If your concrete soaks up stains, fades in the sun or looks worn, sealer on a sound, clean surface helps protect it.
Concrete sealing in Castro Valley means putting a protective coat of sealer on a garage floor, patio, walkway or driveway. Acrylic sealers of the methyl-methacrylate kind help shield concrete from sun, traffic and weather, and they make it harder for many chemicals to stain it.
Most people call us when the concrete starts to look tired. Oil spots soak in, the color fades, and every spill seems to leave a mark. Sealer helps with that, but only on concrete that's in good shape. So the first question at your house is whether the slab is ready to seal or needs some work before anyone opens a can.
The price moves with the size of the area, how much cleaning it needs, whether old sealer or paint has to come off, whether flaking spots need repair and how many coats go down. The schedule turns on two things, how old the concrete is and when we can count on dry weather. Your written estimate lays out the price and the prep, so you can see where the money goes.
Three things decide how a sealing job goes before we ever pick a product. These are the things I'll ask you about and look at when I come out.
A garage slab that takes hot tires and dripping oil asks more of a sealer than a front walk that only sees shoes. I'll ask what parks, rolls and spills on the surface, because that tells us what the sealer has to stand up to.
Sealer locks in whatever is under it, so oil, rust and grime have to come out first. Some old stains go deep and won't lift all the way. If I don't think one will clean up, I'll tell you before we start rather than after.
Sealer usually darkens concrete a little and can add some sheen, but it won't fill cracks, level a low spot or hide worn areas. If what bothers you is the damage itself, sealing alone won't fix it, and I'd rather say so now.
Here's how a sealing job runs with us, from the first call to the walk-through. I'm there for each step, so you'll be talking to the same person the whole way.
You call (510) 931-7868 or send the form with a few lines about your concrete. We get back to you and set up a time for me to come out and see it.
I check the slab for cracks, flaking, moisture, old sealer and other coatings, and I ask how you use the space. Then you get a written estimate with the price and the prep spelled out.
Once you're ready, our crew cleans the surface, makes any repairs we agreed on and puts down the sealer we chose together. We set the day with you, because sealer needs dry concrete to bond.
Before we leave, I walk the sealed concrete with you, tell you when it's ready for feet and cars, and make sure your property is as clean as we found it.
I'll say it plainly. Sealer only protects concrete that's sound and clean, and a coat over flaking or dirty concrete comes off with whatever is under it. So before we price anything, I check every section for flaking and loose spots, and I look for any sealer that's already there, because the new coat has to bond to bare concrete or to a coating it gets along with.
When a slab is too worn for sealer to help, I'll tell you, and we'll talk about concrete resurfacing and overlays, which put a thin new layer over the old concrete before it's sealed. Inside, where a garage or basement floor dips or runs out of level, self-leveling concrete and overlays can bring it flat first. Once the surface is ready, we plan the sealing around the forecast so the concrete stays dry.
If the slab is sound and only needs a good cleaning, sealing it as it is costs the least. It keeps the concrete looking like concrete, just better protected from stains, sun and traffic.
If parts are flaking or worn through, fixing them first adds cost and time. It's still the choice I'd make, because sealer over damaged concrete usually doesn't last and you end up paying for it twice.
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set up a visit. The estimate is free and done on site, with no obligation. I come out, look over the concrete, and you get the price and the prep in writing to think over.
(510) 931-7868In unincorporated Alameda County, the county's public works agency requires an encroachment permit, its sign-off for working in public space, for work in sidewalks and public rights-of-way. Its list names driveway construction, not sealing, so it doesn't settle whether a sealing job needs one, and the county is the place to ask. If your project needs a permit, I'll say so at the estimate and file it with the city or county office for your address, or walk you through it if you'd rather file it yourself.
We're based in Castro Valley and work in Hayward, San Leandro, Oakland, Dublin, Pleasanton and many other cities around it. The sealing calls we get around here are usually garage slabs with oil spots, patios that have faded, and driveways and walkways that someone sealed years ago. That last one is why I ask what went on the concrete before.
I got into this trade by grinding and coating my own garage floor and reading every product sheet I could get my hands on. We've been in business since 2017. I do the estimates myself, and I stay on the job with our crew from the first pass of prep to the final walk-through, so the person who looked at your concrete is the one watching it get sealed.
We're licensed and insured. Our promise is satisfaction guaranteed on every job. We treat your garage, patio or driveway as someone else's property, because it is, and we clean up before we go. If your concrete is due for sealing, please call (510) 931-7868 or send us the form, and I'll come take a look.
When the top of your slab is pitted, flaking or covered in old patches, a resurfacing layer gives the sealer a sound surface to protect.
If a garage or basement floor slopes, dips or holds water in low spots, a self-leveling layer brings it flat before any finish goes down.
We're based in Castro Valley and seal concrete in the cities around it, including the ones listed below. If yours isn't listed, please call and ask, because we work in many more.
Across the US, professional concrete sealing with labor and materials usually costs about $1.40 to $2.50 per square foot. That's the market's range, not our price. Yours depends on the size of the area, cleaning, repairs and old sealer. One maker's guide says two thin coats give the best results, so ask how many coats an estimate includes.
One sealer maker's guide says new concrete should cure for at least 28 days before it's sealed. If your slab was poured recently, plan the sealing for after that wait, and tell us the pour date when you call so we can set the visit and the work around it.
No, sealer should go only on sound concrete. The sealer maker's instructions say flaking, spalling, where the top breaks away in chips, or other damage has to be repaired or replaced first. If parts of your slab are damaged, plan and budget for that repair before the sealing.
One sealer maker's guide says the surface should stay dry for 24 hours before sealing and for at least 12 hours after. So the work waits for dry days on both sides, and rain the night before can move it. We'd rather reschedule than seal damp concrete.
Please turn off your sprinklers before we start and keep them off for at least 24 hours after, as the sealer maker's guide asks. Move cars, planters and furniture off the area too. We handle the cleaning, since makers say the concrete has to be free of dirt, mildew, oil, grease, old sealer and paint first.
Usually, yes, but the old and new sealers have to work together, and one maker's guide calls testing them for compatibility critical. If you know what was used before, please tell us. If the two won't work together, the old sealer comes off before the new coat goes on.
Only a small one. California lets someone without a contractor's license take on minor work under a $1,000 limit, and only if the job needs no permit and they don't hire anyone to help. The state licensing board asks consumers to check both before hiring. Past that, the job calls for a licensed contractor.
Please call (510) 931-7868 or send the form with the rough square footage, how old the concrete is, any flaking spots and whether it's been sealed before, so I come to the visit ready.
