The work nobody sees. The reason floors last.
Diamond grinding, crack chasing, spall repair, moisture testing. The prep work that determines whether your coating lasts ten years or two. Done right on every job — and available as standalone service when you need it.
When coatings fail, this is why.
Every peeling garage floor, every hot-tire pickup, every bubbled basement coating — the failure traces back to prep. Almost always.
Cheap contractors skip the grinding (using acid etch instead). They skip moisture testing (assuming the slab is dry). They paint over cracks (without chasing them). They use the same prep approach in a Star Valley garage as in a Phoenix one.
Prep is the work nobody sees, which is exactly why it’s the work most contractors cut. We don’t, and we made this page so you can see what real prep actually involves before you decide who to hire.
Six processes. One bonded floor.
Every coating job we install includes these prep steps as standard. They’re also available as standalone services when you need concrete repair without a coating.
Diamond Grinding
The primary prep method for nearly every coating install. Industrial diamond-tooled grinders open the concrete pores and expose fresh aggregate so the coating bonds chemically and mechanically.
- Removes old paint, sealers, mastic, and contamination
- Levels minor surface variations
- Creates the profile coatings need to bond properly
- Why it matters: Acid etching alone (what cheap contractors use) doesn’t open pores deep enough.
Shot Blasting
Alternative to grinding for large commercial slabs or heavily textured surfaces. Steel shot is fired at the concrete, profiles the surface, then is collected magnetically. Faster on big areas than grinding.
- Best for large commercial / industrial slabs
- Removes broom-finish texture aggressively
- Creates deeper profile than grinding
- Why it matters: For 5,000+ sq ft jobs, shot blasting can save 50%+ on prep time.
Crack Chasing & Filling
Cracks are routed (chased) open with a hand grinder, vacuumed clean, then filled with polyurea joint filler that flexes with seasonal slab movement. Painting over cracks just delays the problem.
- Static cracks: chased and filled with flexible polyurea
- Active cracks: diagnosed before any cosmetic repair
- Joint sealant matched to expected slab movement
- Why it matters: Unfilled cracks telegraph through the coating within months.
Spall Repair
Broken edges, pitted areas, and damaged sections of concrete are repaired with polymer-modified patch material before coating. Common around garage door thresholds, water heater pads, and high-traffic entry points.
- Polymer-modified patch material for permanent repair
- Feathered edges blend seamlessly with surrounding slab
- Cures hard enough to grind smooth before coating
- Why it matters: Unrepaired spalls become voids under the coating.
Moisture Testing
Moisture vapor transmission is the #1 hidden cause of coating failure. We test every slab before quoting — calcium chloride or relative humidity probe — to determine if a moisture mitigation primer is needed.
- Calcium chloride or RH probe testing
- Vapor mitigation primer applied when needed
- Documented test results included in quote
- Why it matters: Moisture can’t be seen — but it lifts coatings within months.
Contamination Removal
Oil, antifreeze, hydraulic fluid, and old chemical spills get absorbed into concrete and can prevent proper coating bond even after grinding. We treat contamination with chemical degreasers and additional grinding where needed.
- Industrial degreaser treatment for oil-saturated areas
- Heat treatment for petroleum products in older slabs
- Verification with water-bead test before coating
- Why it matters: Coatings won’t bond to oil-saturated concrete, no matter how well prepped.
If you’re seeing this on your slab, we can fix it.
Most “ugly” concrete is fixable. Here’s the most common issues we see across Utah and Wyoming — and what it takes to make them ready for coating.
Hairline Cracks
Common settling cracks. Chased open and filled with flexible polyurea. Hidden completely under flake systems, visible as fine lines under solid color coatings.
Surface Spalling
Concrete flaking from freeze-thaw or salt damage. Affected areas patched and ground smooth. Most slabs we see can be saved.
Oil Stains
Even heavy oil contamination from a leaking work truck can be addressed with degreasing and aggressive grinding. Time-consuming but doable.
