Garage floor concrete in Hoover, AL - a new slab that sits flat on solid ground
Cracked, sunken or flaking garage floor? We'll tell you whether it needs a resurface or a new slab, then build it on a base that holds.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- Replies within 1 business day.
Do you need a new garage floor or just a resurface?
Garage floor concrete in Hoover, AL comes down to two jobs. One is a resurface of the floor you have. The other is a full replacement, where we break up the old slab, haul it out, rebuild the base and pour new concrete, so you end up with a fresh floor on ground that's been redone.
Most people call when the floor has cracked, dropped at the door or started flaking, and they want to know what it'll take and how long the car lives in the driveway. The price mostly turns on which of those two fixes your floor needs, then on the size of the garage, how much old concrete comes out, how much base has to be rebuilt and whether the slab gets steel in it. The schedule turns on the permit and inspections, the weather on pour day and the cure time before you drive on it again. When I come out, your estimate spells out what's in it, so you can see where the money goes before you decide.
How can you tell your garage floor needs work?
Cracks that keep growing
A crack that keeps widening, or has one side sitting higher than the other, usually means the ground under the slab has moved, not just the concrete on top. Left alone, water gets in, the edges break down, and a simple patch stops being an option.
A low spot at the door
If the floor has dropped where it meets the driveway, or water sits in a dip after a rain, the base under that section has usually settled. The longer it goes, the more it undermines the concrete around it and the bigger the piece that has to come out.
Flaking, pitted or dusty top
A surface that's chipping, pitting or leaving gray dust on your shoes is wearing from the top down, and if the slab under it is still solid, that can be a smaller fix than a new floor. Once the damage runs deep, that smaller fix is off the table.
How we handle garage floor concrete
First I figure out whether your floor needs a resurface or a full replacement, since light wear across the whole floor is a different fix from deep damage in a few spots. On a replacement, we break up the old slab and haul it out, then put most of our effort into the subgrade, the dirt and stone the slab sits on, rebuilding it and packing it evenly so the new floor doesn't settle in one corner and not the next. We check the slope so water runs out the door instead of back toward the house, set rebar, the steel that helps hold the slab together, where the job calls for it, and pour. We cut control joints, straight grooves that give the slab a planned place to crack instead of a random one, finish the top smooth or with a light broom texture for grip when it's wet, then let it cure, which is the slow hardening that gives concrete its strength. If the budget gets tight, I'd rather you spend it on the base than on a fancier finish, because the base is hidden on day one and it's the one part you can't fix later without tearing the floor back out.
Some folks want more than plain gray, and decorative concrete can give the floor color, texture or a pattern. When the garage is cut into a slope and the dirt beside it keeps pushing or washing toward the slab, concrete retaining walls hold that ground back so it stops working against your new floor.
Get a free estimate for your garage floor
Send your garage size, a few photos of the damage and your address. We'll get back to you within one business day to set a time for me to come out, and the estimate is free with no obligation.
- estimates@concretehoover.com
- Based in
- Hoover, AL 35216
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 7 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–11 PM
What happens after you call about your garage floor?
Here's how a garage floor job runs, from your first call to the day we walk the finished slab with you.
Call or send the form
You call or write, and we set a time for me to come see the floor. If you can send the garage size in square feet and a few photos, I'll show up with a good idea of what we're looking at.
Walk the garage together
I look at the cracks, the ground and where the water runs, then put together an estimate that spells out what's in it. You'll see what goes to the base and what goes to the new concrete, so nothing on the final bill is a surprise.
Sort the permit, set the pour
Once you're ready, we take care of the permit side with the building office and set the pour. Hoover's inspectors ask for at least 24 hours notice for an inspection and would rather have 48, so we leave that room before the concrete truck is booked.
Walk the finished floor
Before we pack up, we walk the new floor with you and point out the control joints. We'll also go over how long to keep the car out while it cures.
Why Hoover homeowners call A&B Hoover Concrete Construction for garage floors
The owner walks your garage
I come out myself to look at the floor and talk it over with you, and I'm on the job with our own crew when we pour. The person who saw your cracks and your drainage is the same one making sure the base gets packed right.
