Self-Leveling Concrete & Overlays in Gilroy, CA - a flat floor ready for new flooring
Dips, glue ridges or a rough slab under the old floor? We level it flat and smooth so your new flooring lies down right.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We respond within 1 business day.
Does my concrete floor need leveling before new flooring?
Self-leveling concrete, sometimes called a leveling overlay or underlayment, is a thin layer we pour over an indoor concrete floor in Gilroy that spreads out flat on its own, so your new tile, plank or carpet goes down on an even surface instead of following every dip in the old slab.
Maybe you've pulled up old carpet or tile and found a slab full of dips, glue and patch lines, or the installer for your new vinyl plank told you the floor isn't flat enough. That's the usual reason people call us, and it's worth sorting out first, because new flooring follows whatever is under it. What moves the price is the size of the room, how far out of flat the slab is, whether the old floor has to come off first and how much crack repair and grinding and surface prep the concrete needs. The schedule turns on the same things, plus any testing of old flooring or moisture before we can pour. After I've seen the floor, you get a written estimate with each step spelled out, so you can see where your number comes from.
How do you know your floor needs leveling?
Low spots and humps
A chair rocks, a marble rolls to one corner, or a straightedge shows daylight underneath. That usually means the slab settled or was finished uneven when it was poured, and if new flooring goes over it, the planks or tile follow the dips, flex underfoot and can crack or open at the seams.
Rough slab after tear-out
Once the old tile or carpet comes up, you're left with glue ridges, thinset lumps and chipped spots. Thin flooring like vinyl plank shows every one of those through the surface, so laying it over a rough slab usually means paying for the new floor twice.
Cracks and patch lines
Hairline cracks or old patched lines run across the bare concrete. Most come from the slab shrinking as it dried or settling a little over the years, and left alone they can keep moving and break the tile or grout laid on top.
What our self-leveling concrete work includes
I start by looking at what's on your floor now, because that decides whether a leveling layer can go right over it or the old flooring has to come up first, and in an older home we get the old flooring and glue tested before anything gets torn out. Then we get the slab clean and sound, check the damp spots you've told me about, repair cracks and prime the concrete so the new layer grabs, and pour the self-leveling layer, which spreads itself flat the way water finds its own level. I'll tell you up front that patched cracks can still show through the new layer, because a repair quiets a crack down rather than erasing it.
When old tile, sheet vinyl or glue has to come off first, that's our concrete floor stripping and removal work, and it leaves bare concrete for the leveling layer to bond to. The concrete around your pool is a different job from an indoor floor, so if that's what's rough or cracked, look at our pool deck coatings and resurfacing instead.
Leveling over bare concrete
This suits a slab that's already uncovered, like a room where the carpet and pad are gone or a basement that was never finished. The prep is mostly cleaning, crack repair and primer, so it's the simpler version of the job.
Leveling after a tear-out
This suits a house where tile, sheet vinyl or glued-down flooring is still on the slab and can't stay under the new layer. We take it off first, after testing in an older home, so there's more prep and more time before the pour.
Get a written estimate for leveling your floor
Send this and we'll get back to you within one business day to set up a visit. The estimate is free, done at your property, written out step by step, and comes with no obligation.
- Based in
- Gilroy, CA 95020
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–10 PM
What happens when you call about leveling a floor in Gilroy?
Here's how it goes from your first call to the walk-through at the end, so you know who you'll talk to and what you'll have in hand.
Call or send a message
Call (669) 205-6336 or use the form, and we'll pick a time for me to come out and see the floor.
I look at your slab
I come out, look at the slab, ask about old flooring and any damp spots, and walk you through your options. You get a written estimate with each step of the job spelled out, so you can see where the cost comes from before you decide anything.
We prep, pour and walk it
Once you're ready, we prep the floor and put the new layer down. Before we pack up, we walk the finished floor with you so you can look it over.
Why Gilroy homeowners call us to level their floors
Thirteen years of prep-first floors
I started this business in Gilroy in 2013, after learning concrete floors under an installer here in the valley. We're known for careful prep, because most floor trouble starts underneath, and I'd rather spend an hour explaining your slab than leave you a floor that lifts.
