Hammond Indiana Concrete Slabs – Alley Garage Floors

That floor has carried a car all winter, and the salt melt came in with it. Concrete Slabs in Hammond alley garages take that load on an old pad. People have called us once the door would not sit flat. But a tire can drop into a crack on the way in. Because the garage is detached, the slab takes the weather on its own, away from the house.

Older Hammond houses often keep a single garage on the alley. So the floor is the whole path for that car, from the alley edge to the back wall. We have pulled up slabs broken along the tire path. The surface was soft where the car dripped all season. After a few winters of salt, the top can scale off in thin sheets. Then the stone shows, and the crack below opens a little more every time the car rolls in. When the thaw comes, you can see the flaking and the cracks in daylight.

Concrete Slabs in Hammond Alley Garages Through Winter

What we see in spring is usually flaking under the tires, plus a crack in from the alley. But sometimes a corner has settled. So the slab sits lower than the alley on one side. When water sits in that low spot, the crack gets wider after the next freeze. We look at the pitch and the edges. We also check how thick the broken pieces are once they come up. For example, a thin pad can break in the middle even when the edges still look fine.

Cars bring road salt in on the underbody, and it melts onto the floor. Because that brine stays wet longer than plain snow, the slab spends more days damp. We have seen the surface paste gone and the rock exposed. We have had owners describe a white crust that would not rinse off. So a patch can hold for a while when the concrete under it is still sound. Concrete Slabs in Hammond that rock underfoot usually need a new pour. A missing chunk at the alley lip means the edge will keep breaking under the tire.

Replacing Concrete Slabs in Hammond Behind Older Houses

We start by checking whether the old floor can stay. But a sound slab with surface scale can take a repair. We do patch work, and we also do concrete removal when the pad is done. So we tear out Concrete Slabs in Hammond that have cracked through at the alley. Then we pour a new garage floor. That visit can cover the service walk if it is failing too. Both take salt through the cold months.

Alley access takes planning on these jobs. Because older Hammond alleys run tight, we plan the truck and where the broken concrete leaves. We have hauled out slabs where the only path was the alley, past fences and poles. After the old floor is gone, we set the base and the forms. We pitch the new slab so water runs out toward the alley. Then the crew places the concrete. Our goal is to get in and out as quickly as we can and still leave a solid floor.

A broom finish is the usual surface on these garage pours. Epoxy can go on later, once the slab has cured, and we do that work too. Tear-out and replacement is the usual path for Concrete Slabs in Hammond when the alley pad has failed. For the rest of what a floor job can include, look through our concrete slabs work. Finished garage floors are in the photo gallery.

Cabe’s Concrete is family owned and operated, and we have worked in North West Indiana since 2006. So alley garages in Hammond, Indiana are a regular part of that residential concrete work. You can read more about the crew on our About Us page. We source the mix so we know what is going in the truck. We tell you when the new slab can take a car again, after it has had time to cure.