Diamond grinding, never acid etching
We diamond grind every slab to open the surface and give the coating a profile to bond to. Acid etching is faster and cheaper, but it leaves a weak, inconsistent surface, and it is the main reason DIY garage kits lift under hot tires. Grinding is done with dust extraction to keep the site clean.
Crack, joint and spall repair
Cracks and broken edges are filled and leveled before any coating goes down, so they do not telegraph through the new floor or turn into weak points. Control joints are handled according to how the slab moves.
Removing old coatings
Old paint, sealers and failed epoxy come off completely. Coating over an unknown film means your new floor is only as well attached as the old one was, which is why we never do it.
Moisture testing
Florida slabs drive vapor, especially slabs poured without a vapor barrier or less than a year old. We take moisture readings before we quote. High readings mean a mitigation primer or a recommendation to wait, never a floor that blisters six months later.
Pricing
Repair and surface prep start around $3.25 per square foot, and are usually part of a full floor system. The exact scope is written into your quote after an on-site inspection.
Prep on every floor we install
Surface preparation is not an add-on with us. It is built into every garage, metallic, commercial and pool deck job we quote. If a slab is not ready, because of moisture, failing coatings or structural damage, we tell you before you pay for anything. Sometimes the right advice is to wait, and we would rather say so than come back later to redo a floor.
FAQ
Do I need prep if my slab looks fine?
Yes. Even clean-looking concrete has a weak top layer that coatings cannot hold on to. Grinding removes it.
How long should new concrete cure before coating?
It depends on the moisture readings. Slabs under about a year old often need testing and sometimes extra time.