Project example: a 900 square foot restaurant kitchen floor downtown, with a coved base

The scenario

A restaurant on a downtown block is remodeling its kitchen. The old floor is a worn coating over quarry tile, with grease in the grout lines and a cove that has cracked away from the wall at the dish room.

The owner needs the floor to take hot-water washdowns, so the installer proposes urethane cement for the wash line and dish room. Because the kitchen is being remodeled, the plans go to the County of San Diego Department of Environmental Health and Quality, and the finish schedule names the floor and the cove.

The work runs in two stretches over closures: the dish room and wash line first, then the cooking line. The old coating comes up by grinding and shot blasting, and the installer checks for adhesive that might contain asbestos before removal begins.

What the job involves

1. The owner and installer agree the closure dates and the contractor prepares the finish schedule for the plan check.
2. The old coating and any tile adhesive are tested, then removed by grinding and shot blasting.
3. The slab is tested for moisture and repaired, and drain edges are detailed with the plumber.
4. The urethane cement is troweled in and the aggregate is broadcast into the top.
5. A sealer closes the surface and the cove curves up the wall in one radius.
6. The kitchen is ventilated and the line returns to carts and washdown at the times on the data sheet.

Materials and prep

• Shot blaster and diamond grinder with dust collection
• Urethane cement, aggregate and sealer
• Cove forms, trowels and mixing station
• Ventilation fans and floor protection for adjoining rooms

Add-ons often paired with this job

• Coved base, about 100 linear feet — +$800–$2,200. The coved base runs about 100 linear feet around the kitchen walls.
• Line striping and zone marking — +$300–$1,200. Zone marking is occasionally added at walk-in doors and prep stations.

Why it is done this way

Kitchens with hot-water washdowns often use urethane cement systems, which tolerate heat and thermal shock better than standard epoxy. The trade-off is a higher rate per square foot and a trowel crew instead of a roller.

California's retail food code asks for smooth, durable, nonabsorbent, easily cleanable floors with a coved base where floor meets wall, and the county reviews the plan. No coating carries a federal approval.

The line items here follow the business path of the calculator: the system rate, the surcharge for the old coating and the cove as a flat option, so each line can be compared with a written quote.

What would change the price

• Asbestos is found in the old adhesive and a registered contractor handles it first.
• The slab moisture reads high and a primer is added.
• The cove is longer than 100 feet.
• The county asks for a revised finish schedule.
• The owner picks a quartz epoxy system for the dry prep area.