Staining and Sealing
Stain puts color into the concrete itself, and the right sealer helps keep water and road salt out. We stain and seal interior floors, basements, garages, patios and porches.
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Patio, porch and pool deck coatings are outdoor concrete coatings that guard the slab from UV, water and weather. From our Otsego base, Slab Lab Coatings coats patios, porches, pool decks and front steps across the Twin Cities metro. For a porch floor coating, we install a flake or solid color system under a UV-stable polyaspartic topcoat.
Maybe the pool deck is slippery and cracked, or the porch paint peels every spring. A patio coating holds only as well as the prep under it. We diamond grind the slab and repair cracks first, and pool deck resurfacing rebuilds a worn deck. A free on-site estimate spells out the system, the repairs and the mil thickness.
Tell us about the floor. We come out, look at the slab and give you a free estimate.
A pool deck coating is a layered system: a base coat, flake or solid color, then a polyaspartic topcoat. Coating makers list polyaspartic topcoats as UV stable. Epoxy data sheets, by contrast, warn that bare epoxy can yellow in sunlight.
Around a pool, grip matters more than gloss. You can choose a textured, slip-resistant finish for the deck and the steps.
For pool deck resurfacing, an overlay can rebuild a worn surface. Rubber Stone rubber surfacing is another route: a rubber-granule overlay its maker calls softer to the touch and skid-resistant. To keep the look of concrete, a stain and seal system colors and seals the slab.
NOAA publishes 1991 to 2020 climate averages for the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport. They show a low of 32 degrees or colder on about 147 days a year. On about 75 of those days, the high still gets above freezing.
When wet concrete freezes, the water expands as ice and stresses the slab. Each cycle adds to the risk of scaling, where the surface flakes and peels. Ice melt makes it worse, the ready-mix concrete industry notes. That is why crack and spall repair comes before any coating goes down.
Drainage matters too. Salty water that pools on a slab can cause scaling, the same industry warns. A coating follows the slope of the slab under it, so low spots can be leveled with an overlay first. A broken, heaving or sinking slab is a job for a concrete contractor.
Coating makers set temperature limits. One polyaspartic data sheet lists a 40 degree minimum surface temperature and a best range of 60 to 90 degrees. Another maker's guide says the floor must stay at least 5 degrees above the dew point.
In the Twin Cities, average daily highs top 60 degrees only from May through September. NOAA's climate data put the typical last spring freeze around April 23 and the first fall freeze around October 18. The outdoor coating season here is short, so plan on the warm months.
For a sealer on outdoor concrete, the ready-mix industry calls late summer, after a few dry days, an ideal time. Heated indoor spaces, like basements, can be coated in any season.
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 patios and pool decks across the northwest metro and the Twin Cities, about 40 miles around Otsego. If yours is not here, call and ask.
Stain puts color into the concrete itself, and the right sealer helps keep water and road salt out. We stain and seal interior floors, basements, garages, patios and porches.
Learn More
Rubber Stone is a troweled rubber surface for driveways, pool decks, patios and steps that goes over existing concrete. Slab Lab Coatings is an authorized Rubber Stone dealer based in Otsego.
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Polyaspartic and polyurea coatings cure fast and hold their color in sunlight. Our polyaspartic topcoat hardens in 6 to 8 hours, and most garages are coated in one day.
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.