Garage Floors & Slabs in Germantown, TN

Garage floors and slabs are the concrete most people forget about until a crack runs across the bay or a shed starts leaning. In Germantown, where Point2Homes' Census summary puts the median home at 1983 and more than half the houses date from the 1970s and 1980s, many attached garage floors are now 40 years old or more. Some have settled at the front edge where they meet the driveway, some have cracked and shifted, and some were simply poured thin. Back yards add their own needs: shed pads, a slab for a generator or HVAC equipment, or the floor for a screened room.

Replacing a garage floor

A garage floor replacement starts with breaking out and removing the old slab, usually in sections with the garage emptied. We dig out soft or wet silt and compact a crushed-stone base. HomeGuide's slab guide describes a typical two-car garage floor as 400 to 576 square feet, reinforced, and 4 to 6 inches thick. We set the floor to fall slightly toward the overhead door so water from a wet car or a hose runs out instead of pooling, and tie it to the driveway at the door so the two do not move apart.

Shed and equipment pads

HomeGuide's slab guide says shed slabs are usually about 4 inches thick and often unreinforced. We still put them on compacted stone, because a pad set on bare silt under a tree will tilt as the ground softens. Pads for a standby generator or condensing unit are sized to the equipment maker's footprint and set level, with room to service the unit. If a pad sits near a fence line or easement, we check where it can legally go before pouring.

Permits and site plans

Germantown's residential permit packet asks for a site plan showing proposed appurtenances, a list that names driveways, sidewalks, porches and equipment pads. New home foundations need a foundation survey approved before concrete is poured, and the city doubles the foundation fee if that approval is skipped. Whether your slab needs a permit depends on what it is and where it sits, so we confirm with the city before scheduling.

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Moisture and the slab

With almost 55 inches of rain a year on Wikipedia's Memphis climate table, ground moisture is a real factor under any slab that will be enclosed. For a floor inside a shed, workshop or room addition, we can place a vapor barrier under the concrete to slow moisture coming up from the soil. For open pads it is rarely needed. We also make sure the finished grade around a new slab falls away from it so rain does not run underneath.

Finishes and coatings

Garage floors are usually given a smooth trowel or light broom finish. If you plan to add an epoxy or other coating later, tell us at the estimate; the slab needs to cure fully first, and HomeGuide's slab guide puts full cure at 28 to 48 days. Shed and equipment pads get a broom finish for grip.