Concrete Resurfacing & Overlays in San Francisco, CA - a fresh surface on sound concrete

Most people who call about this have a garage floor, front walk, driveway apron or set of steps that's gone rough, pitted or patchy but is still solid underneath. The price moves with the size of the area, how much has to come off before anything goes down, like oil, old sealer or coatings, and how many cracks need repair first. The schedule depends on the weather, because the material needs a mild day, and on whether the work reaches the public sidewalk, because then the city is involved. When I come out for the estimate, I'll tell you whether your concrete is a good candidate, what your options are and what each one means for timing. If an old coating is in the way, concrete floor stripping and removal comes first.

A thin overlay works only on concrete that's sound and clean, so I check whether yours is a good candidate before I price it. One resurfacer maker requires the old surface to be clean, sound and free of oil, curing compound, dust and anything else that keeps the new layer from bonding, and that's why most of our time goes into prep. Our crew takes out the oil, old sealer and loose concrete, then prepares the surface by machine, since that same maker prefers mechanical methods like shotblasting and doesn't recommend acid etching. Then we repair cracks and low spots, put the resurfacer down within the limits the product allows, finish it to the texture you picked and protect it while it cures.

Some floors need more than a new surface. If a garage or room is out of level, self-leveling concrete and overlays can build it back up flat before anything else goes down. Concrete around a pool has to handle water and bare feet, so we do that work as pool deck coatings and resurfacing.

In San Francisco, property owners have to keep the sidewalk next to their property in good repair, and San Francisco Public Works requires a Sidewalk Repair Permit for any sidewalk repair work. If a job reaches a curb, a gutter, a curb ramp or a driveway curb cut, a separate Street Improvement Permit may be needed, and that permit goes directly to the contractor doing the work. Nothing I've read settles whether a thin overlay on a front walk or driveway apron counts as sidewalk repair, and Public Works is the office that decides. So if your concrete touches the public sidewalk, we sort out the city side with you up front, before we price the job.

The ground matters too. City guidance says settlement may be a problem where the soil is heavy clay or sits over Bay Mud, the soft bay soil under parts of the city, and paving there typically needs a stronger base on a soils engineer's advice. A thin overlay can't fix a slab that's sinking, because it follows whatever is under it, so I check for movement before I call anything a resurfacing job. We look for the same thing on jobs in Daly City and Oakland, and in the other cities down the Peninsula and across the East Bay.