Cracks running across the floor
Cracks that wander across a slab usually mean it shrank with no joints to guide it, or the ground moved. How wide and deep they go tells us whether a topping can cover them.
Garage floor concrete in Somerville MA - a floor that holds up to cars and salt
Cracked, chipped or flaking garage floor? We'll tell you whether a topping will do or it needs new concrete, then build it right.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free quotes on site.
- Replies within 1 business day.
What a garage floor job involves
Garage floor concrete in Somerville is usually one of two jobs. We either resurface the whole floor with a thin new topping, or we tear it out and pour a new slab on the ground, so you end up with a solid floor that takes your car and the salt it drags in.
The price turns on the size of the garage, whether a topping will do or the old slab has to come out, how much work the ground underneath needs, and whether the slab gets steel. Stain or color adds to it. The schedule turns on the permit question, the weather on pour day and the wait while the new concrete cures, which means hardening enough to take weight. I come out, measure and talk it through with you, then send the estimate with numbers for your garage.
Somerville's building office issues permits for building, altering or repairing a structure and lists flooring among the work it exempts, so whether your garage slab needs one is something we ask the city early, before we settle the plan. When the paperwork is ours to file, we file it and keep it moving, and when it's yours, we tell you what to bring.
I'm on the job start to finish
I come out to look at your garage myself and stay on the job until it's done. Our crew digs, forms, pours and finishes, and we bring in other licensed trades when needed.
You see the plan before we pour
Concrete is hard to undo, so I walk you through what's coming out, what goes underneath and where the water goes before anything is poured. Questions are easier to settle then than after.
A clean site and calm neighbors
Garages here usually sit at the end of a narrow driveway close to the next house, so we keep the mess contained and leave the site cleaner than we found it.
How we redo a garage floor
Before I put a price on a garage floor, I look at how deep the damage goes and how much of the floor it covers, because that decides between a topping, a thin new layer bonded over the old slab, and new concrete. If we're pouring new, our crew breaks out the old floor and most of our effort goes into the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on. We dig out soft fill and pack a firm base instead of raking dirt level, because a slab on poor ground settles and cracks no matter how much rebar, the steel inside it, it holds.
I check where water runs in and around the garage before we form anything, since snowmelt off a car has to go somewhere. In summer we pour early in the day so the top doesn't dry too fast and turn weak and dusty later. We cut control joints on time, shallow grooves that give the slab a straight place to crack, so any cracks land where we chose. Tear-out and pour days stay inside the city's construction hours, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays.
If the budget gets tight, I'd rather give on the surface than the base, because you can redo a finish later but you can't fix the ground without breaking out the floor. Most garages get plain gray with a broom finish, a light texture that keeps tires and boots from slipping when the floor's wet, and if you'd like color or a stain, that's decorative concrete work we can plan alongside it. On tight lots where the garage is cut into a slope, the slab often meets a concrete retaining wall, and we look at both together.
Garage floor problems we get called about
A flaking, pitted top layer
When the top flakes away in patches, salt and freezing have usually been at it for a few winters. If the concrete below is still sound, a topping may be all it needs.
A floor that's sinking or rocking
A section that's dropped or shifts underfoot points to soft ground underneath, and a topping won't fix that. Usually we break it out, rebuild the base and pour new concrete.
A new or rebuilt garage
When you're building or rebuilding a garage, the slab goes in early. We plan it with you and the other trades so the floor, the door opening and the driveway meet cleanly.
Get a garage floor estimate on site
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I come out, measure the floor, talk it through with you and then send the estimate, free and with no pressure to book.
Your garage size in square feet
A rough length and width is enough to start, because size drives the price more than anything else and it helps me plan what to check when I come out.
A few photos of the damage
Some close-ups and one wide shot of the floor show how deep the damage goes and how much of it there is, which is what points toward a topping or new concrete.
How many units the house has
The number of units decides who can pull a Somerville building permit if one is needed, so knowing it early keeps the paperwork from holding up your pour date.
Concrete floor and slab examples
Example photos of garage slabs, broom and smooth finishes, stained floors and the driveway edges that meet them, to help you picture your options.
Garage floor questions from Somerville owners
Straight answers to what Somerville owners ask before redoing a garage floor, from cost and permits to when you can park again.
Should I resurface or replace my garage floor in Somerville?
Resurface only when the damage is shallow and spread over most of the floor, by one repair guide's rule. If the damage is deep, or only in a few spots, ask about another fix before paying to resurface the whole thing. A slab that's cracked through or sinking usually needs new concrete, and I'll tell you which way I'd go once I've seen it.
How much does a new garage slab cost near Boston?
A concrete slab in the Boston area usually costs about $5 to $15 per square foot, according to one local cost guide. That's the market's range, not our price, and it leaves out staining or stamping. The same guide prices reinforced slabs above plain ones. Your own number comes from the estimate after I measure your garage.
How soon can I walk or park on a new garage floor?
You can usually walk on it within 48 hours, by one Boston-area cost guide, and the same guide suggests waiting a week before heavier loads, which in a garage means the car. Full curing takes about a month, 28 to 30 days. Plan on parking in the driveway or on the street for that first week.
Can I get the building permit myself in Somerville?
Yes, if you own and live in a one- or two-family house, you can obtain it yourself through the city's building division. On a three-family or larger, a licensed contractor has to apply. That contractor submits a construction supervisor license, plus a home improvement contractor registration on an owner-occupied home of one to four units. We're fully licensed and insured.
What concrete should a garage floor in Massachusetts use for winter?
Air-entrained concrete, with tiny air bubbles that give freezing water room, is what a concrete trade group advises where freeze-thaw is severe, as it is in Massachusetts. Ask each contractor which mix they'll order. Afterward, hose off road salt when you can and go easy on deicers, since heavy use can flake the top. The first winter, use clean sand instead if possible.
Other concrete work near your garage
Talk to us about your garage floor
We answer seven days a week and into the evening, so call (617) 284-0921 or send the form while you're standing in the garage.