Basement Floor Epoxy in Reading, PA

Basement floor epoxy is one of the most common jobs we do in Reading, because the city has so many old basements. Point2Homes, summarizing Census data for 2019 to 2023, puts the median year built for Reading's homes at 1938, and more than half the housing is single-family attached: rowhouses and twins. Many of those houses sit over a basement, and many of those slabs have been painted, patched and flooded over the years.

What we find under old rowhouses

A pre-war basement slab is rarely clean concrete. We see layers of floor paint, black mastic left from old tile, trenches cut and refilled for new drain lines, cracks that run along the foundation walls and areas that have been patched with a different mix. Some floors slope toward an old floor drain or sump. Each of these needs attention before a coating can bond. Paint and adhesive come off with grinding, patches are checked for soundness, and cracks and low spots are filled.

Moisture comes first

Basement slabs sit against the ground, and moisture moving up through the concrete is the most common reason basement coatings blister and peel. Reading adds two more sources. Summers are humid, with about 27 days a year above 90°F, and warm, wet air meeting a cool slab can condense on the surface. Near the Schuylkill and the creeks, basements may have taken water in past floods, including Hurricane Agnes in 1972 and the June 2006 flood. We test the slab before we recommend anything. If it is damp, we use a moisture-tolerant primer. If water is coming in through walls or cracks, that has to be fixed before a floor coating makes sense.

Radon and finished basements

The Pennsylvania DEP estimates that about 40% of homes tested in the state have radon above the EPA action level of 4 pCi/L. Mount Penn, the ridge on Reading's east side, is sometimes named as the southern end of the Reading Prong, the rock formation associated with radon. Sealing a floor does not reduce radon in any reliable way. If you are finishing a basement, test it first, and if a mitigation system is needed, put it in before the floor so the sump and piping are planned together.

Choosing the finish

• Solid color epoxy for laundry rooms, storage and utility spaces where you want a bright, washable surface.
• Flake broadcast for family rooms and gyms where texture and a forgiving look help.
• Metallic epoxy for rec rooms, bars and media rooms where the floor is a design feature.
• Clear sealer over ground concrete where you want the look of concrete with a cleanable surface.

Working in tight spaces

Rowhouse basements are often reached by a steep, narrow stair, with low ceilings and a single small window. We plan equipment that fits, run dust collection on the grinder, and ventilate for the products we use. We also ask you to clear the floor and move stored items out before we start, and we tell you how long the basement has to stay empty while the coating cures.