About
Sterling Concrete Coatings
One principle: doing it right the first time, every time.
Why this company exists
We saw a fundamental flaw in the way coatings were prepped and applied — floors etched instead of ground, and coated without anyone testing what the concrete was doing underneath — and decided not to compromise, resulting in a better product outcome for the client, regardless of the extra steps it takes to get to the correct concrete surface profile. For us that profile is CSP-2, reached by diamond grinding, on every floor we touch. It is this catalyst that sets Sterling apart.
Sterling was built on one principle, and everything else follows from it: doing it right the first time, every time.
That sounds like something any contractor would say. Here’s what makes it specific in this trade — floor coatings are unusually easy to do badly in a way the customer cannot detect.
A floor that was ground properly and a floor that was acid etched look identical on the day they’re finished. So do a floor that was moisture tested and one that wasn’t. The difference shows up a year or two later, long after the check cleared.
That gap between what a customer can see and what they actually paid for is where most of the problems in this industry live. Sterling is built to close it: we do the prep that doesn’t show, we put the scope in writing before we start, and we tell you what we found in your floor even when it makes the job more expensive.
Who runs it
Sterling is owned and operated by brothers Toby Thompson and Dennis Miller, based in Waukee. They bring 45 years combined — industry-related experience across concrete, coatings, and a long stretch working directly with customers.
A family name on a company is a different kind of accountability than a brand name. If a floor we did isn’t right, there’s nowhere for either of us to hide behind.
Practically, that means the person who looks at your floor, driveway, or job site is an owner of the company. There is no handoff to somebody who has never seen the job, and nobody either of them can point at when something goes wrong.
“We don’t rush prep, cut corners on materials, or call a job done until it’s right — coat by coat, detail by detail. The result is a surface that holds up to real life and reflects the standard our name promises.”
How we work
- Honest scoping at the estimate. If your floor needs less than you expected, we say so. If it needs more, you hear it before the work starts, not as a change order halfway through.
- Everything in writing. Scope, system, schedule, price. Nothing verbal.
- A documented process. We run the same checklist on every job, so the floor doesn’t depend on who showed up that morning or what kind of week it was.
- We follow up. After the job, not just during the sale.
Where we work
Based in Waukee, Iowa, serving West Des Moines, Clive, Urbandale, Grimes, Johnston, Windsor Heights, and Des Moines, with Ankeny at the outer edge — and central Iowa beyond that, call to check availability.