Watch This Video Before Repairing or Refinishing Concrete Garage Slab

www.homebuildin... Click on this link for more information and helpful videos on garages, home remodeling and construction repairs. Here's another video that might save you a lot of frustration, time and money if you're planning on repairing and then using some type of an epoxy refinishing system to make your garage floor look brand-new. The biggest problem with concrete repair products is they might not stick to existing concrete that's soft or failing.

[@gregvancom]

The 2012 International Residential Code Book on page 58 R309.1 say that you shouldn't use combustible materials for a garage floor, so it might not be a good idea to use it in your garage. Thanks to a viewer who pointed it out.

[@panamafishingbass]

gregvancom The epoxy is not flammable in its solid state, it is only its liquid state, once past the curing time of the product when it releases all the solvents it will no longer be a combustible material.

[@GiantMigit245]

What the heck? This is exactly the video I needed to stumble upon. You basically covered everything !

[@melodiemayfield9945]

Thank you so much. I've been trying to figure out what to do with my garage floor. This really helped me.

[@gregvancom]

You're welcome and it definitely is one of those products that you can plan for the worst, while hoping for the best. Hoping that it doesn't peel off.

[@CorneliusSRT8]

Thank you for this video. I’m researching this criteria because we’re purchasing a house that was built in 1986 and the garage floor is sagging or have settled. It’s can be replaced just need a jackhammer to demo it. It has a stem wall also. This was very educational! Thank you for the video.

[@gregvancom]

You're welcome and I'm glad it helped.

[@williamrees93]

Found this very helpful I have all these issues of deterioration and the dust from the concrete is finding its way into my house. The previous owner had freshly painted the floor when I purchased the house and I didn't catch the severity of my problem I'm hopeful that I can patch the floor but I'm looking at about 200 sqft of patches. And then I plan on an industrial coating. Crossing my fingers.

[@gregvancom]

This is another reason why I made this video, if you're concrete is deteriorating, then there's a good chance it will continue to deteriorate and provide you with plenty of dust until it is replaced.

[@Space.Ghost.]

Thank you for another great video. Your animations are great and phenomenally helpful.

[@gregvancom]

You're welcome and thanks for the wonderful comment.

[@Space.Ghost.]

gregvancom anytime! I'm building my house myself and your vids have been a tremendous resource. I can't thank you enough. I couldn't have done it without ya!

[@gregvancom]

Thanks again and I'm always glad to help if I can. I can't make everyone happy, but always enjoy hearing comments like yours.

[@carlosclavell326]

Thank you for the post! I found it very educational and looking to implement some of your suggestions.

[@gregvancom]

You're very welcome!

[@jesusc2me]

Looking for examples on how to fix the plain slab type foundation for a stand alone garage. Mine is severely broken apart, but I would like to salvage the garage and turn it into an outdoor pavilion, not parking cars but for relaxing and shade. Is is so critical to completely repair the foundation if I am not using it for the same kind of utility?

[@louiespray]

Do you have any experience with any of the pvc-like tile products that are available? Do they last? Last in cold climates? How smooth does the floor have to be before putting down the tiles? I know there are a lot of variables in answering these questions - appreciate your trying to do so!

[@gregvancom]

Efflorescence is a crystalline deposit of salts often seen on the surface of concrete, brick, stucco, or natural stone surfaces. It occurs when water is present on or in the masonry surface.

[@thinkerdoit]

gregvancom the question is, where is the water coming from?? Is it pulling through the concrete as ground water levels rise during rainy season? Such as the case w my floor filled with cracks and such. Laying a carpet in this case would only lead to mildew and mold causing a worse situation. In all cases the main fix goal should not only be visual but more importantly, functional and preventative.

[@codyholst6056]

Cool video. I install epoxy floors for a living and still lerned a thing or two.

[@gregvancom]

Thanks and keep learning.

[@seongtaek84]

Very helpful and kind teacher! Thank you for this amazing educational edit:)

[@gregvancom]

You're very welcome and thanks for watching!

[@HRBPS23]

What I believe has happened to my garage walls is water that seeped through and as the walls dried the Calcium in the mortar and block would cause the block to decay. Since then I had the outside problem fixed and painted the inside with dryloc. The floor has also been pitting from salt and water, now I’m looking into sealing it so it doesn’t get worse. Anyway calcium (salt) as we know eats through many things especially concrete.

