Garage floor concrete in Solon OH - a solid slab for your car and your tools
Cracked, sunken or pitted garage floor? We tear out the old slab and pour a new one with joints planned where cracks belong.
What does a new garage floor in Solon involve?
Garage floor concrete in Solon means a new slab poured inside your garage, usually after we break out the old one, so you end up with a thick, solid floor that carries your car and sends water toward the door. Garage slabs go at the thicker end of what houses use for floors because they hold up a car every day.
Most people call when the floor has a crack running across it, a low spot by the door that holds water, or a top that's flaking where slush drips off the car. What moves the price is the size of the garage, whether the old slab has to come out first, whether you want steel inside it and any finish beyond plain gray. Too many bids leave out the tear-out or the base and add them back later, so I come out, measure and give you a written estimate that lists what's included. The schedule turns on the weather, on how long the new slab needs before you use it, and on a permit review if the city wants one.
How we pour garage floor concrete
We break up the old floor and haul it away, then dig out and pack the subgrade, everything the slab sits on, because a base that's only raked level settles and takes the floor down with it. That base is hidden on day one and it's the first thing a cheap bid cuts, so if your budget is tight I'd rather keep the base and skip a fancier finish. We set the forms so the floor falls toward the door and water runs out instead of toward the back wall, pour in the cooler part of the day so the top doesn't end up weak and dusty, and finish it smooth enough to sweep. On a garage floor I care most about the control joints, the grooves we cut to give the slab a place to crack, because their layout decides where cracks show up, so we cut them on time instead of letting the slab pick its own spots. Before we leave, we tell you when you can walk on it, when you can park on it and what to put down instead of salt that first winter.
If you want more than plain gray, decorative concrete such as a colored or stained finish can go on a garage floor, and it adds to the price. When the garage is cut into a slope and the ground beside the drive needs holding back, I can price concrete retaining walls in the same estimate.
Plain slab with well-placed joints
This suits most one-car and two-car garages that hold cars, bikes and storage, because the joints do the crack control. It keeps the price down without cutting corners on the base.
Reinforced slab with mesh or rebar
This suits a garage that carries a heavy truck or a shop full of equipment, since wire mesh or rebar, the steel laid inside the slab, tends to keep cracks and joints from opening up. It won't stop a slab from cracking and it costs a little more per square foot, so I'll tell you whether your garage needs it.
Garage floor concrete in Solon, from permit to first winter
The Solon Building Department issues most building-related permits in the city, and its review usually takes 7 to 10 business days depending on the project. Whether your garage floor needs one is the department's call, and I won't guess at it, so we check with them before we start and file the permit when they want one. That review time is part of why the start date depends on more than the weather.
Ohio Concrete calls Ohio a severe climate for exterior concrete, where moisture, freeze and thaw, and deicing chemicals make the surface more likely to scale, or flake off at the top. A garage floor is inside, but the slush that melts off your car carries salt in with it, and that's where we usually find pitted concrete by the door, on jobs in Solon and in Twinsburg and Bedford Heights alike.
Garage floors and slab work
Why call us for garage floors
I write every estimate myself
I do the estimates myself, and our crew does the forming, pouring and finishing with me or our foreman running the job. The person who priced your floor is the one answering for it on pour day.
Pouring concrete since 2013
We've been in business since 2013, building driveways, patios, steps, floors and foundation work. I started out pricing jobs for another company, so I know which items a bid tends to leave out, and I'd rather lose a job than leave them out of mine.
Licensed and insured on every job
We're licensed and insured. A garage tear-out puts heavy equipment and a crew right up against your house, so that's worth asking about before anyone starts.
Final inspection before you sign
The city's building department advises making sure the final inspection is done before you make final payment or sign off on the work. When your floor needs a permit, we schedule the inspections, so that last one isn't left for you to chase.
Ask me to mark the joint layout on your estimate so you can see it before we pour. Request an estimate or call (440) 560-8533.
(440) 560-8533Get a written estimate for your garage floor
We reply within one business day to set a time, then I come out, measure your garage and give you a written estimate that lists what's included. The on-site estimate is free, and there's no obligation.
Garage floor questions from Solon homeowners
How much does a new garage floor cost near Solon, OH?
A concrete slab in the Cleveland area usually costs about $6 to $12 per square foot, not counting staining or stamping. Tearing out an old floor adds a demolition cost on top of that, and reinforced concrete runs slightly higher per square foot than plain. Your written estimate lists each of those for your garage.
Will my new garage floor crack like the old one did?
Some cracking is normal, because national trade guidance says cracks in concrete can't be prevented entirely, though properly designed joints control them and keep them to a minimum. That makes the joint plan a fair thing to compare between quotes. Ask each contractor where the joints will go and why.
How long does a new garage floor take to cure before I can park on it?
You can usually walk on a new slab within 48 hours, and a Cleveland cost guide suggests waiting a week before heavier loads like a car. Full curing, the slow hardening that gives concrete its strength, takes 28 to 30 days. Plan on keeping the garage empty that first week.
Can I use salt on a new garage floor in winter?
Not in the first year. Ohio Concrete advises against deicing salts in the first year after concrete is placed, especially concrete placed after September. If we pour your floor in the fall, plan on sand or kitty litter for traction that winter.
What should I ask when comparing garage floor concrete quotes?
Ask which mix each quote uses, because Ohio Concrete calls for durable, well graded aggregate, the stone in the mix, and a low water to cement ratio. Then compare what each quote lists line by line, since a low number often means something is missing.
How do I check a concrete contractor before hiring in Solon?
Ask whether they're registered with the city, because Solon requires contractors to get a certificate of registration from its chief building official before doing any work there, renewed each year. The bond a contractor files to register, the city says, only assures the city that the work follows its codes, standards and ordinances.
Plan your garage floor and the concrete around it
Call (440) 560-8533 with your garage size in square feet and whether the old slab comes out, and we can plan the visit.
