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⚒️ Concrete

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📋 About Concrete Services & Contractors ▾

Concrete is the most widely used construction material in North America, and the scope of work it covers runs from a simple 200-square-foot patio slab to post-tensioned parking structures engineered to hold hundreds of tons. Governed by ACI (American Concrete Institute) standards, the International Residential Code (IRC), and local building departments that require permits for nearly any poured-in-place structural work, concrete contracting demands precision in mix design, forming, reinforcement, placement, and curing. The five sub-services below organize the trade by purpose: new installation, repair and restoration, decorative finishing, structural engineering-grade work, and specialty applications that fall outside those four buckets.

Q: Can I pour my own concrete patio or driveway, or do I need a licensed contractor?
Small pours — a 10x10 patio using bagged Quikrete or a single pre-mixed cubic yard — are within reach for a capable DIYer, but a driveway or anything larger than about 200 square feet involves real risks: achieving consistent consolidation, hitting the right finishing window before the slab sets, and placing control joints correctly. Most jurisdictions require a permit for driveways abutting the public right-of-way, which means a licensed contractor must sign off. Any pour involving rebar, footings, or structural elements requires a licensed contractor in virtually every state, and attempting it unpermitted exposes you to stop-work orders and mandatory demolition.
Q: What does a concrete contractor charge per hour, and how is pricing typically structured?
Most concrete work is bid per square foot or as a lump sum rather than hourly, because pour timing is critical and hourly billing creates poor incentives. When labor-only rates are quoted — for overtime crews, emergency pours, or concrete cutting — expect $65–$120 per hour per worker in most US markets, with lead finishers running $85–$150. Pump truck operators bill $100–$150 per hour on top of equipment rental. For flatwork bids, expect $6–$15 per square foot all-in for a basic slab, $8–$25 for decorative finishes, and $30–$80 per linear foot for footings and grade beams. Ready-mix material ($125–$175 per cubic yard) is typically included in lump-sum bids.
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Concrete Installation
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Concrete Repair
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Decorative Concrete
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Structural Concrete Work
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Specialty Concrete Services
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Concrete Hiring Guide

📖 Overview

[Concrete Installation](https://contractorsplanet.com/?service=concrete&subcat=concrete-installation) is the foundation of the trade — driveways, sidewalks, patios, garage floors, basement slabs, and flatwork of every kind. A standard residential driveway runs 4 inches thick with 3,000–4,000 PSI mix and #3 or #4 rebar on 18-inch centers; a garage floor typically calls for 4,000 PSI with fiber reinforcement or wire mesh. Ready-mix is ordered from suppliers like Quikrete for small pours or regional batch plants for anything over a yard. Proper subgrade prep — compacted gravel base 4–6 inches deep — is what separates a slab that lasts 30 years from one that heaves in five. Costs for new installation range from $4 to $15 per square foot installed, depending on thickness, reinforcement, and finish. Projects in this category often intersect with [Excavation](https://contractorsplanet.com/?service=excavation) work for grading and base prep.

[Concrete Repair](https://contractorsplanet.com/?service=concrete&subcat=concrete-repair) covers crack injection, spall patching, slab lifting (mudjacking and polyurethane foam injection), joint resealing, and surface resurfacing. Cracks narrower than 1/8 inch are typically filled with low-viscosity epoxy or polyurethane injection resins; structural cracks wider than 1/4 inch may require routing, chase-cutting, and epoxy injection under pressure per ACI 224 guidelines. Slab lifting with polyurethane foam — marketed under brand systems like Uretek and FoamWorks — is faster and less disruptive than traditional mudjacking with cement-soil slurry, though it costs 25–50% more. Spall repairs on driveways and parking decks use polymer-modified mortars rated to bond at feather-edge thickness. Repair costs typically run $5–$25 per linear foot for crack repair and $3–$12 per square foot for surface patching. If underlying settlement is the cause, coordinate with a [Masonry](https://contractorsplanet.com/?service=masonry) or [Excavation](https://contractorsplanet.com/?service=excavation) contractor to address root causes before patching.

[Decorative Concrete](https://contractorsplanet.com/?service=concrete&subcat=decorative-concrete) transforms utilitarian gray slabs into finished surfaces using stamping, staining, polishing, overlays, and exposed-aggregate techniques. Stamped concrete uses polyurethane mats pressed into freshly placed concrete to mimic brick, slate, flagstone, or wood plank; integral color or surface-broadcast color hardener adds pigment, and a sealer — typically a solvent-based acrylic at 200–400 square feet per gallon — protects the finish. Acid staining uses muriatic acid solutions to react with calcium hydroxide in the concrete, producing translucent, mottled color effects that penetrate rather than coat. Polished concrete requires a multi-step diamond grinding and honing process through 400–3,000 grit, producing finishes that rival terrazzo. Decorative work runs $8–$25 per square foot depending on technique, and it pairs naturally with [Flooring](https://contractorsplanet.com/?service=flooring) and [Painting](https://contractorsplanet.com/?service=painting) scopes on renovation projects.

