Concrete Garage Floors in Lakewood

When a new garage floor is the right call

A garage floor carries more weight than most concrete around your home. Cars, tool chests, a second fridge, maybe a workbench. Over the years a slab can sink, heave or break into loose sections that rock when you drive over them. Once it gets there, the fix is to take it out and pour it again.

We remove the old concrete, check the soil under it and pour a new slab at the right thickness with steel inside. Many older garages here and in towns like Bellflower and Cerritos still sit on a thin slab with little or no reinforcement, which is why they break up.

We take photos as we go. You see what was under the old floor and how the new one was built, even if you were at work that day.

What the work includes

Tear-out and haul-away

We saw-cut a clean line at the garage door and along the driveway, break out the old slab and haul off every piece. Walls, the door track and the house threshold get covered before the breaker starts.

Base prep and compaction

We dig out soft or wet soil, bring in base rock where it is needed and compact it in layers. Most failed garage floors trace back to a weak base, so we do not rush this part.

Vapor barrier and steel

A vapor barrier keeps ground moisture from wicking up through the slab. We prop the rebar up on small supports, so once the concrete goes in the steel ends up mid-depth instead of resting on the soil.

Slope toward the door

We set the forms so the floor falls slightly toward the garage door. Water off a wet car or from a leaking water heater runs out instead of pooling against the house.

Finish and control joints

You can pick a smooth trowel finish or a light broom finish for more grip. We cut control joints so normal shrinkage cracks follow a straight line.

A photo record of the job

You get pictures of the exposed base, the barrier and steel before the pour, and the finished slab.

Signs your garage floor needs replacing

• Sections rock or shift

  If a piece of the floor moves when you drive or walk on it, the base under it has washed out or settled. That will not settle back on its own.

• A lip at the garage door

  When the slab sinks below the driveway, you get a bump at the door and rain runs into the garage instead of out.

• Water pools inside

  Puddles that sit near the back wall or run toward the house mean the floor has lost its slope.

• Wide cracks with a height change

  A hairline crack is normal. A crack you can fit a coin in, with one side higher than the other, means the slab is breaking apart.

• The surface is crumbling

  Flaking and loose sand across the floor usually means weak original concrete. Paint and coatings will not hold on a surface like that.

• You plan heavier use

  A car lift or heavy tool storage can be too much for a thin old slab. It makes sense to pour the right floor before the weight goes in.

How a garage floor job runs

1. 1

   We look and measure

   We come out, measure the garage and check how the slab meets the driveway and the house. Then we go over the estimate with you line by line, so you know what each part covers.

2. 2

   You clear the garage

   Cars and stored items come out before demo day. We tell you how much driveway space we need for equipment and the haul trailer.

3. 3

   Demo and prep

   We cut, break out, haul, grade and compact, then lay the barrier, steel and forms. We photograph each stage. If we find something unexpected, like soft fill or an old pipe, we show you the picture and talk with you before going on.

4. 4

   Pour and finish

   The truck pours, and we screed, float and finish the surface the way you picked. Control joints get cut while the concrete is still green.

5. 5

   Cure and cleanup

   You can walk on the floor after a day or two. Plan on about a week before parking a car, longer for heavy loads. We clean up the site and send you the finished pictures.

What moves the price

Every garage is a little different, so we price each floor after we see it. The estimate breaks out each part of the job so there are no surprises later. These are the things that change the number most.

Size of the garage

A single-car garage takes less concrete, steel and labor than a deep two-car or three-car space.

What comes out

A thicker old slab, or one with steel inside, takes longer to break up and fills more loads to haul away.

Soil under the slab

Soft fill or wet ground has to be dug out and replaced with base rock. We take pictures of what we find so you can see why it matters.

Thickness and steel

If the floor will carry a lift or very heavy storage, we may pour it thicker or add more rebar.

Access and finish

A tight driveway can mean hauling by wheelbarrow or bringing in a pump. Your finish choice also plays a small part.