Learned it one pour at a time
I started out hauling and raking on someone else's crew and opened this business in 2020, so I've seen plenty of slabs that failed because the base got skipped. That's why I'll explain each step of your job instead of just handing you a number.
Licensed and insured for your job
We're fully licensed and insured, so the risk of work on your property isn't sitting on you. Alabama's Home Builders Licensure Board counts anyone who builds, repairs or improves a home for more than $10,000 in labor and materials as a residential home builder, so it's worth asking about licensing on a bigger floor job, whoever you hire.
On a garage floor, the part you can't see on pour day decides how it holds up, and our work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee. Call (205) 325-9006 or send us your garage size and a few photos to get started.
Garage floors and the driveways around them in Hoover
The City of Hoover requires a building permit before any construction work starts, and its Building Inspections Department inspects and approves that work, so that's the office to ask about the permit that fits your floor. Before we schedule anything, we check with the building office for your address about what the job needs, and when a permit is called for, we handle the paperwork and leave room in the plan for the inspections. If Shelby County issues the permit for your address instead, the county says any project over 200 square feet needs one, and most garage floors are bigger than that. If you'd rather act as your own contractor, Alabama's homeowner exemption still requires any subcontractor you hire to be licensed when their part of the job costs more than $10,000.00, which is worth sorting out before you set a pour date.
A lot of the garages we see around here open onto a driveway that slopes toward the door, and on older houses the slab has often dropped right where the two meet. We check where the water runs before we form anything, so the new floor sheds water out the door and away from the house. We see the same thing on jobs in Vestavia Hills and Pelham, and we handle it the same way.
Questions about garage floor concrete in Hoover
Should I resurface or replace my garage floor in Hoover?
Resurfacing the whole floor is the right call only when the damage is shallow and spread across most of it. Deep cracks, sunken sections or damage in just a few spots need a different repair, and sometimes that means a full replacement. I'll tell you which one your floor needs when I come look at it.
How much does a new garage floor cost around Birmingham?
A concrete slab in the Birmingham area usually costs about $5 to $11 per square foot, and reinforced slabs run a little higher per square foot than ones without steel. That's the going rate around here, not our price. Your own number depends on the size of the garage, how much old concrete comes out and how much base needs rebuilding, and your estimate lays all of that out.
How long does a new garage floor take before I can park on it?
A new slab should be walkable within 48 hours, and to be safe you may want to wait a week before heavier loads like your car. Plan on keeping the car and anything heavy out of the garage for that week. We'll go over the timing with you before we leave.
What causes a garage floor to crack?
Most cracking that matters starts underneath, because soil that isn't packed evenly settles unevenly and cracks the slab no matter how thick or strong the concrete is. That's why the base does more for how a floor holds up than thicker or stronger concrete. Even then, a concrete industry guide to slabs on ground says to expect some cracking on every project, so I'll show you the control joints and what a normal hairline crack looks like.
How thick should a garage floor slab be?
Garage slabs usually sit at the thicker end of what home floor slabs run around Birmingham, since they carry cars. Ask whoever you hire what thickness they plan, and I'll tell you ours when we go over your estimate.
How long do I need to wait before coating a new garage floor?
Wait about a month, because concrete takes 28 to 30 days to fully cure and a coating goes on after roughly a month of curing and drying. If you're planning an epoxy or another coating, tell us up front so we can plan the finish around it.
Other concrete work around your garage
Decorative concrete
Want color, a pattern or a texture instead of plain gray? Decorative concrete gives a garage floor, patio or walk a finish that suits the house.
See the service Decorative concreteConcrete retaining walls
If your garage or driveway is cut into a hill and the dirt beside it keeps creeping or washing down, a retaining wall holds that ground in place.
See the service Concrete retaining walls
Service areas for garage floor concrete
A&B Hoover Concrete Construction is based in Hoover, AL, and works in Birmingham and many of the cities around it, including Homewood. The 12 cities listed here have their own pages, but they aren't the only places we work.
Hoover, AL
Get your garage floor looked at
If a resurface will do the job, I'll tell you so before you pay for a full tear-out, so call (205) 325-9006 or send us a few photos.