Basement Floor Epoxy in Sioux Falls, SD

Basement floor epoxy turns a gray, dusty slab into a sealed floor you can wash. In Sioux Falls, many homes have full basements, and lower levels get used as family rooms, gyms, playrooms, laundry rooms and storage. A coating makes those spaces brighter and easier to keep clean. It also has to deal with something a garage floor rarely does: moisture coming up through the concrete from the ground below.

Why moisture comes first

A basement slab sits on soil, and water vapor moves up through concrete. If a coating seals the top and vapor keeps pushing, the coating can blister or lift. Summers make it worse. Wikipedia lists Sioux Falls' average relative humidity near 65% in June and July and about 68% in August. The EPA advises keeping indoor humidity below 60% and notes that condensation forms when warm, humid air meets a cold surface. A cool basement slab in July is that cold surface.

We test the slab before we recommend a system. A dry slab gets a standard primer. A slab with moderate vapor gets a moisture-tolerant primer, which Bob Vila puts at about $1 more per square foot. A slab with standing water, active leaks or efflorescence that keeps returning needs the water problem fixed first, and we will say so.

Radon and finished basements

South Dakota's Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources places the eastern part of the state in EPA radon Zone 1, the highest potential, and says testing is the only way to know a building's level. A Dakota News Now report citing the American Lung Association lists an estimated mean of 6.5 pCi/L in Minnehaha County, above the EPA action level of 4. A floor coating is not radon mitigation. If you are finishing a basement, test first. If a mitigation system goes in, we coat around the suction point.

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Basement systems we install

• Solid color epoxy: a clean, bright floor for storage, laundry and utility rooms.
• Flake epoxy: chips broadcast into the base for texture and dirt hiding in gyms and playrooms.
• Metallic epoxy: a poured, swirled finish for family rooms, bars and theaters.
• Clear sealed concrete: for ground concrete you want to keep the look of.

Signs a basement slab needs work before coating

• White powdery deposits on the concrete or the walls
• Dark damp spots after rain or in humid weeks
• Old carpet glue, tile mastic or paint
• Cracks that have widened or that let water in
• A musty smell that stays after running a dehumidifier

Removing old floor coverings

Many lower levels have carpet, vinyl or tile on them now. Adhesive and mastic have to be ground off before a coating will bond. If the floor has old vinyl tile, especially older 9-inch tiles, have the tile and mastic tested for asbestos before anyone grinds it.

Living with a coated basement

Keep a dehumidifier running in humid months, wipe up spills, and put felt pads under furniture. Area rugs are fine once the coating has fully cured.