Garage floor concrete in Los Angeles CA - a strong slab built right underneath
Cracked, sunken or oil-soaked garage floor? We pour a new slab with a careful mix and a packed base, so it holds up to daily use.
What goes into a new garage floor in Los Angeles?
In Los Angeles, a garage floor concrete job usually means breaking out a cracked or worn floor and pouring a new slab, cement and water mixed so it hardens into the surface you park, work and store things on.
Most people call because the floor they have is cracked through, sunk at one end, chipping at the door or soaked with years of oil, and they want to coat it or turn the garage into a workshop. The price mostly comes down to the size of the garage, whether the old slab has to be broken out and hauled off, which is where concrete cutting sometimes comes in, how easy it is to get to the garage door, and whether a moisture barrier goes under the new floor. The schedule turns on those same things and on our calendar, and the estimate gives you your own figures. If something has to give in the budget, I'd keep the base and simplify the finish, because nobody sees the base on pour day but it's what decides whether the floor stays flat.
How we pour a garage floor concrete slab
We start by taking out what's there and digging down, then we pack the base in layers instead of raking it level, because a raked base settles and takes the floor down with it. Before any concrete shows up we check how the floor will drain so water runs out the garage door and not back toward the house, and we set rebar, steel bars that hold the slab together if it cracks, where the job calls for it. If you plan to coat the floor later, we talk through a moisture barrier at this stage, since it has to go down before the pour. On pour day we keep a close eye on the water in the mix, because a wetter batch spreads easier but makes a weaker floor, and we plan the pour away from the hottest part of the day so the top doesn't turn weak and dusty. Then we finish the surface, cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a straight place to crack instead of a random one, and clean up before we leave.
A new floor often comes with other work around it. If you want more than plain gray, decorative concrete can give the floor color or a different finish. On hillside lots where the garage pad is cut into a slope, the dirt beside it may need concrete retaining walls to hold it back, and it's easier to plan both at once.
Smooth floor for parking and storage
A plain troweled finish is smooth enough to sweep and squeegee, which suits a garage that's mostly cars, bikes and shelves. It's the simpler, less costly way to go when you have no plans to cover the floor.
A floor set up for a coating later
If an epoxy-type coating, tile or a workshop floor covering is in your plans, we put a moisture barrier under the slab before we pour. It adds a step and some cost now, but before the pour is the only time it can go in.
Garage floor concrete rules and jobs in Los Angeles
I can't tell you from a phone call whether your garage floor in Los Angeles needs a permit, so ask me about your project when I'm out there. When a job does need one, we figure out which office covers your address and handle the application and the inspections for you. That also settles who can pour it, because under the state's contractor licensing rules any work that needs a permit has to be done by a licensed contractor, even when the job comes in under $1,000.
A lot of the garages we work on are older and detached, with a narrow driveway or a tight side yard between the street and the door, so we plan how the old concrete comes out and the new mix gets in before pour day. We see the same kind of garages on jobs in Alhambra and Glendale.
Garage floors and other slabs
Why call us for garage floors
The owner quotes it and leads the pour
I come out to look at your garage and give the estimate, and I'm the one leading the crew when we pour. You won't have to explain the job twice to someone who wasn't there.
Thirteen years of flatwork since 2013
I learned concrete from my dad and started this business in 2013, and floors, driveways and walks done right underneath are what we're known for. On a garage floor that matters, because the base gets covered the day we pour.
Fully licensed and insured for the work
We're fully licensed and insured, which is what the state asks for once a garage floor needs a permit, as I mentioned above. That's the protection you'd want from anyone working at your house.
On a garage floor, how it holds up comes down to the base and the mix, the parts you can't see once it's poured, so send me a few details about your garage and I'll come take a look.
(213) 329-1820Get a garage floor estimate at your house
We reply within one business day to set a time, then I come out, look at the floor and the way in, and give you an estimate. It's free and there's no obligation to go ahead.
Garage floor questions from Los Angeles owners
How much does a new concrete garage floor cost in Los Angeles?
A new concrete slab in Los Angeles usually costs about $5 to $15 per square foot, and that's the going rate around the area, not our price. Where your floor lands depends on things like breaking out the old slab and adding a moisture barrier. The estimate at your garage gives you your own number.
Why does the amount of water in the concrete mix matter for a garage floor?
Less water for the same amount of cement makes stronger concrete, so a wetter mix leaves you with a weaker floor. Hardened concrete also shrinks more as the water goes up, and shrinkage is a big part of why slabs crack. Whoever you hire, it's fair to ask how they'll control the water on pour day.
Should I put a vapor barrier under my garage slab if I plan to coat it?
If a coating or floor covering is in your plans, it's worth asking for one before the slab is poured. One barrier maker's paper says a properly installed vapor retarder, a moisture layer under the concrete, cuts down the moisture problems that harm coatings and coverings, along with the mold and mildew moisture brings indoors. It can't be added once the floor is down.
What causes moisture to come up through a garage floor that has a vapor barrier?
Holes in the barrier, even small ones, can greatly raise the moisture coming through the slab, according to the same maker's paper. That moisture is what leads to failed coatings and floor coverings, and to delays. That's why the barrier needs to go down without tears or punctures before the pour.
Can someone without a contractor's license pour a small garage slab in California?
Only on a small job that needs no permit and comes in under $1,000, which is the state's limit for minor work by an unlicensed person, up from $500. If that person hires anyone to help, they need a license no matter how small the job is.
How do I get ready for a garage floor estimate in Los Angeles?
Have a rough size of the garage, a sense of whether you'll coat or cover the floor, and a few photos of the floor you have now. The photos tell me about the cracks and stains before I arrive, and your coating plans tell me whether to price a moisture barrier. Send them through the form or call (213) 329-1820.
Plan your garage floor with 360 Los Angeles Concrete Construction
We're open until 11 PM on weekdays, so call (213) 329-1820 after work or send the form with a few photos.
