Moisture test
A calcium-chloride test on the slab. Read before we write a number.
Basements and patios: tested first, coated second
A basement slab sits on wet ground and a patio slab sits in the weather. Both can pass water, and a coating over water does not last. So the first line on these estimates is a moisture test, and sometimes the answer is a drain, a gutter or a vapor-tolerant primer before a floor.
We coat basements that read dry enough for the product on the data sheet, and patios and walkways that drain. Where a slab is not ready we say so and give you the list of what would make it ready.
Before the floor
What we do to a basement slab first
Each step is a line on your estimate, so you see what is test, what is prep and what is coating.
Moisture test
A calcium-chloride test left on the slab, read after the test period on the kit.
Look for the source
Gutters, grade, window wells and floor drains, checked with you at the walk-through.
Old coatings
Old paint is tested and handled to the rules before it is ground. See the 1978 question below.
Grind and repair
Diamond-grind, fill cracks, and seal the cove at the wall if the floor needs it.
Vapor-tolerant primer
Used where the test says it is needed. It is a separate line, never a surprise.
Flake and clear
The same flake and clear systems as a garage, with a matte or satin finish.
Patios and walkways
Outdoor slabs are a different job
Sun, freeze and thaw and wet boots set the system.
- 01
Grit for traction
A grit-textured clear coating so a wet patio does not turn into a slide.
- 02
Drainage first
A slab that holds water gets a fix or a pass. We will not coat a puddle.
- 03
Cure and weather
We book patio coatings for dry, mild days and move them when the forecast turns.
The systems
The systems for a basement or patio floor
The moisture test comes first and decides the rest.
Basements and patios
Slabs that stay damp or see weather are tested before they are priced.
Basement epoxy with flake
Moisture-tolerant primer, flake and clear coat. Written only if the test passes.
Patio and walkway polyaspartic
Grit-textured clear coating for outdoor slabs that see sun and freeze-thaw.
Cracks, old coatings, slab moisture and jobs under 300 square feet change the price, and the written estimate lists every line.
Basement and patio questions
What if the test shows moisture?
Concrete passes water vapor, and a coating over wet concrete can lift. On basements and any slab we cannot vouch for, we run a moisture test and write the reading on the estimate. If the slab is too wet we say so and offer a vapor-tolerant primer or a pass, rather than coat it and hope.
Homes built before 1978: what changes?
Federal rules, the EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting rule, cover paid work that disturbs paint in homes and child-occupied buildings built before 1978. Grinding bare concrete is not paint. Grinding a floor that was painted, such as an old porch-and-floor enamel in a basement, can be. We ask the year your home was built at the walk-through, and if the floor carries an old coat we tell you what the rule means for your job before we write the estimate. Our firm's EPA number is in the footer and on the About page.
Can you coat a floor with a drain?
Yes. We slope the coating to the drain and keep it clear of the grate. Tell us where the drain is so the plan shows it.
Will it be slippery when wet?
Gloss coatings are slick when wet. We add grit for patios and walkways, and for any basement floor that gets wet, and show you the grit on a sample board.
Start with the moisture test.
Tell us where the slab is and what is on it now. We come, test, measure and write the estimate.