Garage Floor Concrete in San Rafael CA - a slab that comes out flat and solid
Cracked, chipping or flaking garage floor? We find out whether it needs a new surface or a new slab, then do that job right.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What does fixing a garage floor in San Rafael involve?
Garage floor concrete in San Rafael comes down to one choice, a new top surface on a slab that's still sound or a whole new slab when the old one has failed, and at Premier San Rafael Concrete Company I check your floor before we price either one.
Most calls start with something you can see, like cracks running across the floor, a corner that's sunk, a top that dusts or chips, or a coating peeling off in sheets. The price moves with how big the garage is, whether the old slab has to be broken out and hauled away, how thick the new one is and whether it's reinforced. The schedule turns mostly on whether the job needs a permit and how long the concrete has to cure before you park on it. I can't tell you which of those apply until I've stood on the floor, so the written estimate I send after the visit gives you your own figure, step by step.
How we do garage floor concrete
We start by checking the old floor for moisture, cracks and soundness, because that tells you whether a new surface will hold or whether you'd be paying to cover a slab that's still failing. If the slab is sound, we clean and grind the top, repair the cracks and put down the new surface. If it has to go, we break it out and haul it, then dig out and pack the subgrade, the gravel and dirt the slab sits on, because a base that's only raked level settles and takes the new floor down with it. We set rebar, steel bars that keep cracks from opening up, where the job calls for it, and pitch the forms so water runs toward the door and away from the house. We pour early in the day, since concrete placed in midday heat tends to leave a weak, dusty top. Then we cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a place to crack where we chose, and let it cure, the wait while it hardens and gains strength. If the budget is tight, I'd keep the money in the base and go plainer on the finish, because nobody sees the base on day one, but it's the reason a floor stays flat or doesn't.
Garage work often runs into the rest of the property. If you'd like the new floor colored or patterned, decorative concrete can go in as part of the same pour. When the garage is cut into a slope and the bank beside it is pushing on the slab or the apron, concrete retaining walls hold that ground back so the new floor isn't fighting it.
Resurfacing a sound slab
This suits a floor whose top is pitted, dusty or stained but whose slab tests dry and solid underneath. It costs less and keeps you out of the garage for less time, because nothing comes out.
Replacing a failed slab
This is for a floor that's broken up, sunk or wet underneath, where a new top would just crack along the old damage. It costs more and takes longer, but you get a new base and a fixed slope, which no topping can give you.
If a crack is widening or one corner of the slab is lifting, call us at (628) 234-2042 before you put a coating or more weight on it.
What happens when you call about a garage floor in San Rafael?
Here's how a garage floor job runs with us, from your first call to the day you park on it again. I come out myself, and our own crew does the work with me there.
Tell us about the floor
Call or send a message and tell us what you're seeing, whether it's cracks, sinking or a coating coming loose. We set a time for me to come out and look.
I test and measure it
I measure the garage, check the slab for moisture, cracks and soundness, and ask what the floor has to carry and what goes on top of it. You get a written estimate that lays out each step, tear-out included if the slab comes out, so you can see where the money goes.
We permit, pour and finish
Before the pour we settle permits, layout and where the water goes, and when a permit is needed, the city lists an average of 2 to 6 weeks for residential permits, longer if information is missing. I'm on site with our crew from forms to finish, and we tell you when the floor is ready to walk on and when it's ready for the car.
Get a written estimate for your garage floor
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set up a visit. I'll come out, measure and test the floor, and the estimate is free, with no pressure to book.
(628) 234-2042Garage floor concrete permits in San Rafael
The City of San Rafael takes building permit applications and schedules inspections through its online system, OpenGov, and its list of permits issued on the spot names jobs like water heater and roof swaps, not garage floor concrete. So that list doesn't settle whether your floor needs a permit, and I check with the office that covers your address before we set a pour date. When it does need one, we handle the application and the inspections. That check is worth doing, because the city says work done without a permit brings extra fees, and a permit issued after the fact isn't approval of work that falls short of code.
Plenty of garages here sit at the front of older houses on sloped lots, and we see the same settled corners and worn-out coatings on jobs in Mill Valley and Novato. We're based in San Rafael and take jobs from Petaluma down to Berkeley, and every floor gets the same test before we decide anything.
Garage floor questions we hear in San Rafael
Should I resurface or replace my garage floor?
Resurface when only the top has worn out, and replace when the slab itself has failed. One flooring maker's guide puts it that way and says a professional check of moisture, cracks and soundness shows which case you're in. That check is the first thing I do on your floor.
How much does a new concrete garage floor cost in the Bay Area?
A concrete slab in the Bay Area usually costs about $8 to $16 per square foot, not counting staining or stamping. Tearing out an old floor is added on top of that, and a reinforced slab costs more per square foot than a plain one. Garage slabs also run on the thicker side for home floors here, so ask what thickness each bid includes before you compare them.
How long does it take before I can park in my garage after the pour?
You can usually walk on a new slab within 48 hours, but to be safe, plan on keeping the car and other heavy loads off it for about a week. Concrete takes about a month to fully cure, so the first week is the one to plan around, with the car in the driveway or on the street.
What causes cracks in a new garage floor?
Concrete shrinks as it dries, and a base that wasn't packed settles, so some cracking is part of the material. The American Concrete Institute's floor guide says even with the best design and proper construction, it isn't realistic to expect a floor with no cracks or curled edges at all. That's why we cut control joints, and why I'd be wary of anyone who promises a crack-free floor.
When can I put epoxy on a new garage floor?
Only after the concrete has been tested for moisture and surface texture, because a young or oily floor isn't ready just because it looks dry. Plan the coating as a later step, not something that goes on the week we pour. If the garage will be heated or cooled, coated or joined to living space, tell me at the estimate, because vapor control under the slab may matter and it has to go in before the concrete does.
Do I need a licensed contractor for a small garage floor job in California?
Yes, if the job needs any permit or the person doing it hires helpers, because the state licensing board requires a license in those cases even when the work comes in under $1,000. A garage slab is rarely a one-person job, so that rule covers most of them. We're licensed and insured, and our own crew does the work with me on site.
Related concrete work for your garage
A garage that doubles as a gym or workshop can carry a colored or stained finish that looks like a room, not a parking spot.
When the driveway climbs to the garage or a bank crowds one wall, a retaining wall holds the ground so it stops pressing on the new slab.
Book a test of your garage floor
Call (628) 234-2042 or send the form with the garage size, photos of the cracks or peeling coating and whether the old slab comes out, so I arrive knowing which spots to test.