Old Paint / Sealers
Failing DIY paint, old chip coatings, sealers, or mastic from removed tile. Ground off as part of prep — adds time and cost but rarely changes feasibility.
Uneven Surface
Minor unevenness from settling or improper finishing. Diamond grinding levels small variations. Major heaves require pre-coating self-leveling.
Damaged Edges
Broken edges near garage doors or driveways. Rebuilt with polymer patch material to match the surrounding slab, then coated as part of the system.
Five steps. Done in order.
The sequence matters as much as the work itself. Steps performed out of order undo each other.
Assess
Visual inspection, moisture probe testing, identification of all problem areas before any work starts.
Grind / Blast
Surface profiled with diamond grinder or shot blaster to expose fresh concrete.
Repair
Cracks chased and filled. Spalls patched. Damaged edges rebuilt. All cure to hardness.
Vacuum & Clean
All dust collected with HEPA vacuums. Surface degreased if needed. Verified clean.
Verify
Water-bead test, moisture re-check, surface profile assessment. Only then does coating start.
Need just the repair? That works too.
Not every slab needs a coating. Sometimes you just need concrete repaired, prepped, or restored — and that’s a service we offer on its own.
Common standalone-prep scenarios: preparing a slab for a different contractor’s flooring install, repairing concrete before selling a home, restoring damaged shop floors, or moisture-testing before another contractor coats.
Standalone Prep Services
Diamond grinding, crack repair, spall patching, moisture testing, and contamination removal — billed by the project or square footage. Quotes provided in writing after a site assessment.
If you’re hiring a different contractor for the actual coating, we can prep the slab to their spec and provide documentation.
Quick answers before you call.
Almost certainly not. We’ve prepped slabs that looked like disaster zones — multiple cracks, heavy oil staining, spalled edges, failed DIY coatings, paint over paint.
Real “beyond saving” scenarios are rare: severely heaved slabs from foundation settling, slabs with structural issues, or concrete that’s actively decomposing from poor original mix. We’ll tell you honestly at the estimate.
Most ugly concrete is fixable — it just takes the right prep work.
Yes — significantly. Acid etching uses chemical acid to open the concrete surface, but it only reaches the very top layer, leaves chemical residue, and can’t remove contamination underneath.
Diamond grinding mechanically opens pores to a deeper, more consistent profile, removes all surface contamination, and leaves no chemical residue. It’s also the only method that removes failing old coatings.
Acid etching is cheaper and faster. That’s its only advantage — and it’s the reason cheap installs fail.
Concrete is porous and transmits water vapor from the ground up. If too much moisture is moving through the slab, it’ll physically push coatings off from below — peeling, bubbling, delamination.
Moisture testing measures how much vapor is moving through. Calcium chloride tests measure surface emission rate. RH probe tests measure internal slab moisture. Both methods determine whether a moisture vapor primer is needed before the coating.
Most contractors skip this entirely. Most failed garage floors trace back to it.
Pricing varies by what’s needed:
Diamond grinding alone: $1.50-$3 per sq ft
Crack chasing & filling: $4-$8 per linear foot
Spall repair: $50-$150 per repair depending on size
Moisture testing: $150-$300 per test location
Most standalone prep projects fall in the $500-$3,000 range. Larger commercial slabs scale up. We provide written quotes after a site assessment.
Yes — we do this regularly. Failed DIY kits, poorly installed contractor coatings, and old painted floors all get ground off as part of prep.
Removal adds time and cost (typically $1-$3 per sq ft on top of normal prep) but rarely changes whether the slab itself is usable. The exception is when the failed coating is on concrete with severe underlying problems — moisture, contamination, or structural issues.
We’ll assess and tell you straight whether removal makes sense or whether a different solution fits better.
Need concrete prepped, repaired, or coated?
Free in-person assessments across Utah and Wyoming. We’ll inspect your slab, run moisture tests, and tell you exactly what’s needed — coating or no coating.