[@rfehr613]

FYI, efflorescence is a byproduct of the chemical reaction of the cement and water which leaches out through cracks in the concrete. It's not inherently problematic. It does not deteriorate concrete. Rather the presence of efflorescence is simply an indication that the slab is cracked and water is getting through. All concrete cracks, so that's not the problem. Water can be a problem though. Efflorescence is usually just an aesthetic issue.

[@gregvancom]

So when you say that it's not inherently problematic, you're also suggesting that it can be. Let me see if I can simplify this, efflorescence on cement products or some type of white powdery surface covering can lead to masonry, concrete and stucco damage. I can also say that the opposite would occur as this individual suggest, just chose not to.

[@rfehr613]

@@gregvancom efflorescence isn't inherently problematic because it doesn't affect the strength or structural performance. It's problematic for aesthetic reasons. Efflorescence doesn't deteriorate materials, it's simply a feature of cement hydration that becomes apparent when moisture is passing through the material. The only structural issue I could see when efflorescence is if you had a large pocket of it in your material which then leached out to the surface leaving a void. But if your concrete is that terrible, you got way bigger problems. Concrete is naturally porous, and it always develops shrinkage cracks and depending on use also temperature cracks. So the only way to really stop it is to stop the water by means of vapor barriers, waterproofing membranes, concrete sealer, and/or epoxy paint. For the record, I'm a bridge engineer with 8 years experience designing and inspecting bridges. I see efflorescence every single day. We note it for inspections because it indicates a presence of water and potentially high chloride concentrations which accelerate steel reinforcement corrosion.

[@angelt9500]

Can you repair if half the garage is cracked, chip out that front half and pour a new slab attaching it with the other half?

[@gregvancom]

If the existing slab is in good shape, then I don't see why it couldn't work. I would dowel rebar into existing slab to prevent new slab from moving.

[@JuanSanchez-sg1kl]

Thank you this is a great video 😊

[@gregvancom]

You are so welcome!

[@gideon360]

Best Explanations! Thank you.

[@gregvancom]

Glad it was helpful!

[@beland21]

Any suggestions what to put on my floor looks just like your video minutes 1:07 in ? I do understand that it will only be temporary and it needs to be replaced

[@gregvancom]

Sorry, no.

[@kyrujames]

thanks for this, this was super helpful

[@gregvancom]

You're welcome and glad you liked it.

[@poppaluv]

My garage floor wasn't finished smooth and is bubpy from the aggregate i believe. What can i use to fill and raise it about 1/2-1/2 inch. (My garage just collapsed from hurricane zeta and i figure while i have a blank slate (or slab) i should go for it now. Thanks

[@gregvancom]

If it was me and I had the money, I would remove and replace the garage floor slab. Other than that, I don't know of any products that I could guarantee without any shadow of doubt that would solve your problem.

[@stankormy5717]

Useful presentation!

[@gregvancom]

I liked it.

[@tileslay6543]

I get this type of concrete to work on once in awhile. Usually I grind down to solid. Than depending on what surface is going on I can seal and bring to a polish or self level and than use ditra for movement with a perimeter expansion joint. And tile it. Can be ceramic, vct, lvt are the best choices. Carpet is not ideal without fixing. Tack strip is hard to nail or glue to that type of surface. Glue down will consume more adhesive and not bond the greatest but more than than show some of the holes. I have not ever used the epoxy. But I don’t see why you can’t on top of self leveling. On the moisture concept you can test the slab. Sometimes this is a moisture problem. If the lbs per come back unacceptable you can buy a paint on moisture sealer.

[@gregvancom]

I actually variety of different for finishes installed that didn't have any problems within two or three years, but I have witnessed plenty of them that have sections of them falling apart. If you install the self-leveling compound and somehow it separated from the concrete, but the garage floor finish didn't separate from the self-leveling compound, you would still have a problem. Let me know if this doesn't make sense.

[@tileslay6543]

I think I have one coming up in a basement. I’ll have to get ahold of UZIN to see if they will warranty it. It probably just depends on the primer used to bond the self leveling.

[@gregvancom]

@@tileslay6543 Sounds good and would love to know what you find out.

[@connorhauss6044]

I fucking love concrete. Good video

[@kevinhornbuckle]

In some situations you can put down a layer of rigid foam and then pour self-leveling cement over it (and heating cables too if you want).

[@gregvancom]

I don't know if that would work well if you drove a vehicle over it, but would love to know if you could.

[@Marcoosianism]

Not clear on how rigid foam and a thin layer of cement would support a car.

[@harvortiz4756]

What about backer board? or cement backerboard, then self-leveler?

