Concrete Floor Stripping & Removal in La Presa CA - a clean slab ready to recoat
Peeling epoxy, old glue or a sealer you're done with? We take it off so your next floor goes down on clean concrete.
How do you get an old coating off concrete?
Concrete floor stripping and removal means taking old epoxy, paint, sealer, glue or thinset off a slab so it's ready for whatever finish comes next. At La Presa Epoxy Floors we do it for homes and shops in La Presa and the cities around it across San Diego County.
Most calls start with a garage floor that's peeling, a slab with carpet glue left behind or a sealer you're tired of, and the first thing I want to know is what's on there and what you'd like on it next. The price moves with how much floor there is, what the coating is, how thick it is and how hard it's stuck. The schedule moves with whether testing has to happen first and what goes down afterward, such as new garage floor coatings. I'll give you the number for your floor once I've seen the slab in person.
How we handle concrete floor stripping and removal
Before anything comes off, I find out what's on the slab and what you want on it next, because that decides whether we grind it off with diamond tooling or soften it with a stripper. On older floors I bring up testing by a trained tester before anything gets disturbed, and we talk through how we'll keep dust under control in your house. Then our crew preps the room, tries the method on a small patch to see how the coating lets go, takes it off across the floor and cleans up what's left. Last, we look over the bare concrete for cracks, damp spots and old patches, so you know what your next finish is going onto.
Stripping is usually the first half of a bigger job. Most homeowners take the old coating off so they can put down new epoxy floor coatings, and shop and warehouse owners often follow it with commercial and industrial epoxy floor coatings built for heavier traffic, so it helps to plan both at once and strip the slab to suit what's going on it.
Grinding off epoxy, glue and thinset
This suits thick or hard-bonded layers like old epoxy, carpet mastic and tile thinset, because diamond tooling cuts through them instead of waiting for a chemical to soak in. It also leaves the concrete open and rough enough for a new coating to grab.
Chemical stripper for sealers and stains
This suits thinner sealers and paint, and floors where you'd like to keep the color or pattern already in the concrete. It's slower and takes careful rinsing, but it's gentler on the surface you're trying to save.
Full removal of a peeling coating
This suits a garage or shop floor where the old coating is lifting in spots. We take all of it off rather than coating over loose edges, because a new floor only holds as well as what's under it.
Concrete floor stripping and removal in La Presa: what changes here
Whether stripping a floor needs a permit isn't something I'll guess at, because it depends on the work and the address. Some properties fall under a city and others under the County, where San Diego County Planning & Development Services handles building permit services for the unincorporated areas, so we check with the office that covers your property before work starts and let you know what they tell us.
Around La Presa, a lot of our stripping calls are garage coatings that have started to peel and slabs with old carpet glue or tile thinset left from earlier floors. We see the same mix on jobs in Spring Valley and Lemon Grove.
What a stripped slab looks like
Why call us for floor stripping
I come out and work it
We're based here in La Presa, and I'm the one who looks at your slab and then works the floor alongside our crew. The person who saw your glue and damp spots is the one deciding how to take them off.
Tricky slabs since 2023
I started this business in 2023 after years of working concrete floors with my dad. Old glue, damp spots and coatings that already peeled are the slabs we're known for sorting out.
Licensed and fully insured
We're licensed and fully insured for the work on your floor. The state contractor licensing board describes flooring contractors as the ones who prepare a surface for new flooring, and stripping a slab is exactly that.
Told straight if it won't hold
If your slab isn't a good fit for the floor you have in mind, I'll tell you before we take anything off. Your satisfaction, guaranteed.
On a stripping job, the concrete under the old coating decides most of what happens next, so the best step is letting me see it. Send us a few details about your floor or call (619) 609-0422.
(619) 609-0422Get a plan for taking your old coating off
We reply within one business day to set a time for me to come look at your floor. The estimate is free and done at your property, with no obligation.
Floor stripping questions from La Presa homeowners
What is the best way to remove an old coating from a concrete floor?
There's no one best way, and a tool maker's guide on coating removal says as much, since epoxy, paint, sealers, adhesives and thinset each behave differently. The right method turns on how thick the coating is, how firmly it's stuck, the slab's condition, how much dust you can live with and what finish goes down next. I sort that out on your slab before we pick.
How do I strip sealer from a stained concrete floor without ruining the color?
Most people go with a chemical stripper. One concrete columnist points out that grinding is loud, dusty and often damages the surface for see-through decorative finishes, and calls stripping the most common method. A tool maker's guide adds that a stripper is rarely the whole prep, because leftover residue, moisture and softened coating have to come off before a new coat will bond well.
Could the old flooring or glue on my La Presa slab contain asbestos?
It can, and only a sample tells you for sure. The county air district lists flooring among the materials more likely to contain asbestos, more often in material from before 1980 but sometimes later. The district says sampling belongs with trained, accredited professionals, because sampling done wrong can be more hazardous than leaving the material alone, so we settle that question before any removal starts.
Does having a granny flat change the county asbestos rules for my floor?
It can. The county air district doesn't require asbestos sampling and testing at a single-family home with no detached residential structure such as a granny flat, or for remodeling that disturbs less than 100 square feet of building material in any 365 days. Even where trained removal professionals aren't required, the district strongly recommends one. Mention any granny flat when you call so we can plan around it.
How does a crew keep dust down when stripping a concrete floor?
Health guidance points to water sprays or vacuums with HEPA filters, a high-efficiency filter type, and both when possible, along with cleanup that skips dry sweeping and compressed air. California's silica rule for construction covers removal work on a home like yours. Ask any crew which of these they bring, and I'll go over our plan for your room before we start.
How much does concrete floor stripping and removal cost in La Presa?
There's no set price, since it comes down to what's on your slab and how much of it there is. Thick epoxy, hard-stuck glue and thinset take more work than a thin sealer, and testing that has to happen first or patching the slab once it's bare adds to it. Your estimate gives you the figure for your floor.
Plan your floor stripping and the new coating together
Call (619) 609-0422 with your coating type, rough floor size and your home's build year, since those shape the method and whether testing comes first.
