Garage floor concrete in Lodi CA - a solid, level floor that wears well

A reinforced concrete slab without staining or stamping usually costs about $8 to $14 per square foot in the Stockton area. That's the area's going price for the slab, not our quote, and tear-out, base work and thickness move your number up or down. I'll go over your own job when I measure it.

You can usually walk on a new slab within about 48 hours, and one cost guide suggests waiting a week before heavier loads like a car, to be safe. Concrete keeps curing for about a month, so we'll tell you when it's fine to walk on and when to hold off on parking.

Any job that needs a permit or hired workers takes a licensed contractor, even under $1,000, since the state only lets unlicensed people do minor work below that with no permit and no helpers. The state's C-8 Concrete class covers flatwork, the trade's word for slabs, driveways and walks, so it's worth asking every bidder about their license.

Because finishing, joint cutting and curing done at the wrong moment can leave a floor that cracks, dusts, flakes, or ends up with high spots and poor drainage. Heat, dry air and wind on pour day change how the concrete handles, so we plan that timing around pour day and the weather coming in.

It may get hairline cracks, because concrete starts shrinking as soon as it's placed and keeps shrinking as it dries. What we work to prevent is the kind that opens and shifts, so we pack the base, place reinforcement and cut control joints on time so any cracks land where we chose.

It depends on your job, and the City of Lodi Building Division is the office that runs plan check and inspection for building work in the city. We look into what the city or county asks for on your job and help you with the paperwork before work starts.