[Structural Concrete Work](https://contractorsplanet.com/?service=concrete&subcat=structural-concrete-work) covers engineered applications: foundations, retaining walls, columns, grade beams, footings, tilt-up panels, and any pour governed by a licensed structural engineer's stamped drawings. Mix designs here are specified by a geotechnical or structural engineer — commonly 4,000–6,000 PSI for residential foundations, 5,000–8,000 PSI for commercial tilt-up, sometimes with admixtures like fly ash, silica fume, or water reducers (ASTM C494 Type A or F). Reinforcement follows ACI 318 for building structures; cover depth, lap splice lengths, and hook dimensions are code-inspected before pour. Post-tensioning systems — Dywidag or VSL strand systems being industry standards — appear in slabs-on-grade where soil conditions are expansive. Structural pours require permits in virtually every jurisdiction, and inspections are mandatory. Foundation and structural concrete costs run $30–$80 per linear foot for continuous footings and $8,000–$50,000+ for full foundation systems on residential projects. Projects at this scale typically overlap with [Framing](https://contractorsplanet.com/?service=framing) and [General Contractor](https://contractorsplanet.com/?service=general-contractor) coordination.

[Specialty Concrete Services](https://contractorsplanet.com/?service=concrete&subcat=specialty-concrete-services) captures work that does not fit neatly into installation, repair, decorative, or structural buckets. Shot­crete (dry-mix or wet-mix gunite) is pneumatically applied and used for pool shells, slope stabilization, and thin-shell structures — it is the dominant method for [Pool & Spa](https://contractorsplanet.com/?service=pool-spa) construction. Self-consolidating concrete (SCC) flows into intricate formwork without vibration, used in precast architectural panels and tight-rebar applications. Pervious concrete — open-graded, no-fines mix — manages stormwater on-site and satisfies EPA Phase II MS4 permit stormwater requirements in many municipalities. Concrete cutting and coring with diamond-blade wall saws or core drills creates penetrations for [Plumbing](https://contractorsplanet.com/?service=plumbing), [Electrical](https://contractorsplanet.com/?service=electrical), and [HVAC](https://contractorsplanet.com/?service=hvac) rough-ins without compromising slab integrity. Specialty work costs range from $200 for a single core drill to $15,000+ for a shotcrete retaining wall system.

Choosing the right sub-service starts with asking two questions: Is this new work or existing concrete that needs attention? And does any licensed engineer need to stamp the drawings? New flatwork with no structural role — patios, walkways, pool decks — belongs under Concrete Installation or Decorative Concrete. Cracks, settled slabs, and spalling surfaces point to Concrete Repair. Any foundation, retaining wall over 4 feet, or load-bearing element needs Structural Concrete Work and a permit. Anything involving specialty mix designs, shotcrete, or saw-cutting goes to Specialty Concrete Services. For emergencies — a foundation crack that is actively widening or a slab that has dropped more than an inch — call a structural engineer first, then a concrete repair contractor. Most structural concrete problems that are caught early cost a fraction of what deferred repairs run.

✅ What it covers

  • Subgrade preparation: grading, compaction, and gravel base 4–6 inches deep
  • Formwork: wood or aluminum forming, setting grades, and bracing for pour pressure
  • Reinforcement: rebar placement, wire mesh, or fiber per engineer specs and ACI 318
  • Mix design: PSI rating, admixtures, water-cement ratio, and slump control
  • Concrete placement: ready-mix delivery, pump truck or chute, vibration for consolidation
  • Finishing: screeding, floating, troweling, broom texture, or decorative treatment
  • Curing: wet curing, curing compound application, or plastic sheeting for 7–28 days
  • Permitting and inspection: building department approval for structural and foundation pours
  • Repair methods: crack injection, polyurethane foam lifting, spall patching, or resurfacing
  • Sealing and joint maintenance: control joint sealing, waterproof coatings, and surface sealer application

💵 Typical cost range

$300 to $75,000

Concrete pricing is driven by square footage, thickness, PSI spec, reinforcement, and regional ready-mix costs. Basic broom-finish flatwork (patio, sidewalk) runs $6–$10 per square foot installed; a 400 sq ft patio lands at $2,400–$4,000. Stamped decorative concrete adds $3–$8 per sq ft over plain flatwork. Driveway replacement for a standard two-car (600 sq ft) runs $3,600–$9,000. Foundation systems for a 1,500 sq ft house average $12,000–$35,000 depending on depth and soil conditions. Crack repair runs $200–$600 per crack for epoxy injection; slab lifting with polyurethane foam averages $1,000–$3,500 per settled section. Ready-mix concrete itself costs $125–$175 per cubic yard nationally, with markets like NYC and San Francisco running 20–30% above average. Pump truck rental adds $800–$1,500 per pour day when direct chute access is not available.

