Concrete Repair & Resurfacing

Why Pomona Slabs Crack

Seismic activity. We're in an active seismic region, and slabs move.

Expansive soils. Clay-heavy soils common in parts of the Pomona Valley swell when wet and shrink when dry, cycling the slab above them and producing cracking over time.

Thermal cycling. Large temperature swings between hot days and cool nights expand and contract concrete continuously.

Age. Pomona has significant pre-1960 housing stock in its older neighborhoods. Those slabs are frequently thinner than modern standards, often reinforced differently or not at all, and were commonly poured without a modern vapor barrier beneath them.

What We Repair

• Cracks — routed out, filled with an appropriate structural or flexible repair material depending on whether the crack is active
• Spalling and pitting — surface deterioration patched and leveled
• Control and expansion joints — repaired and properly treated so they can continue to function
• Pitted or damaged surfaces — resurfaced with an overlay where the slab is structurally sound but cosmetically failed
• Previous coating removal — grinding or shot blasting off failed coatings before a new system goes down

Active vs. Dormant Cracks

This distinction matters and most homeowners never hear it. A dormant crack has stopped moving and can be filled rigidly. An active crack is still moving with seasonal soil or thermal cycling — fill it rigidly and it will simply crack again through the repair and through your new coating.

Active cracks need flexible treatment, or in some cases need to be honored as a joint rather than hidden. Any contractor who fills every crack the same way is going to hand you a floor that cracks in the same places within a year.

Moisture Testing

Older slabs poured without a vapor barrier allow ground moisture to migrate up through the concrete continuously. On bare concrete it evaporates unnoticed. Under a non-breathable coating it builds pressure and pushes the coating off — often months after installation looked perfect. We test before coating rather than assume, and specify a moisture-mitigating primer where levels require it.

When Replacement Beats Repair

If a slab is severely undermined, has major structural cracking with vertical displacement, or has deteriorated past the point where an overlay will bond, replacement is the honest answer. We'll say so rather than coating over a problem.