Test your slab for moisture before you take any quote.

Why Moisture Is the Thing That Lifts Floors

More resin floors fail because of what was under them than because of what they were. Damp is most of that.

Your slab is wicking, whether you can see it or not

Your slab draws moisture up from the ground continuously if it was poured on grade. With nothing on top it evaporates off the surface and you never notice, which is why we test for it rather than look for it.

A coating turns evaporation into pressure

Seal the surface and the vapour has nowhere to go, so it collects at the bond line instead. Pressure builds under the film until your floor lifts, blisters or simply lets go, and that usually shows up in the second year rather than the first.

It has nothing to do with the coating you chose

A more expensive system over a wet slab fails the same way a cheap one does. This is why we test your concrete before we talk to you about metallic or flake.

The Test, Which Takes a Day and Costs Nothing

It is real building science rather than a sales tool, and you can run it yourself this afternoon.

What you need

A two foot square of clear plastic sheet and some tape. That is your entire kit, and both are in any hardware shop.

How to run it

Tape it flat to bare concrete and seal all four edges completely, so no air moves under it. Leave it a full day somewhere nobody will disturb it, then lift one corner and look underneath.

How to read it

Beads of water on the underside of the plastic, or a dark patch on the concrete, means moisture is moving up through your slab. Dry plastic and dry concrete means it is not, at least on the day you tested.

Test more than one spot

A slab is rarely uniform. We put sheets down in several places, and the corner nearest an outside wall is usually the wettest one.

What the Result Changes About Your Quote

A wet result is not a no from us. It is a different job, and knowing now is much cheaper than finding out afterwards.

Dry means an ordinary floor

We grind, we coat, and your job is straightforward. Most garages read dry.

Wet means a mitigation layer first

We put a vapour-tolerant primer or a mitigation layer down before the system. It costs you more than a dry slab, and it is far cheaper than doing your floor twice.

Nobody can price this from a photograph

Which is why our quote follows a visit. Anybody who quotes your floor sight unseen is pricing the slab they hope you have.

The Other Things Your Slab Tells You

While the plastic is down, there are three more signs worth looking for, and all of them change what your floor needs.

White powder is efflorescence

It is salt left behind as water evaporates out of your concrete. It is a symptom rather than the problem, and it is a strong reason to run the test before you go further.

A damp smell in a basement

Usually means moisture is moving somewhere, even when the floor reads dry. Mention it to us and we will look harder.

Water coming through the walls is a different trade

A floor coating is not waterproofing and it will not hold water back. If water gets in at the wall or the wall-floor joint, you solve that before we coat anything.