[@jorasparents]

Can I use self-leveling or epoxy on a crappy, aged cement basement floor - a basement that will never be "finished" because of ceiling height? Just want to preserve existing floor as it continues to age, and maybe prevent moisture seepage. Floor is pitted, uneven in lots of places ... like I said, it's only ever going to be a "storage" basement, so I'm not looking for "pretty" - or even perfectly even, since no tile or flooring will be laid on top. TX!

[@gregvancom]

You can give it a shot, but be prepared for for the product you're using to separate from the concrete floor eventually. I might even suggest using whatever product you're thinking about in a smaller area as some type of test and waiting a few months to see if there are any problems.

[@jorasparents]

@@gregvancom thank you so much for the reply! There's no aggregate showing ... Really can't handle the expense of relaying the whole floor ... but I guess I'll keep researching. Thanks again! :)

[@Foche_T._Schitt]

I think the lack of a vapor barrier behind the slab causes epoxy coatings to fail because moisture has nowhere to go.

[@gregvancom]

Good point, if you had a vapor barrier underneath and a vapor barrier on top, then you could end up with a big problem.

[@Foche_T._Schitt]

You might have worded that wrong. If you got a good barrier underneath the top should be good for any sealing method. I think a grind and polish with IIRC a silicon or mineral oil treatment on top is best for concrete that doesn't have a vapor barrier. It's still able to breath through the treatment.

[@gregvancom]

Good point, don't build anything that can trap moisture between two moisture barriers.

[@Foche_T._Schitt]

Two moisture barriers are fine so long as one is below the slab. It's when you have *just one* moisture barrier on top that moisture becomes trapped just below the surface causing the surface to peal up.

[@gregvancom]

I guess it would if they weren't water proof barriers and just moisture resistant.

[@kathywellman551]

Thank

[@gregvancom]

You're welcome and thanks for watching.

[@rogelioaburto1403]

hello if you can help me my garage floor, the exposed aggregate and rocks came in out.

[@gregvancom]

If the concrete is soft or in other words if you could take a screwdriver and start removing sections of the concrete, then it's probably bad and would need to be replaced. Feel free to send me some pictures for more information.

[@loganbaker4992]

i have some questions about my garage floor

[@gregvancom]

Ask them.

[@loganbaker4992]

@@gregvancom so I have several deep cracks in my garage floor that go down more then a inch can I fill them? They are a inch or so wide and I want to also relevel part of my floor that sinks down a few inches is that possible

[@gregvancom]

@@loganbaker4992 You can fill them, I just can't provide you with any products to use. I try to avoid giving product suggestions, but I can recommend doing some more research to find something that might work for filling the cracks. They also sell self-leveling products that work great, but are expensive.

[@loganbaker4992]

@@gregvancom how much do you think it would cost to fill several cracks a few inches deep 7-8 feet long?

[@gregvancom]

@@loganbaker4992 I cannot provide you with estimated costs, especially if I don't know how much material you're going to need or how much it's going to cost for those materials. I would suggest finding out how much the materials cover and doing some math to figure out an approximate estimate.

[@Odo-so8pj]

Primer

[@boobacockaa]

I usually get a lot out of your videos. But there was very little info in this one, it was much more of a pep talk. What was the purpose of this one?

[@gregvancom]

I consider videos like these public service announcements and just want to let viewers know that I've came across plenty of projects where people had installed some type of coating over a concrete slab that eventually made the floor look worse than before it was applied.

[@boobacockaa]

gregvancom - solid copy, thank you. PS - 3 guesses why I selected this video...and the first two guesses don’t count. I’ll be grinding my garage floor, and then doing a thick self leveling layer on top in order to cover up a seriously bad finish.

[@gregvancom]

@@boobacockaa I'm not trying to scare anybody into avoid using any products, because it could work and last for decades.

[@frankdatank2529]

Too much sand on that mix when they pour it , but you probably weren't there when they did it lol

[@gregvancom]

I would've guessed that it didn't have enough cement and rocks.

[@justonemorecast]

Audio? I can't hear it.

[@gregvancom]

Yes, some phones and tablets have problems, but hopefully I have resolved that issue in my newer videos.

[@frankdatank2529]

2000 my ass I'll do it for 200 bucks a day call me lol and I do in ground pools too my rate is 200 bucks a day I like to help people and I'll travel you buy the materials and rent the machines I need shit you can have a in ground pool for as little as 10 to 15,000

[@bernadettefausz8810]

Come helpe out. I'll pay that rate!

[@frankdatank2529]

I love watching y'alls stupid video's it makes me feel like a GOD at what I do lol