Garage floor concrete in Berkeley CA - a slab built for the cars and trucks you park
Cracked, sunken or dusty garage floor? We pour a new slab sized for your vehicles and ready for the finish you want.
Old floor out
We break up and haul away the slab you have now.
Base dug and packed
We dig out soft ground and pack a firm base.
Poured and finished
We pour, level and finish the slab for your vehicles.
Curing walk-through
We show you when it's ready for feet and cars.
What should I ask for in a new garage floor?
Garage floor concrete is a new slab poured on the ground inside your garage, and in Berkeley we plan it around what you park and how you'll finish the floor, so it carries your vehicles and suits any coating or heat you add later.
Before I plan anything, I ask what you park, whether an epoxy coating is in your future and whether you might heat the space someday. The vehicles set how thick the slab should be, and a coating or heating plan changes what goes under it. If you'd like color or a pattern instead, our decorative concrete work starts from the same kind of slab.
The price moves with the size of the garage, the thickness, any vapor layer or steel, and how much old concrete has to come out first. The schedule turns on the permit and the cure, the days the concrete needs to gain strength before it can hold a car. Your written estimate lays out each of those so you can see what's included.
- A slab sized for your vehicles
- A base dug out and packed firm
- Joints placed where we chose them
- A floor ready for your finish
When is it time for a new garage floor?
Look into a new slab when the floor you have is breaking up, holding water or won't suit what you plan to park on it.
Cracks that keep widening
Fine hairline cracks are normal in concrete, but cracks that keep opening or leave one edge higher point to trouble underneath.
Sunken or uneven sections
A floor that dips or tilts usually means the subgrade, the ground the slab sits on, settled because nobody packed it firm.
Water sitting on the floor
Puddles that stay put or run toward the back wall mean the floor doesn't fall toward the door the way it should.
A dusty or flaking top
A surface that powders or chips under your shoes often comes from a pour in midday heat that left the top weak.
A heavier vehicle coming
If a pickup, camper or RV is moving in, a floor built for small cars may be too thin to carry it.
The garage is being rebuilt
When the garage itself is being rebuilt or added on, the floor is the first thing to get right, since everything sits on it.
Get a garage floor estimate
Send your garage size, what you park and any coating or heating plans. We reply within one business day to book a free on-site estimate, no obligation.
What I look at on a garage floor visit
Before I recommend anything, I look at what's under the floor now, where the water goes and how we'll get in, because those decide the plan.
The old floor and base
I look at how the old slab is breaking and what's under it, because a base that was only raked flat has to be dug out and packed.
Where the water runs
I check that the new floor can fall toward the door and not the back wall, so rain and car drips run out instead of pooling.
The edges and the door
I look at where the slab meets the walls, the door and the driveway, since those lines set the floor height and the joint layout.
Getting the concrete in
I check how a concrete truck or pump can reach the garage, because a tight driveway changes how we bring the concrete in.
How a garage floor job runs with us
We plan the work around your car and your schedule, so you know when the old floor comes out, when we pour and when you can park again.
Call or send a request
Call or fill out the form with your garage size and what you park, and we'll set a time for me to come out.
I see the garage
I come out, look at the floor and the ground around it, and listen to what you want the space to do.
Your written estimate
You get a written estimate that spells out thickness, base work and any vapor layer or steel. Then we sort out the permit before anything is poured.
Prep, pour and cure
Our crew removes the old floor, digs out and packs the base, and pours the slab, and I walk you through each stage.
Walk-through and care
Before we leave, I go over the curing wait and what to keep off the floor, so you know when it's ready for your car.
Why Berkeley homeowners call Heartland Berkeley Concrete Company for garage floors
You get a slab planned for how you use the garage and straight answers about the parts you can't see. Satisfaction guaranteed on every job.
The owner writes your estimate
I come out and write the estimate myself, and I'm on site running our own crew when we do the work.
Licensed and insured, easy to check
We're licensed and insured, and the questions below show you how to look up any contractor's license with the state.
No shortcuts on the base
The base is hidden once we pour, so it's the easiest thing to skimp on. We dig it out and pack it firm instead.
Running since 2023
I started this business in Berkeley in 2023 after summers on concrete crews, and I still explain the why to everyone I work for.
Garage floor concrete in Berkeley and the cities around it
Berkeley's Permit Service Center issues building permits, and the city requires one for all construction and most repairs unless the work is on its list of work exempt from permits. The city says to assume you need a permit for anything not on that list, so we find out what your floor needs, file the paperwork and meet the inspector when it's time.
Across Berkeley and the cities around it, many of the garages we see are older, with floors that have cracked or dropped, and more owners want the space ready for a workshop later. We do the same work in Oakland and El Cerrito, and on sloped lots we can build concrete retaining walls to hold back the ground beside the driveway.
Want to talk through your garage floor before you plan anything?
(341) 209-8254Garage floor questions we hear
How thick should a garage floor be for a truck or RV?
Four inches is standard for passenger cars, and industry guidance moves to 5 or 6 inches for pickups and RVs approaching 12,000 pounds. The same guidance says slabs that thick or that heavily loaded often need reinforcement, steel such as rebar set inside the concrete to help it handle settling ground, heavy loads and the shrinking it does as it dries. Tell us what you park, since that sets the thickness.
How much does a new garage floor slab cost in the Bay Area?
A standard 4-inch slab with a basic broom finish, the light brushed texture that gives tires and shoes some grip, usually costs about $13 to $18 per square foot in the Bay Area. That's the going rate for the area, not our quote. A thicker slab, a vapor layer, steel or old concrete to tear out will move your number, and your written estimate shows each piece.
Do I need a vapor barrier under my garage floor if I want epoxy?
Yes, if you plan to epoxy or polyaspartic coat the floor, or heat and finish the space later, a vapor retarder, a layer under the slab that slows moisture rising from the soil, is worth having. A bare broom-finished floor in an unheated garage doesn't need one. That's why I ask about coatings now, while the layer is easy to put down.
How long does new concrete need before I can park on it?
Concrete typically needs at least 7 days before a passenger car can drive on it, and 7 to 14 days for heavier vehicles. Most concrete can take light foot traffic 24 to 48 hours after the pour. Plan somewhere else to park for that stretch, because the slab is still gaining strength.
What causes a new garage floor to crack?
Most cracks come from a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, or from joints that were cut late or skipped. Concrete shrinks as it dries, so we cut control joints, shallow grooves that give a crack a straight place to form, and a standard two-car garage wants at least one joint each way. Whoever you hire, ask where the joints will go in your floor.
Do I need a licensed contractor for a garage floor in California?
Almost always, yes. California only lets unlicensed workers take small jobs under its minor work exemption, which now tops out at $1,000, and only when the job needs no permit and they employ no one. You can check any contractor on the state's license lookup, complaints included.
Ask Heartland about your garage floor
A slab's thickness and what goes under it are set once it's poured, so call (341) 209-8254 or send the form before you plan anything else.