Your garage, RV pad, or workshop floor isn't just a place to park—it's a heavy-duty work surface. These areas deal with constant punishment: the immense weight of an RV, concentrated point loads from floor jacks, and spills from oil, gas, or chemicals. Standard residential concrete often won't cut it. To avoid premature issues, you need a "high-performance" slab tailored for the abuse it will take.
It means we're upgrading the concrete from the ground up:
Serious Strength: It has a much higher compressive strength than typical patios or sidewalks.
Toughness: It offers better resistance to scraping, impacts (like dropping tools), and chemical spills.
Custom-Built: We choose the specific mix and design details based on exactly how you plan to use the space—be it for heavy storage, constant vehicle traffic, or detailed shop work.
For a slab that sees frequent vehicle traffic and occasional repair work:
Thickness is Key: We often recommend 5 to 6 inches or more, especially if you plan on parking large trucks or SUVs regularly.
Internal Support: Using a robust rebar grid or heavy-duty welded wire mesh inside the slab helps manage stress and controls the width of any potential cracks.
Water Management: We ensure the slab is properly sloped toward the garage door or a floor drain to handle snowmelt and washing.
Parking an RV, trailer, or boat requires significantly more strength and stability:
Max Strength: We use thicker slabs and stronger concrete mixes designed for sustained, concentrated weight.
Solid Foundation: Superior base preparation is critical here to prevent shifting, settling, or that frustrating "rocking" feeling when the vehicle moves.
Load Transfer: If the RV pad meets an existing driveway or other concrete, we may use dowels to connect them, ensuring the load is transferred smoothly and prevents one slab from sinking relative to the other.
In a workshop, the focus shifts to usability and cleanliness:
Surface Finish: We aim for a smooth, hard-troweled, or lightly polished finish. This makes rolling toolboxes and heavy equipment easy and smooth.
Stain Control: We often recommend optional densifiers or high-quality sealers to minimize dust and protect against oil and chemical staining.
Joint Placement: The joint layout is carefully designed around where major machinery will sit and where the main traffic paths run.
The magic happens in the material:
High Strength: We specify a higher strength concrete (like 4,000 to 5,000+ psi) with a low water-to-cement ratio, which dramatically increases durability.
Workability: We use modern chemical admixtures to make the concrete easier to work with without resorting to adding extra, strength-reducing water.
Climate Ready: For any slab exposed to the weather (like an RV pad), we include air entrainment to protect it from freeze-thaw damage.
Once the slab is cured, the final step is protection:
Seal it Up: A high-quality clear sealer resists common stains and makes clean-up much faster and easier.
Aesthetics and Defense: For the ultimate garage floor, we can apply durable epoxy or polyaspartic coatings. These offer incredible chemical resistance, prevent tire marks, and give you that custom, high-end showroom look.