Concrete Floor Installation in San Rafael CA - a flat slab ready for your flooring
Old slab cracked or out of level, or new flooring on the way? We pour a flat slab planned around what goes on top.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What goes into a new concrete floor in San Rafael?
Concrete floor installation in San Rafael means we form, pour and finish a flat slab that your tile, wood or coating will sit on, so the floor above it has a solid base that protects it. The pour itself goes quickly, but the slab needs weeks of drying before some flooring can go down, so it pays to plan for that from the start.
Most people call us because flooring is coming, for a remodel, an addition or an old slab that cracked and went out of level under the tile. The price moves with the floor's size and thickness, with how much digging it takes to get a solid subgrade, which is the packed ground the slab sits on, with whether the slab needs rebar, the steel bars that hold it together if it cracks, and with whether an old slab has to come out first. The schedule turns on whether the city requires a permit, the weather on pour day and how long your flooring has to wait on the slab. The state license board counts forming, pouring and finishing flat concrete as concrete contractor work, and we're licensed and insured. Your own figure comes in a written estimate that lays out each step, and if your floor is in a garage, our garage floor concrete page covers that version of the job.
How we handle concrete floor installation
The first thing I ask is what flooring is going on top, because I set tile over enough bad slabs to know that decides the moisture sheet and how long the slab has to sit before anyone lays a floor on it. Then we dig out and pack the subgrade instead of raking it level, since a base that's only raked settles with the dirt and takes the floor down with it. We set the forms to height and lay the moisture sheet, and the national concrete guide says flooring and coatings get the most protection when that sheet sits directly under the concrete, so you can ask us to place it there. We pour in the cooler part of the day so the top doesn't turn out weak and dusty, finish it flat and cut control joints, shallow saw cuts that give the slab a planned place to crack as it shrinks. If the budget gets tight, I'd rather trim the finish than the base, because nobody sees the base on day one but it's what decides whether your floor stays flat.
A floor job often reaches past the room. When the new floor sits higher or lower than the ground outside a door, we build concrete steps to meet it, and when the room opens onto a pool, we pour concrete pool decks on the same kind of packed base.
A slab for tile, wood or carpet
This suits most rooms, because the covering does the finish work and the slab's job is to stay flat and protect what's on top. We plan the moisture sheet and the wait before flooring around what your installer is putting down.
A slab that gets a coating or stays bare
This suits garages, shops and work rooms where you want concrete you can sweep or seal, so we trowel the surface smooth and pay more attention to how it looks. Staining or stamping is priced on its own, so ask for decorative concrete if you want it.
Call before you order new flooring if the old slab under it is cracked or out of level, because tile and wood won't hide a bad slab for long.
What happens when you call us about a concrete floor in San Rafael?
Here's who does what from the first call to the finished slab. I handle the visit and the estimate myself, and our own crew does the work with me on site.
Call or send the form
Tell us the floor size, what flooring goes on top and whether it's a new slab or a replacement. I set a time to come out and see the space myself.
I measure and write it up
I measure, ask what the slab has to carry and what goes on it, and look at where water runs. You get a written estimate that lays out each step, so you can see what the base, the sheet and the finish each involve before you decide.
We settle permits and layout
If a permit is needed, San Rafael lists 2 to 6 weeks for residential permit review, so that time goes into the schedule before we book the pour. We also settle the layout, the floor height and where the water goes.
Our crew pours and finishes
I'm on site with our crew from forms to finish, and we cut the joints soon after the pour. Before we leave, we go over when the slab is ready for foot traffic and when your flooring can go down.
Get a written estimate for your concrete floor
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a visit. I come out, measure and ask what's going on top, then send a free written estimate with each step laid out and no obligation to book.
(628) 234-2042Concrete floor installation in San Rafael: permits and what we see
The City of San Rafael issues building permits here, and its list covers new structures, remodels, additions, repairs, pools and decks without naming concrete floors, so whether yours needs one depends on the job around it. I check with the city for your address, and when a permit is needed we handle the application and the inspections. That's worth getting right, because work done without a permit here draws extra fees, and a permit pulled afterward doesn't approve work that isn't up to code. The city also says new applications have to follow the state's current building code.
Many of the floors we're asked about go into remodels and additions on older houses, where the new slab has to meet an existing floor height and tight access means more of the work is done by hand. We plan the height and how the concrete gets in at the estimate, and we see the same kinds of jobs in Novato and Mill Valley, along with the other cities from Petaluma down to Berkeley where we take work.
Concrete floor questions from San Rafael homeowners
How much does a concrete floor cost in the Bay Area?
An installed concrete slab in the Bay Area usually runs about $9 to $18 per square foot. A reinforced slab costs a bit more than a plain pad, and staining or stamping usually isn't part of that figure. Your own number comes in the written estimate once I've seen the space.
How long does a new concrete floor take before I can walk on it?
You can usually walk on a new slab within 48 hours. It's smart to wait about a week before heavier loads go on, because curing, the slow hardening that gives concrete its strength, takes about 28 to 30 days to finish.
Will my new concrete floor crack?
Some random cracking should be expected in any concrete floor, even with joints cut close together. What we can control is where most of it goes, which is why we saw control joints soon after the pour, usually within 4 to 12 hours depending on the heat and the mix. A dug-out, packed base also keeps the slab from settling and cracking as the ground moves under it.
When can tile or wood flooring go down on a new concrete slab?
Not right away for some floor coverings, because as the slab dries its surface can curl up a little at the joints. That's normal, but it can cause trouble installing some flooring in the months after the pour. I ask what you're putting down at the estimate so we can plan that wait with your flooring installer instead of finding out later.
What moisture sheet should go under a concrete floor slab?
Ask your contractor which sheet goes under the slab before the pour, because it can't be changed once the concrete is down. The national concrete guide says the plain polyethylene plastic used in the past shouldn't be considered for moisture protection under a slab. We go over which sheet we're using at the estimate.
How do I get ready for a concrete floor estimate in San Rafael?
Have the floor size, the flooring you plan to put on top and whether this is a new slab or a replacement ready when you call or fill out the form. That lets me bring the right questions to the site visit, where I measure and check what the slab has to carry.
Related concrete work around your new floor
If the floor opens onto a pool area, a deck with a grippy texture and the right slope keeps bare feet steady and sends splash water away.
A new floor can change the height at a door, and steps built to match give you an even rise without a trip at the threshold.
Book your concrete floor estimate today
Call (628) 234-2042 any day of the week or send the form, and have your floor size and planned flooring handy so the site visit covers everything.