Free tool

Can your slab be resurfaced?

In short

This tool runs the eight checks we use on site: slab movement, crack step and width, damp, ponding, existing coatings, edge condition and level clearance. It returns one of four verdicts, from likely resurfaceable to likely needs replacement, and tells you what to photograph before getting quotes. Nothing is sent anywhere — the result is worked out in your browser.

Self assessment

Eight checks, five minutes

These are the same checks we run on site, minus the grinder and the moisture meter. They will not replace an assessment, but they will tell you whether you are looking at a surface problem or a slab problem — and what to photograph before anyone quotes.

Nothing is sent anywhere. The result is worked out in your browser and disappears when you close the page.

1. Does any part of the slab rock, tilt or deflect when a car drives onto it?
2. Run your hand across every crack. Is one side higher than the other?
3. How wide is the widest crack?
4. Tape plastic sheet down overnight. Any condensation underneath in the morning?
5. Hose the slab. Does water pond anywhere for more than a minute?
6. What is on the surface now?
7. Are the slab edges intact?
8. How much clearance is there at the garage door, door sills and drainage grates?
Why these eight

What each check is actually testing

Resurfacing is a surface intervention. It replaces the wearing layer and adds no structural capacity, so every question above is trying to establish one thing: is the problem in the surface, or in the slab and the ground under it?

Movement, a vertical step and failing edges are slab and ground signals. A slab that deflects under load, has settled on one side of a crack, or is losing its edges has a structural or subgrade problem, and an overlay laid over it will reproduce that fault within a season.

Damp and ponding are bond signals. Overlays and resin systems are pushed off from underneath by moisture, and a surface that stays saturated never develops a durable bond in the first place. Correcting falls is cheap while an overlay is going down and expensive afterwards.

Existing coatings and level clearance are scope signals rather than go/no-go answers. Paint, glue, sealer or an old overlay all have to be ground off, which is labour that has to appear on somebody's quote. Tight clearance at a garage door or a drainage grate rules out thicker systems like exposed aggregate and points toward a 2–4 mm sprayed or stencilled finish.

About the tool

Questions about the check

Is this a substitute for a quote?

No. It has no moisture meter, no test grind and no eyes on the slab. What it does is tell you which conversation you are having, so you can judge the quotes you receive.

What if I get a bad result?

It means get an assessment rather than a coating. Sometimes the fix is replacing one section and resurfacing the rest, which is cheaper than either extreme.

Do you store my answers?

No. There is no backend on this website. The scoring runs in your browser and nothing leaves the page.

What should I do next?

Photograph the whole area, the worst section and every edge, note the rough dimensions, and send them through. Half a quote can be done from good photographs.

Free measure and quote

Send a photo of the slab.

We will tell you whether it can be resurfaced, what finish suits it, and what it costs — before anyone turns up with a grinder.