Replacing a sunken, cracked floor
We break out the old slab and see what's under it, because a floor that sank usually sat on loose fill, and that has to come out before the new one goes in.
Garage floor concrete in Prattville AL - a floor poured on solid, packed ground
Garage floor cracked, sinking or chipping? We dig down to solid ground, pack the base and pour a new slab that's ready for the car.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- Replies within 1 business day.
What goes into a new garage floor
Garage floor concrete in Prattville means a new slab poured on dug-out, packed ground, plain or with steel in it, built to carry your car, your tools and whatever you plan to put on top.
Most calls start with a floor that's cracked, sunk at one end, or chipping and dusty on top, and most of the time the trouble started underneath, in a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed. The price moves with the size of the garage, how thick the slab needs to be, whether steel goes in, whether an old floor comes out first and what finish you want. The schedule turns on whether the job needs a permit, the weather on pour day and the wait while the slab cures before you park on it. I'll measure it myself, and you'll get your own number from the estimate.
If your floor is part of a bigger project that runs over $10,000, labor and materials together, it may fall under Alabama's Home Builders Licensure Board, which covers contractors who build, remodel, repair or improve homes. We're licensed and insured.
Pouring slabs full time since 2013
I learned on weekend sidewalks and small slabs for neighbors, then went full time in 2013, so a garage floor is the kind of everyday work we've done for 13 years.
I measure it and run the crew
The person who looks at your garage and measures it is me, and I'm on site running the pour with my crew, so what we talked about is what gets built.
Straight answers about the old floor
If your floor failed because of what's under it, I'll tell you that at the estimate and what it takes to fix, rather than pour new concrete over the same problem.
How we build a garage floor, step by step
Tell me what's going on the floor before we pour, because a coating or a heated shop changes what goes under the slab, and that can't be fixed from the top later. Then we dig out the soft dirt and pack the subgrade, the ground the slab rests on, since a floor poured on loose fill settles right along with it, no matter how much steel is inside.
We set the mesh up on supports so it stays in the concrete where it does some good. Mesh is the grid of steel that holds cracks tight, and it does nothing once it's been stepped down into the dirt during the pour. We pour early in the day to stay ahead of the midday heat, which can leave a weak, dusty top, and we cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a planned line to crack along, before it picks its own spot. A broom finish, a light brushed texture, gives tires and shoes some grip, or we trowel it smooth when a coating's going on.
If the budget's tight, the base is the last place I'd cut. Nobody sees it once the concrete's down, but it decides whether the floor stays put, and a nice finish on a bad base is money spent twice. When you want color or a pattern on the floor, that's our decorative concrete work, and where a garage sits into a slope, we build concrete retaining walls to hold back the ground beside it.
Common garage floor jobs we take on
A slab for a new garage
For a new detached garage or an addition, we set the floor height where it meets the driveway and the door, so you're not rolling over a lip every day.
A workshop floor for heavy tools
If a lift, a welder or a loaded tool chest is going in, tell us where, so the slab is built for that weight where it sits and not just for a parked car.
A garage floor that holds water
If water pools in the middle or runs toward the door into the house, the old floor was pitched wrong. We set the new slab to fall toward the garage door so water runs out.
Get a free estimate on your garage floor
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I come out, look at the floor and measure it myself, and the estimate is free with no obligation.
Your garage's rough size
Length and width, even paced off, tell us roughly how much concrete and steel we're talking about before I come out and measure it properly.
Whether an old floor comes out
Let us know if there's an existing slab, since breaking it out and hauling it off is its own part of the job and adds to what it costs.
What the finished floor will be
Bare and broom-finished, coated, or a shop you'll heat someday. Tell us early, because that choice changes what goes under the slab before we pour.
Concrete floor and slab finish examples
Broom finishes, smooth troweled floors, coated slabs and joint layouts to look through and talk over when I come out to measure.
Garage floor questions we hear in Prattville
Here's what people ask most about cost, cracking, curing, what goes under the slab and permits before they book a garage floor.
How much does a concrete garage floor cost in Prattville?
A concrete slab or pad in the Montgomery area usually costs about $5 to $11 per square foot. That's the going rate around here, not our price, and it doesn't include staining or stamping. A reinforced slab runs more per square foot than a plain pad, and taking out an old floor adds to it. I'll give you your own number after I measure.
Will my new concrete garage floor crack?
Some cracking is normal, even on a floor that's built right. A national slab-on-ground guide says even the best design and careful work leave some cracking and curling on every project, so a crack-free promise isn't realistic. What we do is pack the base, keep the steel up in the slab and cut the joints so most cracks land where we planned them.
Do I need a vapor retarder under my garage floor?
Usually only if you plan a coating or a heated space, going by one garage slab guide. It says a vapor retarder, a layer under the slab that slows moisture rising from the soil, is worth having under an epoxy or polyaspartic coating or in a garage you'll heat and finish later. A bare broom-finished floor in an unheated garage doesn't need one, the guide says.
How soon can I park in my garage after a new concrete floor?
Plan on about a week before you park on it or load it heavy, though it should be walkable within 48 hours, going by Montgomery-area figures. It keeps curing, or slowly hardening, for 28 to 30 days. Hot weather guidance says curing should start as soon as finishing ends and run at least 3 days, under wet burlap and plastic, a curing compound or water.
Do I need a permit for a new garage floor in Prattville?
Possibly, so we check before anything is scheduled. The City of Prattville requires permits for all construction its building codes cover, and its list names outbuildings, additions, renovations, fences and new homes, not garage floors. We find out what the city wants for your address before we set a date, and when a permit's needed, we handle the application or walk you through it.
How long does a building permit take in Prattville AL?
Initial review of a residential permit application in Prattville typically takes 3 to 5 days, so when a job needs one, we plan for that before picking a pour date. Inspections requested before 5 p.m. go on the next business day, and slab inspections asked for before 10 a.m. happen the same day. A new home also needs the city's stormwater grading permit.
Other concrete work around a garage
Book a time to measure your garage
Call (334) 788-0315 any day from 6 AM to 11 PM, or email hi@concreteprattville.com, and I'll set a time to come measure your garage.