Concrete Floor Installation in Chesterfield MO - a hard floor that wears well
Old concrete floor cracked, chipping or uneven? We build the base right and time the finishing so the new surface holds up.
What goes into a new concrete floor in Chesterfield?
Concrete floor installation in Chesterfield, MO means placing, finishing, cutting joints in and curing a new slab, and when each of those steps is timed right you end up with a hard floor that stands up to wear.
Most of the floors we pour go into basements, additions, shops and utility rooms, either where the old slab has cracked, sunk or started to dust, or where there was only gravel or dirt to begin with. The price moves with the floor's size, how much digging and base work it needs, how easy it is to get concrete to the spot and what goes under the slab to keep moisture out. The schedule turns on getting approvals lined up for your address and a pour day the weather allows. We're based in Chesterfield and work across St. Louis County and St. Charles County, and if the job runs outside to new concrete steps or a pool deck, I can look at those on the same visit. The written estimate gives you your own figure and what it covers.
How do you know your concrete floor needs replacing?
Most calls start with something you can see on the surface, and the cause is usually underneath. Here's what homeowners tell us about their floors and what it usually means.
Cracks that keep widening, or with one edge higher than the other, usually mean the base moved.
A fine powder that comes up every time you sweep usually means the top was finished at the wrong time.
Water sitting in low spots after you mop usually means the floor wasn't finished flat or sloped to drain.
Flooring that lifts, bubbles or smells musty often points to ground moisture coming up through the slab.
A floor that has sunk or tipped near a wall usually sits on fill that was never packed.
A gravel or dirt floor in a room you want to finish is the plainest sign of all.
If a crack keeps growing or new flooring is going down soon, call before anything goes on top, because fixing the slab later means pulling the flooring back up.
What happens when you call us about a concrete floor?
I handle the first visit and the estimate myself, and I work alongside the crew on pour day. Here's how a floor gets from your call to a finished slab.
I come out and look
I look at the space, check where water goes and ask how you'll use the floor and what flooring goes on top. That decides what goes under the slab before anything gets priced.
You get a written estimate
It lists what's in the price and what isn't, so you can see where the money goes, mostly the base, the moisture layer and the size of the floor. Once you say go, we work out which city and county offices your address answers to, handle the permit paperwork with you and pick a pour date the weather agrees with.
We prep, pour and cut
Our small crew digs out, packs the base and lays the moisture sheet, and I'm working right there with them on pour day. We plan the day around the slab, so finishing and joint cutting happen when the concrete is ready, not when lunch is.
We walk the finished floor
We go over the job with you and explain how to care for the floor through its first season. Our promise on the work is satisfaction guaranteed.
Get a written estimate for your concrete floor
Tell us the floor's size, where it sits in your home and what flooring goes on top. We reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out, and the estimate is free with no obligation.
- Call
- (636) 237-0079
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM
What goes under and into a concrete floor
The part of a floor that matters most is the part you never see. The subgrade, the dirt the slab sits on, gets dug out to firm ground and packed, then a gravel base goes on top and gets packed too. When a budget gets tight, that's where people want to save, and I'd rather give you a plainer finish than a thinner base, because a slab is only as steady as what holds it up.
Rebar, the steel bars set inside the slab, won't stop a floor from cracking, but sized and placed right it keeps the cracks tight. Fiber mixed into the concrete helps it resist pulling apart and cuts down on cracking, though it doesn't do the job of steel. Which one your floor gets depends on its size and what it has to carry, and the estimate says why.
The top finish depends on the room. A floor headed for tile, carpet or a coating usually gets a smooth troweled surface, while a shop or utility room may get a light broom finish, a brushed texture that gives shoes some grip when it's wet. Tell us what flooring goes on top and we'll plan the base, the moisture sheet and the finish to match.
Concrete floor questions we hear in Chesterfield
How much does a concrete floor cost in the Chesterfield area?
Concrete slab installation in the St. Louis area usually costs about $4 to $7.50 per square foot, and that's the going range in the market, not a quote. Where your floor lands depends on its size, how much base work it needs, how hard it is to reach and what goes under it for moisture. We're fully licensed and insured, and the written estimate after my visit gives your number with what's in it and what isn't.
Will my new concrete floor crack?
A few small cracks are normal, and some random cracking should be expected even when the joints are close together. Control joints, lines sawn partway into the slab, give shrinkage cracks a planned place to form, and they're usually cut within 4 to 12 hours of the pour depending on the temperature and the mix. That's why the joint layout is worth settling with your installer before pour day.
What causes a concrete floor to dust, flake or crack early?
Poor timing on pour day is the usual cause, because finishing, joint cutting and curing each have a window, and missing it can leave cracks, a dusty or flaking top, high and low spots and water that won't drain. Curing, the wait while the concrete hardens with enough moisture in it, matters as much as the troweling. Ask any installer how they schedule each step, since that decides how the surface wears.
What goes under a concrete slab to keep moisture out?
A vapor retarder, a sheet laid under the slab to keep ground moisture out, protects your flooring and coatings, and it does the most good sitting right against the concrete. The American Concrete Institute's floor guide says ordinary polyethylene shouldn't be counted as below-slab moisture protection, and one maker's paper warns that even small holes in the sheet can let a lot more moisture through. If you're putting flooring on top, ask your installer where the retarder will sit.
How is moisture in a concrete slab measured before flooring goes down?
Relative humidity testing is the standard way to measure moisture in a concrete slab. If tile, wood or a coating is going on top, ask whether your slab will be tested, since the flooring is what suffers when a slab holds too much moisture.
How do I keep soil gas from coming up through a new concrete floor?
National EPA guidance puts heavy duty plastic sheeting or a vapor retarder over the gravel under the slab, which keeps soil gases from coming into the house and keeps wet concrete out of the gravel. The EPA also says building these features in typically costs a builder less than fixing the home after it's built. It's the same layer that protects your flooring, so it makes sense to plan both at once.
Other concrete work around the house
Concrete pool decks
If the backyard needs work too, a pool deck faces standing water and bare feet, so drainage and a grippy surface matter more than looks.
Concrete steps construction
Cracked or settling entry steps are a tripping hazard, and pouring new ones on solid footings while we're already on site can save a second trip.
Call about your new concrete floor
Call (636) 237-0079 any day of the week until 11 PM, or use our estimate form, and get the floor planned before you order the flooring that goes on it.
Mon–Fri: 8 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–11 PM