Concrete floor installation in Merrimack NH - a flat floor that stands up to wear
Old floor cracked, dusty or damp? We pour, finish and cure a new concrete slab that's flat, hard and ready for daily use.
- Licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We reply within 1 business day.
What goes into a new concrete floor in Merrimack?
Quality Merrimack Concrete installs concrete floors in Merrimack, NH by packing a solid base and pouring a new slab, then finishing, jointing and curing it into a hard surface that takes daily wear. Most of the time goes into the prep and the cure, not the pour itself.
Most people call us when an old basement or shop floor has gone dusty, cracked or damp, or when a space is being finished and needs a sound slab under it, much like a garage floor does. The price moves with the size of the floor, whether an old one has to be broken out first, how easily we can get concrete inside, how much base needs digging and packing, and whether a moisture barrier or a radon pipe goes in. The schedule turns on any permit, the weather if it's a cool month, and how long the slab has to cure before flooring can go down. Your own number comes from the estimate I write on site.
How do you know your concrete floor needs replacing?
Dust that keeps coming
You sweep, and a fine gray powder is back on everything within days. That usually means a weak top from a rushed finish or a poor cure, and it won't heal, so flooring or a coating laid over it won't hold well.
Cracks that keep opening
A thin crack that stays put is normal, but cracks that widen or leave one side higher than the other usually mean the ground under the slab has settled. The longer it goes, the more the edges chip and the more of the floor ends up coming out.
Damp spots or a musty smell
Dark patches, white crust on the surface or a basement that smells like a cellar usually mean moisture is coming up through a slab with no real barrier under it. Left alone, it ruins carpet, wood and boxes stored on the floor.
How we handle concrete floor installation
We break out the old floor if there is one, then dig out and pack the subgrade, the soil and stone the slab sits on, because a floor poured over loose dirt that was only raked level settles with that dirt and cracks over the soft spots. Next go the moisture barrier and the steel, then the pour, and on a floor the finishing has to happen when the concrete is ready, so we plan the day around the concrete instead of the clock. We cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the slab a planned place to crack, and then let it cure, which is the wait while it hardens and gains strength before it takes weight or flooring. If the budget gets tight, I'd rather spend it on the base than the surface, because nobody sees the base on day one, and a nice finish over a bad one is the floor I end up breaking out later. If flooring or a coating is going on top, tell me early so the moisture barrier goes in right.
A floor is often one piece of a bigger job. When a basement gets a new floor, the concrete steps leading down to it are often worth replacing at the same time, and a pool house floor can be planned alongside new concrete pool decks so the levels and drainage line up.
A floor that goes under flooring or a coating
This suits a basement you're finishing or a room getting tile, wood, carpet or an epoxy coat, because the barrier under the slab and a flat, even top matter most here. We plan both around what you're laying down.
A bare concrete floor for work and storage
This suits a shop, utility room or storage space where the concrete is the finished floor. We trowel it smooth and hard so it sweeps clean, and we keep the joints where they won't fall under your benches or shelving.
Get a free estimate for your new concrete floor
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set up a visit. The estimate is free, done on site at your house, and there's no pressure to book.
(603) 377-5028- Based in
- Merrimack, NH 03054
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–10 PM, Sat–Sun: 7 AM–9 PM
What happens when you call about a concrete floor in Merrimack?
Here's how a floor job runs from your first call to the day you can use the room, and who you'll deal with at each step.
Call or send the form
Call (603) 377-5028 or use the form, and we'll set a time for me to come out. It helps to have the floor's rough size in square feet and the flooring you're planning on top.
I walk the space with you
I come out myself, look at the floor and what's likely under it, and ask how you'll use the room. You get the estimate on site, so you know your number before anything is decided.
Paperwork, prep and the pour
Once you say go, we get any permit paperwork moving and prep the ground, then I'm on site with our crew for the pour and the finish. Before we leave, I tell you how long to stay off it and what to watch for while it cures.
Why Merrimack homeowners call Quality Merrimack Concrete for floors
The owner prices and runs it
I look at every job and write the estimate myself, and I'm on site running our own crew when we pour. The person who told you how the floor would go is the one standing there while it's finished.