🛡️ Hiring tips

  • Verify the contractor holds a current state concrete or general contractor license and carries at minimum $1 million general liability — foundations and structural pours can trigger six-figure damage claims if work fails
  • Ask specifically who mixes and pours: some concrete subs sub out the pour to a separate crew; you want the same company responsible for forming, placing, and finishing to own the warranty
  • Request the mix design on paper before work starts — the specified PSI, slump, and any admixtures should match your permit drawings or engineer's specifications, not just what the ready-mix driver brings
  • Get a control joint plan in writing for any slab over 150 square feet; joints placed at 10-foot intervals in both directions prevent random cracking, and omitting them voids most contractor warranties
  • For decorative concrete, ask to see a poured sample panel — color, texture, and sheen look dramatically different on a small chip versus a 500-square-foot patio under direct sun
  • Do not allow concrete to be placed when ambient temperature is below 40°F or above 90°F without a written cold-weather or hot-weather concreting plan per ACI 306 and ACI 305 respectively — temperature extremes cause premature setting failures
  • Confirm the contractor will pull the building permit for any structural pour; a contractor who asks you to pull your own permit is shifting liability onto you for code compliance
  • For repair work, insist on a root-cause diagnosis before any patching begins — filling cracks over active settlement or drainage problems wastes money and the repair will fail within 12–24 months

More frequently asked questions

Should I repair my cracked concrete driveway or replace it entirely?
The decision hinges on crack width, cause, and slab condition. Hairline cracks under 1/8 inch wide with no vertical displacement are cosmetic and respond well to polyurethane sealant — budget $100–$300 DIY or $200–$600 with a pro. Cracks wider than 1/4 inch, cracks with vertical displacement (one side higher than the other), or cracking covering more than 25–30% of the surface area typically signal base failure or settlement that patching won't fix. If the slab is heaving from tree roots, has sub-base voids, or is more than 25 years old, replacement at $3,600–$9,000 for a standard two-car driveway is usually more cost-effective over a 10-year horizon than repeated patching.
What is the difference between mudjacking and polyurethane foam lifting for a settled slab?
Mudjacking pumps a slurry of cement, soil, and water under the slab through 1.5–2-inch holes drilled at 4-foot intervals. Material cost is low, but the slurry adds weight (around 100 lb per cubic foot) and may not fill voids completely. It typically costs $3–$7 per square foot. Polyurethane foam injection — systems like Uretek or FoamWorks — uses 5/8-inch holes, expands to fill voids precisely, cures in 15 minutes, weighs only 2–4 lb per cubic foot, and is waterproof. It costs $5–$12 per square foot but is often preferable near foundations where added weight is a concern. Both methods address the symptom; if settlement is ongoing due to poor drainage or organic fill, neither provides a permanent fix without addressing the soil issue.
Do I need a permit for a new concrete slab or driveway, and what does it cost?
Permit requirements vary by jurisdiction, but most municipalities require a permit for driveways that connect to a public street, any slab over 200 square feet in some cities, and any structural concrete work — foundations, retaining walls over 30–48 inches (height threshold varies by jurisdiction), and grade beams. Permit fees for residential flatwork typically run $75–$400 depending on project value and city. Structural pours — foundations and engineered walls — often require engineer-stamped drawings, which add $500–$3,000 to preconstruction costs. Skipping a required permit means the work is not inspected, your homeowner's insurance may deny related claims, and resale can be complicated when the unpermitted work shows up on a home inspection.
How do I know if a concrete crack is structural or just cosmetic?
Three indicators separate cosmetic from structural: width, displacement, and pattern. Hairline cracks under 1/16 inch that run parallel to control joints are almost always shrinkage cracks — normal and not structural. Cracks wider than 1/4 inch, cracks with vertical displacement (step cracking where one side is higher), stair-step cracking in a foundation wall following mortar joints, or horizontal cracks in a basement wall are serious and warrant a structural engineer's evaluation before any repair. A structural engineer's diagnostic visit costs $300–$700 and is worth it: a horizontal basement wall crack can indicate lateral soil pressure that, if unaddressed, leads to wall failure costing $15,000–$50,000 to correct.
What are the red flags that a concrete contractor is going to do substandard work?
The most common scam is adding excess water to the ready-mix truck on-site — called 'watering down the load' — to make the concrete easier to spread. This drops compressive strength by 20–40% and dramatically increases cracking. Watch for a contractor who adds water without checking slump with a slump cone. Other red flags: no written contract specifying PSI, thickness, and reinforcement; demand for more than 30% upfront; no permit pulled for a structural pour; skipping subgrade compaction by pouring over soft or wet soil; and finishing a slab during rain. Legitimate concrete contractors will not pour in rain, will not add water beyond the design slump, and will provide a written mix ticket from the ready-mix supplier.
My basement floor is cracked and water is seeping through — is this an emergency, and who do I call first?
Active water intrusion through a basement floor crack is urgent but rarely a same-hour emergency unless you are seeing flooding or the crack is widening visibly. Call a waterproofing or [Water & Mold Remediation](https://contractorsplanet.com/?service=water-mold-remediation) contractor first if water is pooling — water extraction and moisture control need to happen before any concrete repair. Once dry, a concrete repair contractor can inject the crack with hydrophilic polyurethane resin, which expands on contact with moisture and seals from the inside. If the crack is accompanied by floor heaving or wall movement, call a structural engineer before anyone starts repairs — heaving floors can indicate hydrostatic pressure or expansive soil conditions that a surface repair will not solve.

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