! This adds up to hundreds of dollars each year, just to keep the floor clean. If you look at customer reviews of natural stone flooring, you may have seen grievances like this. Natural stone flooring companies seem to have the goal of only finding ways to make the most money they can.

These types of epoxy floorings are not a solution to your mold and mildew problems in the basement as they claim.  Again, their structure allows water to get down the cracks and crevices between the individual stones. Once the water gets in, there’s no easy way to get it out. 

As a result, it settles to the bottom of the nature stone flooring structure, much like what happens with carpeting in a basement, where it encourages mold and mildew—and the smells associated with them—to form.  Eventually, this means the natural stone flooring itself can begin to weaken and crack.  Nature stone peeling and nature stone cracking damages require repair work at a significant cost.  Oftentimes, the only solution is to completely remove the nature stone flooring and replace it completely.

If you live in Northeast Ohio for any length of time, you know how drastically the weather can change. Especially during the fall and spring, daily temperatures can sink to 20 and rise up to 80, and that is just how it goes. While people generally can adjust to major changes (even though they may complain about it), flooring coatings and sub-structures have a more difficult time. Any flooring system in a garage that allows water to settle into its structure cannot properly withstand the demands of Ohio’s weather. To explain, Ohio’s freeze and thaw cycles mean that any water lying on the floor will expand and contract as the temperatures rise and fall.

During cold days, the water expands and puts pressure on the stones. Then when the weather warms up, the water contracts, and the stones often are now loose. In the case of natural stone floors, once loose, stones can come out and leave more exposed areas that are even more susceptible to water damage. In the end, this reality means more repair costs for your natural stone epoxy floor.

Even good weather can be a challenge for a natural stone floor, aka Natire Stone. As mentioned above, many customers have found that natural stone colors fade in the sun. If a garage has big beautiful windows, or if the flooring is used outside for a patio, the colors will fade quickly throughout the sunny summer.

A natural stone garage floor looks beautiful when it is first installed. There is no question about that. There is a lot to be proud of when that new garage floor is unveiled for the first time. The higher-than-expected costs might even be shrugged off…at first.

We can give you the look you want, but without the harrowing upkeep. We use a finishing process for our nature stone alternative, a polyaspartic epoxy flooring. It keeps the moisture out, while giving you enough texture to avoid slipping. Style and substance can go together — but when it comes to nature stone, this comes at a high flooring cost.

The floors we install in garages and basements are superior to these nature stone flooring options in several ways.

Our finishing process gives you enough texture to avoid slipping but is non-porous to keep out moisture. That’s because we use a polyaspartic polymer.  Cleaning your garage floor is as easy as spraying it down with a hose.  No special cleaners or professional cleaning contracts are required.

Our polyaspartic polymer will not deteriorate due to salt exposure, and it withstands moisture, which naturestone cannot do. Thus, you can expect your floor to keep its superior look and quality for about 15 years with normal wear.

We’re not a national chain. We’re a locally owned and operated business that never uses subcontractors as our competitors do.  For homeowners, this means a fully trained, knowledgeable team will plan, install, and clean up your entire flooring project.

Also, it means no bait-and-switch promotions. At Ohio Garage Interiors, we know that we’re serving our neighbors and friends, so we hold ourselves to the highest standards.

You won’t see us run any bait-and-switch pricing promotions.  Instead, a trained professional will come to your home at no cost and give you a full, detailed quote.

Call Ohio Garage Interiors today for a superior alternative to nature stone flooring for your garage, basement, or patio.