Garage & Concrete
Concrete Repairs, Moisture Mitigation & Leveling in South Florida
The work a slab needs before flooring or a coating goes over it: cracks treated, old coatings removed, moisture addressed and uneven areas brought flat. Itemized, and added only where the assessment shows it is needed.
Serving Palm Beach County·Broward County·Miami-Dade County
- Crack treatment: $12.50 per linear ft
- Existing coating removal: $2.50 per sq ft
Most floor failures start below the floor. Planks separate over a hump, a coating lifts where moisture pushes from beneath, a crack reappears through a new finish. Concrete preparation is the unglamorous part of the project that prevents those outcomes.
We treat preparation as a set of separate, measurable items rather than a vague allowance. Each has its own unit and public rate, and each appears in your estimate only if the slab needs it. If your concrete is sound, dry and flat, you do not pay for work it does not require.
Scope
What these services cover
- Crack treatment: opening, cleaning and filling cracks, measured by the linear foot
- Existing-coating removal: taking off paint, sealers and failed coatings by the square foot
- Additional heavy grinding: removing adhesive residue or reducing high areas beyond ordinary preparation
- Moisture mitigation: a treatment applied to the slab where moisture conditions call for it
- Self-leveling underlayment at nominal depths of 1/8, 1/4 and 1/2 inch
- Stem-wall coating along the garage perimeter, by the linear foot
- A clear record of where each item applies, so quantities can be checked
Preparation and installation
How we assess and prepare concrete
Clean and expose
The slab is cleared and swept so its real condition can be seen. Old flooring, if any, is removed first.
Map cracks and defects
Cracks are measured and classified. A hairline shrinkage crack, a wider static crack and a moving joint each need a different approach, and some cracks point to movement that a surface repair cannot solve.
Check flatness
A straightedge is moved across the floor to find highs and lows, and the results are compared with the tolerance for the flooring or coating being installed.
Evaluate moisture
We look for visible signs and assess the slab in line with the requirements of the product going over it. Where a manufacturer requires a specific test, that test and its result are documented.
Agree the scope
You receive an itemized list: which items, where, and how much of each. Nothing is added to the project without your approval.
Carry out the preparation
Coatings are removed, cracks treated, high areas ground, mitigation applied and leveling poured, in the order the products require.
Verify before the finish
The prepared surface is checked again for flatness and soundness before flooring or coating begins.
Images shown illustrate service and finish options.
Finish and system choices
The preparation items
Each item solves a different problem. They are combined only as your slab requires.
Crack treatment
Cracks are opened to sound concrete, cleaned and filled with a repair material, then ground flush. This restores a continuous surface. It does not stop a slab that is still moving from cracking again.
Existing-coating removal
New coatings should bond to concrete, not to an old film of unknown strength. Removal takes the surface back to clean slab.
Additional heavy grinding
For adhesive residue, thick sealers and high spots beyond ordinary preparation. Ordinary mechanical preparation is already part of the Full-Flake Hybrid package and is not charged again.
Moisture mitigation
A treatment applied to the slab before the finish where moisture conditions call for it. We do not promise a specific moisture result on this page; the product's stated limits are in the manufacturer's data sheet provided with your estimate.
Self-leveling underlayment
A flowable underlayment that finds its own level, used to bring dips and uneven areas into tolerance. Priced by nominal depth, which is determined by measuring the floor.
Stem-wall coating
Coating the raised concrete curb at the base of garage walls so the finish continues up from the floor.
Scope boundaries
What is not included, and what we assess on site
These are the points most often left unsaid in an estimate. We would rather you read them here than discover them later.
Not included unless listed in your estimate
- Structural repairs and any crack that indicates ongoing slab movement
- Plumbing leaks, drainage corrections and exterior grading that cause moisture
- Laboratory moisture testing, unless listed in your estimate
- Leveling deeper than the nominal depths listed, which is assessed individually
- Removal of tile, glued flooring or mortar beds at these rates
- Exterior slabs, driveways and pool decks
Conditions we check before pricing
- Whether cracks are static or still moving
- The cause of any moisture, which must be resolved at its source where possible
- The actual depth of leveling required across the floor
- The type and thickness of an existing coating
- Oil and chemical contamination
- Self-leveling scopes under $1,000, which are reviewed individually
Public rates
What it costs to start the math
Self-leveling totals under $1,000 are reviewed individually because material and mobilization minimums apply. That is a review threshold, not a surcharge.
| Item | Public rate | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Crack treatmentPer linear foot | $12.50 | per linear ft |
| Existing coating removalPer square foot | $2.50 | per sq ft |
| Additional heavy grindingPer square foot | $1.50 | per sq ft |
| Moisture mitigationPer square foot | $2.50 | per sq ft |
| Self-leveling, 1/8 inchPer square foot | $5.50 | per sq ft |
| Self-leveling, 1/4 inchPer square foot | $7.00 | per sq ft |
| Self-leveling, 1/2 inchPer square foot | $10.50 | per sq ft |
| Stem-wall coatingPer linear foot | $8.50 | per linear ft |
Rate version 2026-10-05.1. Standard complexity shown; Moderate is ×1.18 and Heavy is ×1.35. Preliminary only: final scope and pricing require a site assessment. Applicable taxes and assessed extras are not included.
Finish options and details
Images shown illustrate service and finish options.
Will a repaired crack come back?
If the slab has stopped moving, a properly treated crack usually stays closed. If the slab is still moving, the crack can reopen through any repair and any finish. We tell you which kind we think you have and how confident we are. We do not guarantee that cracks will never return.
How do you know if my slab has a moisture problem?
We start with what can be seen: darkened concrete, white mineral deposits, a musty smell, or finishes that have lifted. Beyond that, the flooring or coating manufacturer's instructions determine what assessment is required. Where a specific test is called for, it is documented in your estimate.
Does moisture mitigation guarantee a dry floor?
No, and we will not claim that. Mitigation products are designed to work within limits stated by their manufacturers. We select a product suited to the conditions found, install it to its instructions and give you its data sheet.
Why are there three self-leveling rates?
Deeper pours use more material. The three public rates correspond to nominal depths of 1/8, 1/4 and 1/2 inch. The depth your floor needs is found by measuring it; it often varies across a room, and the estimate reflects that.
Is grinding already included in a coating price?
Ordinary mechanical preparation is included in the Full-Flake Hybrid package rate. The separate heavy-grinding item applies only to conditions beyond ordinary preparation. For other coating systems, the inclusions are confirmed in your written estimate.
Related services
Often scoped together
Garage Floor Coatings
Five coating systems installed over mechanically prepared, assessed concrete.
View service
Floor Removal & Preparation
Floating floors removed, and the substrate cleaned, checked and made ready.
View service
LVP Flooring Installation
Click-lock luxury vinyl plank laid over a substrate checked for flatness and moisture.
View serviceRequest an estimate
Ready to scope concrete repairs, moisture mitigation & leveling?
Send the rooms, surfaces and rough quantities you have. We reply to confirm a visit, assess the conditions on site, and give you a written scope and price before any work is scheduled.