Garage floor cracked, chipped or sinking at one side? We'll tell you whether it needs resurfacing or a new slab, then do the work properly.
Garage floor concrete work in Irvine is one of two jobs, resurfacing the floor you have or tearing it out and pouring a new slab, and the right one gives you a level, sound floor your car can sit on.
Most calls start with something you can see, such as a crack that keeps growing, a corner that's dropped, or a surface that's chipping and dusty. First we work out whether your floor needs resurfacing or a new slab, and a crack where one side has dropped gets a closer look before I suggest anything, because a fresh top layer won't fix ground that's still moving.
The price turns mostly on which of those two jobs you need and how big the garage is. The schedule turns on the same choice, since a new slab means tear-out, a pour and a wait while it hardens, and I'll give you your own figure once I've seen the floor. We're licensed and insured, and any contractor who pulls an Irvine permit has to show the city a state license card, a city business license and a workers' comp certificate or an exemption, so it's fair to ask to see them.
Call (949) 518-3401 or use the form, and we'll set a time for me to come out. Tell us a little about what the floor is doing, so I know what to look at first.
I look over the garage myself, take measurements, check each crack and ask how you use the space. You get a written estimate that shows what's included, so you can see whether you're paying for resurfacing or a new slab and why.
If you go ahead, we take care of any permit the job needs and handle the prep and the pour with our own crew. Either I or my foreman runs the work on site, so there's always someone you know to ask.
Before we leave, we walk the finished floor with you and go over how long to keep off it while it cures. Curing is the wait that lets the concrete harden to its full strength, and rushing it is how a good pour gets marked up.
On a new slab, what decides how the floor holds up is the part you won't see once it's poured. We dig down to the subgrade, the soil the slab rests on, and pack a firm base, because a slab laid on raked dirt settles right along with it. The base is the first thing people want to trim from a budget, and with respect, it's the last place I'd save money.
We check where the water runs so the floor drains out the door and not back toward the house, and we set rebar, steel bars that hold the slab together, where the floor calls for it. Control joints, the straight cuts across a slab, go in on time so any crack follows them instead of wandering. If a slope behind the garage sends water at it, a concrete retaining wall may be part of the answer.
What our garage floor work covers:
Resurfacing puts a new top layer on the slab you already have, so it usually costs less and keeps you out of the garage for less time, but it only lasts if the slab underneath is solid. A new top over a floor that's still moving will crack right where the old one did. When the wear is only on the surface, I'll tell you to resurface. When the ground has given way, I'll tell you that too, and why replacement is the honest answer.
The size of the garage sets the starting point, and the rest comes from what we find once we're there. How much base work the ground needs, whether cracks have to be dealt with before anything else, and how easily we can get the old concrete out and the new concrete in all move the number. A plain gray floor costs less than color or pattern, which falls under decorative concrete and is worth deciding on before the pour.
I learned concrete under a strict old-school boss who made me tear out forms and set them again until they were right, and I started United Irvine Concrete in 2013 to run it that same careful way. If a repair won't hold or a job isn't worth doing, I'll tell you so plainly, sir or ma'am.
When we give you a quote, it says what you're paying for, and then we do exactly what it says. We look after your garage and driveway as though they were our own and leave them as tidy as we found them. Satisfaction guaranteed on every job.
Have the garage's rough size in square feet and a few photos of any cracks ready, so we start with the right questions.
Tell us the garage's rough size and what the floor is doing, and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out for a free, no-obligation estimate.
Resurfacing makes sense when the damage is shallow and spread across most of the floor, such as wear or flaking over the whole garage. Deep damage, a problem in one spot or a slab that has moved usually calls for a different fix, which is why I look before I recommend anything.
A crack where one side has moved up or down usually points to the base or the soil under the slab settling or giving way. Those cracks can need part of the slab or all of it replaced, so the ground should be looked at by a professional before anyone picks a repair.
Yes, fine hairline cracks form naturally as concrete cures and are considered cosmetic. It's worth keeping an eye on them, but they generally don't need repair, and I'll tell you straight when that's all you're looking at.
A new concrete slab without staining or stamping in Orange County usually costs about $7 to $14 per square foot. Reinforced slabs land toward the top of that range and plain pads toward the bottom, and if an old floor has to come out first, the tear-out is added on top.
New concrete should be fine to walk on within 48 hours, and waiting a week before you park or put heavier loads on it is the safe choice. Plan to park elsewhere for that week, since the slab takes about a month to fully cure.
In Irvine, permits are usually pulled by the contractor or the property owner, and the City of Irvine takes all permit applications electronically. When your job needs one, we prepare and file it and keep you posted on where it stands. The city also requires one- and two-family homes to be fitted with smoke detectors when a permit is issued for work valued at $1,000 or more, so it's good to know that going in.
We're based in Irvine and do garage floor work in Costa Mesa, Tustin and the other cities below. Pick your area, or call if yours isn't listed.
