Tips for new-construction slabs that need cure time, and for older garages in town. Call or text a few photos of the floor, and the estimate is free.
Sun Prairie is a city of about 36,000 northeast of Madison in Dane County. If your home is new, the garage slab may look perfect, but fresh concrete has its own rules before it can be coated. Older homes in town get the same check for cracks, stains and moisture as anywhere else.
Fresh concrete holds a lot of water and keeps giving it off for weeks or months. Many coating makers ask for at least 28 days after the pour before their product goes down, and some also want a passing moisture test. Coat too soon and that water can get trapped and push up blisters. If you just moved in, ask your builder for the pour date.
Builders often spray a cure-and-seal product on a new slab. It helps the concrete cure, but it also stops a coating from bonding. You cannot always see it. If a few drops of water bead up instead of darkening the concrete, a sealer is likely there. Grinding takes it off.
Small shrinkage cracks show up in a lot of new concrete. They are not always a sign of trouble. They still get opened up and filled before coating, so they do not show through the finish a year later.
Garage Floor Coating · Polyaspartic Floor Coating · Basement Floor Coating · Concrete Repair & Crack Filling · Commercial & Industrial Floor Coating · Decorative Flake & Metallic Coating
Prices for each are on the cost guide.
53590
If the slab has cured long enough, yes. An empty garage is easier to grind and coat, and nothing has to sit on the driveway while the floor cures.
Plan on at least a month after the pour, and longer if the product sheet asks for it. The slab should also pass a moisture test on the day of the job.
Yes. New concrete has a smooth top layer and often a builder sealer on it. Both keep a coating from gripping. Grinding opens the surface so the coating can bond.
