Garage floor concrete in Riverside CA - a floor built for what you park on it
Cracked, sinking or dusty garage floor? We pack the ground evenly and pour a slab sized for your cars, tools or RV.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- Replies within 1 business day.
What does it take to pour a new garage floor in Riverside?
Garage floor concrete in Riverside, CA is flatwork, the same kind of flat slab work as a driveway or patio, formed, poured and finished over packed soil inside your garage. At Professional Riverside Concrete we build it to carry whatever you plan to park or store on it.
Most calls start with a floor that's cracked, sunk at one corner or wearing to dust on top, or with a garage that's getting a proper slab for the first time. The price moves with the size of the floor, how thick it needs to be, whether it needs steel for heavy loads and how much ground work comes first. The schedule mostly turns on the permit question and the wait while the concrete cures. I check what the city wants before we start, and I'll leave you a written estimate that spells out what's in it, so you see your own figure instead of guessing. Plenty of owners redo the floor along with the driveway out front, since the two slabs meet at the garage door.
How we pour garage floor concrete
I start by asking how you'll use the garage, because a slab for two cars and a slab for an RV or a shop full of heavy tools aren't built the same, so tell us early. Then our crew digs out and grades the subgrade, the soil the slab sits on, and packs it evenly from wall to wall, since one soft spot will settle and crack a floor no matter how good the concrete is. We set the forms so the floor drains out toward the door instead of back toward the house, and we add rebar, steel bars that help hold the slab together, where the load calls for it. After we pour and finish, we cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a straight place to crack instead of a random one. Then the floor has to cure, which means sitting undisturbed while it gains strength. If the budget gets tight, I'd rather you skip a fancy finish than cut corners on the base, because the finish is what you see on day one and the base decides whether you still like the floor years from now.
If you'd like more than bare gray, we can add decorative concrete finishes once the slab itself is right. On sloped lots where the garage pad is cut into a hill, we also build concrete retaining walls so the ground beside the slab stays where it belongs.
Everyday floor for cars and storage
This suits most homes, where the garage holds a couple of cars, bikes and shelving. It's a standard slab over a well-packed base, so you aren't paying for depth and steel you'll never use.
Heavier floor for an RV or shop
This suits a garage that will hold an RV, a vehicle lift or heavy machines. We build it to carry that weight, which usually means more concrete and more steel, so we need to know before we price it.
If the floor is sinking, cracks are getting wider or water pools against the house, call (951) 589-3080 rather than waiting for it to settle further.
What happens after you call us about a garage floor?
Here's how a garage floor job runs with us, from your first call to the final walk-through. You deal with me at the estimate, and I'm the one running the crew on the job.
Call or send the form
Reach us at (951) 589-3080 or through the form, and tell us the garage's size and what it'll hold. We get back to you and set a time for me to come out.
I look over the site
I check the ground, how the water runs and how you'll use the floor, then leave you a written estimate that says what's in it. That way you can compare it line by line with anyone else's and know where your money goes.
We prep, form and pour
Once you say go, we settle the permit question with the city, then prep the ground, set the forms and pour. I'm on the job running the crew, so the person who priced the base is the one watching it get packed.
We walk the finished floor
When the work's done, we walk the floor with you and go over how long to stay off it while it cures. Concrete can still crack, and I'd rather you hear that from me now than be surprised by it later.
Get a free written estimate for your garage floor
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out. The estimate is free, done at your property, and there's no obligation to go ahead.
(951) 589-3080Garage floor concrete permits and work in Riverside
In Riverside, the city's building official issues permits for most construction. Its list of exempt work names sidewalks and driveways but not garage floors, so that list doesn't tell us your floor is exempt. I check with the city before we start, and when a permit is needed we pull it ourselves or help you apply. A contractor working on a Riverside permit also needs a current City of Riverside business license, so it's fair to ask anyone you're considering. The state licenses concrete contractors for flatwork, and you can look up any contractor's license with the California Contractors State Licensing Board. We're licensed and insured. The state does let someone without a license take jobs under $1,000, but only when the work needs no permit and that person has nobody working for them, so it won't cover a hired crew.
Around Riverside, a lot of our garage calls come from owners turning the space into a workshop or making room for a trailer or RV, which is why the load question comes up at nearly every estimate. We're based in Riverside and do the same work in many cities around it in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, including Moreno Valley and Corona. If your city isn't listed, call and ask.
Garage floor questions we hear in Riverside
How much does a concrete garage floor cost in Riverside?
A concrete slab in Riverside usually costs about $7 to $14 per square foot, which is the going rate for the slab work in the area, not our quote. Reinforced concrete runs a little more per square foot than a plain pad, and staining or stamping falls outside that range. Your written estimate shows what your own floor includes, and like all our work it comes with satisfaction guaranteed on every job.
How long does a new garage floor take to cure before I can use it?
A new slab should be walkable within 48 hours, and it fully cures in a month. One guide suggests waiting a week before heavier loads, so plan on about a week with the car and heavy tools kept off the new floor.
Where do I apply for a garage floor permit in Riverside?
Riverside takes permit applications at the Permit Services counter in the One Stop Shop, and some projects need drawings for plan check review. Many Riverside permits can go to the owner, the owner's agent or a licensed contractor. At the estimate, I'll tell you which way makes sense for your floor.
Does an RV or vehicle lift change how a garage slab is built?
Yes, garage slabs for RV storage or heavy workshop equipment are typically built thicker and reinforced, beyond the basic code minimum. One guide recommends hiring a structural engineer for a slab under heavy equipment, a vehicle lift or large stored loads. That's why I ask how you'll use the garage before I put a price on it.
What causes a garage floor to crack, and will a new one crack too?
A new floor can still crack, because all concrete can, but the packed base we talked about above and well-placed control joints make cracks less likely and keep them where we chose. Wire mesh adds little strength to a thin slab, and its real job is holding crack edges together so they don't widen.
How do I compare garage floor concrete estimates in Riverside?
Look at how much of each quote covers the ground under the slab, because the ground work deserves as much attention as the concrete itself. It's also fair to ask any crew when they plan to pour and how they'll keep the slab moist, since a concrete industry guide favors pouring in good weather and protecting the concrete from drying out while it cures.
Other concrete work around your garage
If plain gray isn't what you want under the workbench, a stained or colored finish can give the garage floor a cleaner, finished look.
When your garage sits below a slope, a retaining wall holds the soil back so it stays off the new slab and away from its edges.
Send us your garage size and plans
Call (951) 589-3080, email hi@concreteriversideca.com or use the form with the garage's size and what it'll hold, so I show up ready to talk about the right slab.