Garage floors are often not completely flat. In fact, most garages are built with a purposeful slope (also called pitch) as part of city building codes, especially if there is a basement below the garage. This is to aid in water drainage as well as allow for noxious gasses that are heavier than air to flow out of the opening of the garage. Concrete floors are typically poured with a minimal pitch to allow water to flow rather than pool and create issues. The overall slope of a garage floor should not really be noticeable, however.
Garage slabs are often not part of the structural slab of the overall home’s foundation, and they’re usually the last part of the home to be finished. Because of this, it’s common for builders to not place the same level of attention to the garage concrete as the rest of the home. This also means settling under the garage may be greater than the rest of the home. Plus, garage floors are generally finished off by hand rather than machine trowelled, which leaves room for a bit more error. It’s common for garage floors to have low spots or high spots, and you’ll likely notice some pooling water occasionally in your garage. These minimal areas are not usually cause for concern. But if pooling is extensive, won’t evaporate quickly, or is causing other damage, you’ll need to get it looked at.
Even though a pitch to your garage floor is normal, that doesn’t mean it’s okay for it to uneven. Uneven floors can be indicative of a settling issue, which will need to be quickly addressed before it gets worse. Uneven floors may also mean that your cabinetry in the garage is insecure and unable to withstand the heavy weight you are storing in the cabinets or on these shelves. Underneath that concrete floor, there could be a lot going on—maybe you have plumbing, electrical, or other pipes running under the slab. Or you could have living space underneath. These are all reliant on a secure garage floor above.
Garages are often used as storage spaces in addition to (or rather than) parking. It is easy to shove boxes and supplies into corners of a garage and not notice issues that are arising. To find out if your garage needs attention, you should look for signs such as noticeable dips or depressions, holes or large cracks, sinking areas, slanting that you notice as you walk or can visually see, and/or bulges. If you notice anything like the above, do not ignore it. Not only will these issues not go away, they are certain to get worse. The good news is, it’s often fixable. Many people put off these repairs because they are worried that they’ll need to rip out the whole thing and start over—which is costly and time consuming. Lift Right Concrete has saved numerous homeowners across the state from having to replace entire garage floors. Don’t delay these repairs. Call us today for an assessment.
