Business Spotlight: GatorGuard of Louisville
Writer / Christy Heitger-Ewing
Photography Provided
In todays world it seems that everyone wants things done quickly. Its wise to remember, however, that the best things in life can take a little extra time. Such is the case in the epoxy industry, which has skyrocketed in the last decade.
There are a lot of one-day coating companies around, but youve got to wonder, is speed worth sacrificing quality?
Its enticing to a customer for workers to be in and out in one day, but its important for consumers to understand what it is that theyre buying, says Mike Evans, senior vice president of GatorGuard, a family-owned and -operated company thats been around since 2017.
One-day coating guys put down a coating that cures so quickly it doesnt have time to form a secure mechanical bond with concrete, Evans says. When you slow the process down, you get better adhesion.
They use Eco-CorFlex products, which is the crème de la crème as far as epoxies go. While they primarily do garages, they also do basements, driveways, pool decks, porches and patios.
They key is that GatorGuards multi-day process allows each layer to fully cure. Plus, they always include a hydrostatic moisture mitigation barrier called GatorShield.
Mother Earth has a lot of water and a lot of pressure in her, Evans says. If youve ever seen a painted concrete floor thats chipping or peeling, its not because its being driven on. More than likely, its the water pressure from Mother Nature pushing up through the concrete, which is nothing more than a rigid sponge. Once that concrete is pushed up, it bubbles and then when you pull in your car, turn your tires or scrape the snow, it rips it. Once that starts, it keeps going. Thats what we prevent against on every single floor.
They provide an in-house lifetime warranty program, which is a big deal because most other companies buy from well-known manufacturers. While that may sound good, they have their own warranty, and the business you hired to do your garage is just the installer so your warranty claim is with the manufacturer, not with that business.
In those instances you end up in a finger-pointing game, and thats a horrible spot to be in, says Evans, who notes that 40% of the flooring they install involves removing someone elses failure.
GatorGuard offers white-glove treatment. This means they bring out a trailer and move all of your belongings from the room in which they are working into the trailer. They then lock it up, give you the key and install your floor. Two days later when the floor is cured, they move everything back in. Rarely do other companies provide full turnkey service.
In an industry where you have people coming out and writing down an estimate on the back of a business card in three minutes time, we are unique, Evans says. We take our time to educate the consumer. When youre making a $5,000 to $8,000 investment in a garage floor, for example, you want to do your due diligence and understand the differences.
At GatorGuard its an educational, no-pressure, no-obligation, free-estimate appointment. Potential clients walk away with a design, a price, and an incentive to buy that day or within 30 days. They also frequently change their offers to keep things fresh.
Customers will spend bad money in wrong directions and not realize what theyre getting themselves into, Evans says. Initially they may think we are just trying to charge them more, but really were protecting their investment and ensuring that what theyre buying is going to be a high-quality solution for decades to come.
GatorGuard is located at 201 Faro Ct., Suite 5 in Shepherdsville, KY. For more information, call 502-206-0503 or visit them online at mygatorguard.com.
