Patios and Pool Decks
UV-stable flake and solid color coatings for patios, porches, pool decks and steps, with slip-resistant finishes for wet areas. Stain and seal and Rubber Stone are the other outdoor options.
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Concrete staining puts color into the slab itself instead of on top like paint, so it will not peel. Concrete sealing helps protect that color, or plain gray concrete, from water and road salt. The finished stained concrete has depth and variation, and no two floors look alike. From our Otsego base, we stain and seal interior floors, basements, garages, patios and porches across the Twin Cities.
Slab Lab Coatings was founded by a former coating inspector, and every slab gets the prep an inspector checks for. That starts with a moisture check and crack repair. Any old sealer or coating is diamond ground off so the stain can soak in. In basements, stain and seal is one of the options we offer alongside flake and solid color basement floor coatings.
Tell us about the floor. We come out, look at the slab and give you a free estimate.
Most acid stains are a mix of water, acid and metallic salts. The stain reacts with the lime in the concrete, so the color becomes part of the slab. The look is mottled and see-through, in earth tones like tan, brown, terra cotta and soft blue-green. Once it reacts, the floor is neutralized and rinsed before any sealer goes on.
Water-based stains use acrylic and pigment instead of acid, so nothing reacts and no neutralizing is needed. They come in far more colors, including black and white, and the color is more even. Dyes are brighter still, with colors like red and cobalt blue. Dyes can fade in sunlight, so they are mostly used indoors, often on polished concrete floors.
The true color can take hours to show, so a small test area comes before the whole floor. Every kind of stain needs a sealer on top to protect the color from wear.
Concrete is porous, so it soaks up water. When that water freezes, it expands and cracks the surface a little more with each cycle. Road salt makes the damage worse, and Minnesota slabs see plenty of it. The City of Otsego alone stocks about 900 tons of salt for its streets each winter.
A penetrating sealer, such as a silane or siloxane, soaks in and lines the pores. The pores then repel water and the salt carried in it, while moisture vapor can still escape. The ready-mix concrete industry recommends this kind of breathable sealer for outdoor slabs facing winter. It leaves no shine and adds no slip.
A film-forming sealer, such as an acrylic, sits on top as a thin film. It deepens the color and can add a satin or wet-look shine. It also wears faster, usually 1 to 3 years for acrylics. Outdoors, a film sealer has to breathe, or trapped moisture can turn it cloudy white.
Stain and seal suits interior floors, basements, porches and patios where you want concrete with color in it. Indoors, film-forming sealers are the usual choice. Stain makers recommend a floor wax on top, which takes the scuffs and can be buffed and renewed.
Garages are harder on a sealer. Hot tires can leave marks on acrylic sealers, and gas and oil can weaken them. If your garage takes salt slush and oil drips, a coating is usually the better choice. Our full-flake garage floor coating finishes with a polyaspartic topcoat.
Stain is see-through, so cracks, patches and pitting still show after staining. A slab pitted or spalled by road salt needs concrete repair and resurfacing before it is stained or coated. We point out which way fits your slab at the free estimate.
Free estimates and site visits across the northwest metro and the Twin Cities, about 40 miles around Otsego.
(612) 702-9724From the first call to the final topcoat, here is how it goes.
Call or text (612) 702-9724, or send the form. We look at the slab and put the system, repairs, mil thickness and price in writing.
We diamond grind the slab with dust extraction to open the surface for a strong bond. Then we test the concrete for moisture.
We fill cracks and chips, including salt pits near the door. The coating goes down over sound, smooth concrete.
A high-solids, self-priming epoxy or polyaspartic base coat goes down over the ground slab. This is the layer that bonds to the concrete.
We broadcast polymer flake across the wet base coat until it is fully covered. Then we scrape off the excess for a consistent texture and grip.
A scratch-resistant, UV-stable polyaspartic topcoat seals the floor and hardens in 6 to 8 hours. The crew leaves care instructions and tells you when to park.
Common questions about staining and sealing across the northwest metro and the Twin Cities, about 40 miles around Otsego. If yours is not here, call and ask.
UV-stable flake and solid color coatings for patios, porches, pool decks and steps, with slip-resistant finishes for wet areas. Stain and seal and Rubber Stone are the other outdoor options.
Learn More
We coat basement floors in flake, solid color or metallic epoxy, and offer polished concrete and stain and seal. Every slab is diamond ground and tested for moisture before any coating goes down.
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We grind, densify and polish your existing concrete into a smooth, hard floor that resists dusting. It suits basements, garages, shops, warehouses, retail stores and showrooms.
Learn MoreOur prep follows the standards a coating inspector checks for, because the company was founded by a former coating inspector.
Every slab we coat is diamond ground and tested for moisture first. Cracks and pits are repaired before any coating goes down.
About 75 days a year the temperature swings across freezing in the Twin Cities. Our polyaspartic and polyurea systems are chosen for that and for road salt.
Most garages are coated in one day. One Google review describes a three-stall garage done between 8 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon. Pick your look from two dozen flake blends.
Real reviews from real floor coating jobs, 34 reviews on Google.
Josh was amazing to work with. He personally called after I did the Facebook quote and scheduled an estimate for the next day. He got me on the schedule within 2 weeks. The crew arrived at 8am sharp, and were gone by 2pm doing my 3 stall garage. It’s been 2 months and it’s still the favorite update we’ve done to our house since buying. I can’t recommend Josh and Slab Labs enough for getting your garage floor upgraded.
We were so happy with the new garage floor coating Slab Lab did in our garage. Josh was very informative and helpful every step of the way. The workers, Rey and Alex, arrived on time, were very hard working, courteous, and very skilled in all aspects of the job. They were all so pleasant and easy to work with. The floor is beautiful—no more ugly salt damaged concrete! Thanks, Slab Lab!
Highly recommend. I’ve had the floor in my garage for about a year, and it still looks brand new. If I move, I’ll be calling them again for the next garage.
Send a few details about your floor, and we will set up a free on-site estimate. If you would rather talk, call or text (612) 702-9724.
Tell us about the floor. We come out, look at the slab and give you a free estimate.