Sacramento, California
Not every damaged slab needs to come out. A lot of Sacramento concrete is structurally fine and cosmetically tired - surface scaling, spalled edges, settled panels, a crack that has widened over a few wet winters.
Our job on a repair call is to tell you which category your slab is in. Resurfacing a slab that is actively moving just buys a season, and we would rather say that out loud than sell an overlay that fails.
A hairline shrinkage crack, a settlement crack and a structural crack look similar to an untrained eye and need completely different responses. We look at crack width, vertical offset, pattern and what the surrounding grade is doing.
Scaling usually traces back to the original pour - water added at the truck, finishing while bleed water was still on the surface, or no cure. The repair is removal of the compromised layer and a bonded topping, not a skim coat over loose material.
Where a slab has dropped because voids opened underneath, lifting restores grade for far less disruption than replacement - provided the slab itself is intact. Badly fractured panels get replaced instead, because lifting a broken slab just creates more pieces.
On a sound substrate, an overlay is an excellent value: it renews the wear surface and lets you change the texture or color without demolition. On an unsound substrate it is a waste of money, and we will say so.
In depth
A crack is a symptom. Repairing it without knowing the cause buys a season. We look at crack width and pattern, whether the edges are level or offset, whether there is efflorescence or staining suggesting water movement, whether joints were ever cut, and what the subgrade is doing at the low points. Shrinkage cracking, settlement, root heave, reinforcement corrosion and freeze related surface scaling all look superficially similar and all need a different response. The inspection takes longer than the sales pitch and it is the part that determines whether the repair lasts.
A polymer modified overlay can transform a sound but tired slab. It cannot rescue a slab that is cracked through, moving at the joints, or delaminating from the surface down. Overlay bonded to a failing substrate fails with the substrate, usually faster because it is thinner. We test bond and sound the surface first, then say plainly whether the slab is an overlay candidate or a replacement. Where the slab is sound we prepare properly by mechanical profiling rather than acid washing, because bond strength is set by preparation.
Settled panels can often be lifted and stabilized with injected material rather than removed, which is faster and less disruptive where the panel itself is sound. Joint and crack sealing matters more here than people expect: in the valley's wet season, water running into an open joint saturates the subgrade and drives the next round of settlement. Sealing joints with a flexible material that tolerates movement is inexpensive maintenance that protects the slab underneath.
What we build to
What goes wrong elsewhere
Local conditions
Seasonal clay movement across the south and east valley produces a very specific pattern of stepped cracking and corner settlement. Recognizing that pattern usually points the repair toward subgrade and drainage work rather than a surface treatment.
Before you call, it helps to have
Questions
Still unsure? Call 877-889-1187 and describe the site. We would rather talk you out of unnecessary work than sell it to you.
Related work
Engineered residential driveways poured over compacted, moisture-conditioned subgrade with jointing laid out before the truck arrives.
OpenStamped patios, walkways and pool decks with integral color, release, and a sealer schedule that survives Sacramento UV.
OpenBackyard patios, side yards and connecting walkways designed as one continuous surface with drainage that actually leaves the yard.
OpenSlab-on-grade, stem walls, spread footings and ADU foundations engineered for expansive Sacramento Valley soils.
OpenDescribe the slab, the site and what is going wrong. You will get a straight answer about what the work involves - including when we think you do not need us.
Mon-Sat 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM · Sacramento, Elk Grove, Roseville, Folsom & surrounding valley