Your garage floor takes more abuse than almost any other concrete on your property. Hot tires, oil drips, dropped tools and heavy trucks all land on it. In Lubbock, TX the floor also deals with clay soil that moves under it and dust that blows in every time the door opens. Good garage floor concrete is built to handle all of it.
Lubbock Concrete pours new garage floor concrete for new homes and additions and replaces cracked, sunken or stained floors in existing garages. We give you a free written estimate, explain each step and leave the space clean.
What makes garage floor concrete different
A garage floor needs more than a patio does. It has to be flat for rolling tool chests, strong for vehicles, and sloped just enough to send water toward the door. Most garage floors are four inches thick, and we go to five or six where trucks, lifts or heavy storage will sit.
Steel keeps cracks tight, and a well compacted base keeps the floor from settling. On Lubbock clay, we also pay attention to the edges, where the slab meets the foundation, and we place isolation joints so the slab can move a little without cracking the walls.
- Four to six inch slab with steel inside
- Compacted base and a vapor barrier where needed
- A slight slope toward the garage door
- Isolation joints along the walls
Finishes for garage floor concrete
A hard steel trowel finish is smooth, dense and easy to sweep. A light broom finish gives more grip if your garage floor gets wet. After the concrete cures, we can seal it to stop oil and chemicals from soaking in, and a sealed floor looks sharp for years.
Some owners want a brighter look, so we also offer stained and sealed finishes. See our page on concrete staining and sealing for color options. We leave the floor clean and tell you how long to wait before you park.
Replacing or repairing an old garage floor
If your garage floor has a few thin cracks and a solid surface, repair and sealing may be enough. If it has sunken, heaved or crumbling sections, replacement is smarter. We break out the old slab, fix the base and pour a new floor, or we use a thin overlay when the old slab is sound.
Many Lubbock garages have slabs that were poured on soft fill or thin base, and the floor tilts toward the middle. We check the slope and the cracks, and we tell you honestly what will last. Read about concrete repair and concrete resurfacing if you are not sure.
Cost, timing and next steps for your garage floor concrete
A standard two car garage floor can be poured in a day once the base is ready, and the whole job often takes two to three days with removal. You can walk on the new floor after a day or two, park a car after about a week, and fully load it after about four weeks. Price depends on size, thickness, removal, finish and access.
Call us or use the contact page to set up a visit. We also pour concrete slabs for shops and additions and driveways to match.
Garage Floor Concrete questions answered
How thick should garage floor concrete be?
Four inches is the minimum for a normal two car garage, and it works well for cars and light trucks. If you plan to park a heavy truck, store a boat or use a lift, we suggest five or six inches with extra steel. The thickness is only part of the picture. The base under the slab and the steel inside it matter just as much.
On Lubbock clay, we compact a firm base and thicken the edges a little where the slab meets the foundation. We also place control joints so any cracks follow straight lines. When you tell us what will go in the garage, we choose a thickness that fits, so your garage floor concrete holds up for decades. A little extra work on the edges of a slab, where moisture changes hit first, is some of the best money you can spend. A pressure washer can clean concrete, but keep it at a moderate setting and keep it moving, since too much pressure scars the surface.
Can you fix a cracked or sunken garage floor, or does it need replacement?
It depends on the damage. Thin cracks that are stable can be cleaned, filled and sealed, and that keeps water and dirt out. A floor with a few cracks but a solid surface can also be resurfaced with a thin overlay. If sections have sunk, tilted or crumbled, the ground under the slab has moved, and a patch will not last.
We look at the floor, measure the cracks, check for hollow spots and explain your options. We would rather tell you the truth than sell a repair that fails. In many Lubbock garages, replacement with a better base and steel is the best long term fix, and we give you a free written estimate for each path. A second look at your plan after a night's sleep is often a good idea, and we are happy to adjust the estimate to match. Fill small cracks early with a flexible sealant, because water that gets into a crack in winter freezes and makes it bigger.
What is the best finish for a garage floor?
For most garages, a hard steel trowel finish with a good sealer is best. It is dense, smooth and easy to clean, and oil and tire marks wipe off. If water or snow melt gets into your garage, a light broom finish gives better grip. Some owners add a color stain for a showroom look, and others add a fine grit to the sealer for traction.
A sealer matters more than people think. Bare concrete soaks up oil, antifreeze and road chemicals, and those stains are hard to remove. We seal new floors after they cure, and we tell you when to reseal. Ask about staining and sealing if you want color. Sandy and clay soils behave differently, and we check what is under your yard before we decide on thickness and base. The sound of a crew finishing at the end of a long day on a flat, smooth slab is a good one, and it is what we aim for on every job.
How long before I can park in my garage after the pour?
Wait about seven days before you drive a car onto a new garage floor. Foot traffic is fine after a day or two, but be gentle with heavy items. Heavy trucks, loaded trailers and equipment should wait closer to 28 days. If we seal the floor, we need another day or two for the sealer to dry.
We will tell you the exact dates when we finish the job. If you need your garage sooner, tell us when you call. We can sometimes pour in two stages so part of the garage is ready first. A short wait now protects the floor from tire marks and edge chips for years. If a permit or approval is needed, we help you understand the steps so the job is not held up later. Pouring concrete near trees takes care, and we keep slabs away from big roots where we can and thicken them where we cannot.
Should the garage floor slope, and which way?
Yes. A garage floor should slope slightly toward the door, about one eighth to one quarter inch per foot, so water from wet tires and washdowns runs outside. A floor with no slope holds puddles near the middle, and a floor that slopes toward the house sends water toward the walls.
We set the forms and the grade carefully, and we check the slope with a level before the pour. We also look at the driveway, so water that leaves the garage does not run back in during a heavy rain. In Lubbock, a flat lot makes drainage a little harder, so we plan the slope with the whole lot in mind. If you notice puddles that stay for days after rain, tell us, because that spot needs a better slope before anything is built over it. Curing means keeping the surface damp or covered after finishing, and it matters as much for strength as the mix itself.
Can you pour a new garage floor for an addition or a new building?
Yes. We pour garage floors for attached and detached garages, shops and additions. For attached garages, the floor connects to the house foundation, and we follow the plans and the engineer's notes. For detached garages and shops, we design the slab with you, based on the weight of what you will store and the size of the doors.
We coordinate with your builder, so the forms, steel, plumbing and electrical sleeves are ready before the concrete arrives. Bring any drawings to the estimate. See our pages on concrete foundations and shop and barn floors for related work. Every job gets a final walk through, where we check the finish, the edges and the slope with you before we leave. Walking the site together is the best way to find problems early, and we are glad to do it at no charge as part of your free estimate. A lighter color stays cooler under bare feet in July, which is worth thinking about for patios, pool decks and walks.
Ready for a free estimate? Call (806) 541-4636 or use the estimate form. Lubbock Concrete gives clear written estimates for patios, slabs and driveways across the South Plains.