Concrete Grinding & Surface Preparation in Walnut Creek CA - a slab ready to coat
Old glue, sealer or oil stains on your concrete? We grind it clean and open so your new floor coating grips the slab.
Does my concrete need grinding before a new floor goes down?
Concrete grinding and surface preparation in Walnut Creek is the work that gets your slab ready before a new floor coating goes on. We take off oil, grease, wax, old sealers, curing compounds and salts so the new resin bonds to the concrete itself, not to whatever was sitting on top of it.
Most calls start with something you can see: black glue left behind after the tile came up, a garage coating flaking off, or stains that won't scrub out. If the old flooring is still down, we can pull it first through our concrete floor stripping and removal work and then prep what's underneath.
The price mostly follows how big the floor is and what's on it, because a bare slab with a few stains takes far less work than one buried under thick glue or layers of old coating. The schedule turns on moisture, since a slab that's still holding water has to dry before anything goes on top. Your written estimate gives you the figure for your own floor.
- Thin mastic can often be shotblasted off, but thick layers bounce the steel shot and need grinding.
- Cracks and low spots get noted at the visit, since they change what the floor needs next.
- We prep garages, basements, patios and pool decks, plus shop and kitchen floors for business owners.
What happens when you call us about grinding your concrete?
Every job starts with me looking at the slab, because the prep depends on what's on it and what's in it. Here's how it runs from your first call to the final walk-through.
Call or send us a message
Tell us roughly how many square feet the floor is, what covers it now and whether you've noticed dark stains or damp spots. We set a time for me to come out and see it.
I check the slab in person
I look for moisture, old coatings, glue and cracks, walk you through what I see and which options fit, and you get a written estimate with the prep spelled out. If the slab needs a humidity reading taken inside the concrete, each sensor needs at least 24 hours in place before the reading counts, so that wait goes into the schedule.
We grind and prep the floor
Once you say yes, our trained installers do the grinding with me on site, and indoors we set up dust control the way we talked through at the visit. If your job needs a city permit, Walnut Creek allows that work only from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays unless the permit says otherwise, so we book around those hours.
We walk the floor together
Before we pack up, I go over the finished floor with you so you can see what was done and ask about anything. Satisfaction guaranteed on every job, including the prep you'll never see once the coating is down.
Concrete grinding, prep and floor coating work up close
These photos show the kind of concrete prep and floor coating work our trade does, from ground slabs to finished floors. They're here to show what a properly opened surface looks like before anything goes on top.
White classic car parked on a speckled epoxy garage floor beside an open doorway to greenery.
Empty garage with a sealed, speckled concrete floor reflecting the lights and walls.
Brown stained concrete patio with a geometric border beside a house and lawn.
Close-up of a multicolored flake-coated floor beside a black threshold and orange garage door.
Polished concrete floor with exposed aggregate reflecting wall panels in a large room.
Glossy metallic epoxy floor with swirling black, gray, and white patterns in a gallery-like room.
Get a written estimate for prepping your concrete
Send the form or call (925) 433-7858, and we'll reply within one business day to set up a free visit where I look at your slab myself. The estimate is written down and comes with no obligation.
(925) 433-7858Questions about grinding concrete before a new floor
These are the questions I hear most when someone's planning a new floor over old concrete. Each answer starts with the short version, then what it means for your slab.
How much does concrete grinding cost per square foot?
Across the US, concrete grinding usually costs about $1.50 to $3.50 per square foot, a range that runs from light smoothing up to removing glue or mastic. Where your floor lands depends on its size and what's covering it, and the written estimate I give you after seeing it has the figure for your slab.
Will acid etching work instead of grinding my concrete?
Not when the slab has curing compounds on it. One coating maker says those compounds have to come off chemically or mechanically before coating, and that acid etching generally doesn't remove them, so a floor like that needs more than etching alone.
How can I tell if my slab is too damp to coat?
A slab is too damp to coat until the moisture inside it drops to acceptable levels, because moisture trapped under a coating can cause blistering, buckling, the coating letting go, or mold. One maker suggests taping plastic sheets over a few spots and checking them after 24 hours, and if moisture shows, coating waits until its source is found.
How do I tell if there's oil in my garage floor before coating it?
Dark or discolored patches often mean oil or grease, and water that beads up on them shows it's there. One coating maker says a floor like that has to be degreased before any other prep, and the same maker's tip is that a strip of duct tape that won't stick firmly can point to oil too.
Can a flooring crew work on a Saturday in Walnut Creek?
Only with an after-hours permit, because Walnut Creek requires one for construction on Saturdays and city holidays. National holidays such as Thanksgiving are off limits entirely, so we plan around those dates when we set your schedule.
What causes epoxy to peel off a concrete floor?
Peeling usually comes from a weak bond, when oil, wax, old sealer or curing compound was left on the slab and the resin never gripped the concrete underneath. Moisture coming up through the slab, the damp-slab problem above, is the other common cause, so I check for both at the visit.
Concrete grinding and surface preparation around Walnut Creek
Walnut Creek requires a building permit when you add to or physically change a property, so we check with the city whether your job needs one before we start. We're based here and prep slabs across nearby cities like Concord and Lafayette.