I walk your floor myself
I come out for the estimate and walk the floor with you, and our own crew does the work, with me or our lead installer on site. That way what I find at the visit, like old glue or a damp corner, goes straight to the people pouring your floor.
Licensed and insured in California
We're licensed and insured. If you're comparing contractors, the state licensing board describes a concrete contractor as one who forms, pours, places, finishes and installs flat and other concrete work, so it's worth asking anyone you hire which license they hold.
On a leveling job, what's under the pour matters more than the pour itself, so the first step is a look at your slab. Set up an estimate, and if your floor isn't ready yet, I'll tell you.
Floor leveling and prep work in Gilroy homes
Santa Clara County's soil mostly rates low for shrink-swell, which is how much the ground puffs up when it's wet and pulls back as it dries, so slabs here usually aren't being shoved around much by the dirt underneath. Around here the bigger issue is usually what's been glued to the slab over the years. That soil rating covers the county as a whole, not your yard, so I still look for settled spots and cracks at the visit, the same as on jobs in Morgan Hill and San Martin.
California only lets someone without a contractor's license take a job under $1,000, and only if they work alone and the job needs no permit. A leveling job above that amount, or one with a hired helper, needs a licensed contractor.
Questions about floor leveling in Gilroy
How much does self-leveling concrete cost per square foot in Gilroy?
Leveling a concrete floor with self-leveling compound usually costs about $4.50 to $7 per square foot installed, going by figures from across the US. That's the going rate nationally, not our price, and where your job lands depends on how far out of level the floor is, whether old flooring has to come up and how much crack repair the slab needs. Your written estimate breaks those out for your room.
Can self-leveling concrete go over vinyl or laminate flooring?
Usually not. One maker's guide says its self-leveling layers shouldn't go over sheet vinyl, linoleum, luxury vinyl tile, laminate, rubber, bamboo or glue-down wood, because those floors can shift in size or soak nothing up for the layer to hold onto. In practice that means those floors come up before we pour.
Does old flooring in my Gilroy home need an asbestos test before it comes up?
If it went in before 1981, yes. One maker's guide says flooring and flooring glue installed before 1981 should be tested for asbestos before anyone removes it, and most homes in Santa Clara County were built before 1980, with half of them dating from 1975 or earlier. So in an older house we get the flooring and glue tested before anything is torn out, and we plan the schedule around the result.
How long does it take before you can walk on self-leveling concrete?
Plan on staying off it for at least 2 to 3 hours, the time one maker's guide gives, and it can run longer depending on temperature and humidity. That guide also calls for doors and windows to stay closed, heating and cooling off and the area shaded from direct sun until the layer cures, so it's easiest to plan time away from that room.
What temperature should a room be for self-leveling concrete?
Between 50°F and 95°F, for both the slab and the room, before the pour and for at least 72 hours after, according to one maker's guide. If the room you're leveling runs hotter or colder than that, like a garage in summer, tell me at the visit so we can plan the timing around it.
How do I know if my concrete floor is too damp for self-leveling?
You find out with a moisture test, done before the leveling product is picked. One maker advises two of them, a calcium chloride test for moisture vapor coming up through the slab and a relative humidity test, which reads how damp the concrete is, because the result decides which product suits your floor. At the visit I'll ask about damp spots you've noticed, since that's often the first clue.
Related work that often goes with leveling
Concrete Floor Stripping & Removal
If carpet glue, old tile or sheet vinyl is still stuck to your slab, it usually has to come off cleanly before a leveling layer can go down.
Pool Deck Coatings & Resurfacing
When the rough, cracked concrete bothering you is around the pool rather than inside the house, a deck coating or resurfacing is the job to ask about.
Cities we serve for floor leveling
Gilroy Epoxy Floors & Concrete Coatings is based in Gilroy, CA, and the 12 cities below each have their own page, from Hollister to Santa Clara. We take jobs in other cities up and down the valley too, so if yours isn't listed, call and ask.
Find out if your slab is ready
Have the room's square footage, what's on the floor now and the year your house was built handy when you call, and we can start sorting out testing and prep on that first call.