Pouring concrete since 2013
We've been in business since 2013, 13 years now, and careful flatwork like floors, driveways and garage floors is what we're known for. I came to concrete from restaurant kitchens, where prep and timing decide how the plate turns out, and a slab works the same way.
Licensed and insured on every pour
We're licensed and insured. That protects you and your property if something goes wrong on site, so the risk of the job isn't sitting with you.
Barrier and radon pipe planned first
We settle the moisture barrier and any radon vent pipe at the estimate, because once the slab is poured neither goes in without breaking concrete. That way a radon test result or a flooring choice changes the plan, not the finished floor.
On a floor, what matters most is the part you can't see once it's poured. Call (603) 377-5028 or send us your project, and I'll come take a look.
Concrete floors, permits and radon in Merrimack
In Merrimack, building permits go through the Merrimack Building Division, and you can apply online. New Hampshire requires every building and structure built in the state to meet the state building code, and that code covers repairs and renovations too, so a new floor in an older house falls under it. Whether your floor needs a permit is that office's call, so we'll help you check with them, get the paperwork moving and build to what they ask.
The EPA's radon map for New Hampshire says every home should be tested, so if you haven't tested, do it before we pour. Older EPA guidance on radon-resistant building runs a vent pipe from a loose layer under the slab, one that lets the gas move, up through the house and out the roof, and that pipe gets stubbed up during the pour, so a test result is something to have in hand at the planning stage. Many of the floors we're asked about here are basements in older houses and garages being turned into shops, and we see the same kinds of floors on jobs in Bedford and Nashua.
Questions about concrete floors in Merrimack
How much does a concrete floor cost per square foot in Merrimack, NH?
A concrete slab in the Manchester area usually costs about $6 to $11 per square foot, and that's the going rate around here, not our price. Where your floor lands depends on tear-out of an old slab, how much base work it needs, access for the concrete and whether a barrier or radon pipe goes in. I'll come out and write your own number on site.
Will my new concrete floor crack?
Some cracking is likely, because no one can stop concrete from cracking entirely, but well-placed joints control where cracks happen and keep them small. That makes the better question for any contractor where the joints will go, and I'll show you where we plan them on your floor.
Do I need wire mesh or rebar in a concrete floor?
Mesh won't stop a floor from cracking, but it tends to keep cracks and joints from opening up, so it's worth asking what role it plays in any bid you get. Rebar, steel bars set inside the slab, holds the concrete together where it carries more load, and we choose the steel by how you'll use the floor and what we find underneath.
Can concrete floors be poured in winter in Merrimack?
Yes, concrete poured in cold weather still gains enough strength if it's properly made, placed and protected. The cold-weather guide counts it as cold once the air drops, or is expected to drop, to 40°F while the new concrete needs protecting, and protection has to go up as it gets colder. A single freeze can damage new concrete early on, though at 50°F most good mixes get past that point within about 48 hours, so ask any contractor how your slab will be protected through those first days.
How do I protect the flooring I'm putting over a new concrete slab?
Plan the moisture barrier before the pour, because the concrete floor guide says floor coverings and coatings get the most protection when the vapor retarder, the barrier sheet under the slab, sits right against the concrete. The same guide says the plain polyethylene sheeting used under slabs in the past shouldn't be counted on for that job. We set the barrier to suit the flooring you've picked.
What causes a concrete floor to dust, crack or end up uneven?
Poor timing is a common cause, because the concrete floor guide ties badly timed finishing, jointing and curing to cracking, dusting, scaling, high or low spots and poor drainage. When you compare bids, ask each contractor how they schedule those steps, since the finished surface depends on them.
Related concrete work around a new floor
Concrete pool decks
If your new floor is in a pool house or sunroom, a deck around the pool can be laid out so the levels, pitch and drainage meet cleanly.
Concrete steps construction
A new basement or garage floor often meets tired, crumbling steps at the door, and rebuilding them together keeps each rise and landing even.
Service areas around Merrimack, NH
Quality Merrimack Concrete is based in Merrimack, NH, and pours floors across the cities around it. The 12 cities below have their own pages, including Manchester, NH and Tyngsborough, MA, and we work in many more nearby.
Merrimack, NH
Get your concrete floor planned right
Calling before you order flooring or book other trades lets us plan the barrier, any vent pipe and the pour date around your project.