Non-slip floor for a seniors' residence kitchen in Ottawa, what budget?

For a seniors' residence kitchen in Ottawa, budget in the range of about $8 to $15 per square foot installed for a commercial epoxy system, about $6 to $15 per square foot for a polyaspartic system, while we found too few published prices to give a range for urethane cement. Surface prep, if quoted separately, adds roughly $1 to $3 per square foot on top of that. These are published 2025-2026 contractor ranges; your quote will differ based on the specifics of this kitchen.

Several things will move the number for a seniors' residence kitchen in particular. The slab condition matters: old tile or mastic, cracks, or a worn surface all add prep time and cost. Moisture in the slab can call for a moisture-tolerant primer, so ask whether it is in the base quote. A cove base running up the wall is priced by the linear foot. Ask whether anti-slip aggregate broadcast into the topcoat is priced in, and how much texture is planned. After-hours or phased work to avoid disrupting meal service will also affect the final number.

On the regulatory side, Ontario's Food Premises regulation, O. Reg. 493/17, s.7(1)(c), requires that the floor in a food preparation area be tight, smooth and non-absorbent. A resinous floor with anti-slip texture can meet that standard, but the regulation does not specify a particular system. Ottawa Public Health enforces this regulation and asks to be notified when a food premises is significantly renovated. We found no clear guidance on whether re-coating an existing kitchen floor counts as a significant renovation, so ask OPH before booking the work. R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 851, s.11(b) requires that no finish used on a floor in a workplace be likely to make the surface slippery, so ask the contractor how the texture they propose addresses that wording.

Ask for the product data sheets and safety data sheets for every product being applied, and check that the contractor carries liability insurance and has references on similar commercial kitchen floors.

When you compare quotes, ask each contractor to show you exactly which line items cover crack repair, moisture testing, a moisture-mitigation primer if the slab tests high, cove base, and the anti-slip broadcast, so none of them turns up as an add-on after you have signed.