Concrete Grinding & Surface Preparation in Olympia Heights FL - a slab ready for coating
Old paint, glue or high spots on your slab? We grind the surface clean and even so your new floor coating actually holds.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We reply within 1 business day.
Does my concrete need grinding before epoxy or a new coating?
Concrete grinding and surface preparation is the work Westmark Epoxy Floors of Olympia Heights does before any coating goes down in Olympia Heights. We run diamond grinders over the slab to take off high spots and strip old paint, epoxy, urethane or tile glue, which leaves clean, slightly rough concrete that a new floor can grip. It usually comes right before an epoxy or garage coating, a sealer or an overlay.
Most people call us after a coating has peeled, or before one goes on because they want it done right this time. The price comes down to the size of the floor, what's on it now and how uneven it is, since thick epoxy or old glue takes more passes than bare concrete. The schedule turns on how the slab checks out, because a fresh pour has to cure and a damp or oily slab has to be sorted out first. I'll look at it in person and leave you a written estimate, and if your slab isn't ready, I'll tell you that too.
How do you know your concrete needs grinding before a new floor?
Old coating peeling up
If paint or epoxy is lifting in sheets or flaking where the tires sit, it usually never bonded because the slab wasn't prepped. Rolling a new coat over it just adds a layer to something that's already letting go, so you end up paying twice.
Black glue under old tile
Pull up old tile or carpet and you'll often find dark mastic, the adhesive that held it down, stuck to the concrete. A new coating, sealer or floor won't bond well to it, so it has to come off before anything else goes down.
Slick, shiny bare concrete
A slab that feels smooth or looks a little glossy usually has a hard troweled finish, the polished top a finisher leaves, or an old sealer or curing compound on it. Coat it as is and the new floor has nothing to hang onto, which is how floors end up peeling.
Work that often follows grinding
Concrete Sealing
Sealing a freshly ground slab helps protect bare concrete from stains and dusting when you'd rather keep its natural look than cover it with a coating.
Concrete Resurfacing & Overlays
When grinding turns up deep pitting, flaked-off spots or wear past fixing, a thin overlay gives you a fresh, even top layer without tearing out the slab.
How we handle concrete grinding and surface preparation
I start by looking at what's on the slab and how uneven it is, because that decides the method and how many passes we need. Our crew clears the area, then grinds the floor with diamond tooling, bringing the high spots down and stripping old coating or glue until we're at clean concrete. We run a dust collector on the grinder the whole time, since diamond grinding throws off a lot of fine dust, and we clean as we go instead of leaving it all for the end. Edges and corners the big machine can't reach get a hand grinder, then we vacuum the slab so the next layer goes onto clean concrete.
Grinding is rarely the whole job. On most of our floors it comes right before an epoxy or garage coating, but some owners want to keep plain concrete, and concrete sealing soaks into a ground slab more evenly. If the surface underneath turns out too rough to coat as is, I'll talk with you about concrete resurfacing and overlays before anything else goes down.
Light grind on bare concrete
This suits a slab with no coating on it that's headed for epoxy or a sealer. We open up the smooth top so the new layer has something to grip, which usually takes fewer passes.
Coating and glue removal
This is for floors with old paint, epoxy, urethane or tile mastic on them. It takes more passes and more tooling, because everything old has to come off before the new floor goes on.
High spot and joint leveling
This fits a slab with humps, ridges or lips where sections meet. We grind those down so the coating lies even, and if the low spots are too deep for grinding, I'll tell you an overlay fits better.
Get a written estimate for your slab prep
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day, then I'll come out and leave you a free written estimate with no obligation. Rather talk? Call (786) 408-1023.
Call (786) 408-1023Why Olympia Heights homeowners call Westmark Epoxy Floors for concrete grinding
I look at your slab myself
I come out to see the floor and write the estimate, and our installers do the grinding and coating. I spent my first years in flooring on the sales side, watching coated floors fail from rushed prep, so I'd rather tell you your slab isn't ready than sell you a floor that won't hold up.
Grinding and coating since 2017
We've been in business since 2017, mostly on garage and epoxy floors for homeowners, plus shops and warehouses with tired floors. That mix means we've ground off most kinds of old coating and glue you'll find on a slab around here.
Licensed, insured and based locally
We're fully licensed and insured. Miami-Dade County licenses the contractors who work here, so ask to see a license before you hire anyone, us included. We're based in Olympia Heights and work across the cities around it in the county.
The prep is the part of this job you'll never see, and it decides how long your floor lasts, so tell us about your slab and I'll come take a look.
What happens when you call about concrete grinding in Olympia Heights?
Call or send the form
Call (786) 408-1023 or use the form, and tell us roughly how big the floor is and what's on it now. We'll set a time for me to come out.
I look at the slab
I check what's on the concrete, how uneven it is and how you use the space. Then I leave you a written estimate, so you have the price in writing before you decide.
We set the date and prep
Once you say yes, we pick a date and our installers grind and prep the floor. If the slab has to wait on something first, like a fresh pour that hasn't cured, we plan the date around it.
We walk the floor together
Before we pack up, I walk the finished floor with you. You see it the way we leave it, clean and ready for whatever goes on next.
Common questions
Should my concrete floor be ground or shot blasted before epoxy?
Grinding is the method for knocking down high spots and stripping old coatings, and shot blasting is the other common way to prep concrete. One coating maker's prep guide calls shot blasting the industry standard and lists diamond grinders for removing high spots and coatings like epoxy and paint. Ask which one fits your floor, and I'll tell you why I'd pick one after I've seen it.
How long does new concrete need to cure before it can be ground and coated?
One coating maker's prep sheet says concrete must cure for 28 days before coatings go on. If your slab was just poured, plan the grinding and coating around that wait, and check what the maker of the coating you choose says. We'll set the date to fit it.
How do I tell if my concrete has oil or moisture problems before coating?
Pour a little water on the floor, and if it beads up, there's oil or grease in the slab. For moisture, one coating maker suggests taping plastic sheets over a few spots, checking them after 24 hours and holding off on the coating until you know where any moisture is coming from. A moisture meter maker warns that surface-based moisture tests can mislead, since room conditions easily throw them off. Try the water test before I come out and tell me what you saw.
Do I need a building permit to grind and coat my floor in Olympia Heights?
You might not, but don't assume it. Miami-Dade County's permit exemption page says work valued under $7,500 may qualify for a simpler process with no building permit if it meets the county's criteria, and properties partly or fully in a flood hazard area aren't eligible. Before we schedule, we find out whether the county or your city covers your property, and if the job needs a permit, we apply for it as the licensed contractor and handle the paperwork and inspections.
How much does concrete grinding cost in Olympia Heights?
There's no set price, because it comes down to how big the floor is, what's on it and how much leveling it needs. A bare slab that needs a light grind costs less than one with thick epoxy or old tile glue, and cracks or pits that need filling add to it. I'll put your price in writing after I've seen the floor.
Can I acid etch my garage floor instead of grinding it?
Not if there's a curing compound on the slab, because acid etching generally fails to remove it. One coating maker says curing compounds have to come off chemically or mechanically before a coating goes on, and grinding is the mechanical way. If you're not sure what's on your concrete, grinding takes it off where an etch may not.
Have your slab checked before you coat
Call (786) 408-1023 or send the form with the floor's rough size, what's on it now and whether it was poured recently, so I show up knowing what to look for.