Concrete Floor Stripping & Removal in Indianapolis IN - a clean slab for the next floor
Old coating peeling, glue left from tile, or a sealer in the way of a new floor? We take it down to clean concrete.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- Replies within 1 business day.
What does it take to strip a concrete floor?
Concrete floor stripping and removal in Indianapolis takes old coatings, sealers, glue and worn-out flooring off your slab with a chemical stripper or by grinding, blasting or scraping. It also covers the cleanup, so you're left with bare concrete ready for the next floor.
Usually you've got a floor you want to change and something on it that's in the way, like a peeling coating, a sealer gone cloudy or black glue where tile used to be. The price moves with the size of the floor, what's on it, how hard it is to get off and how much the bare slab needs afterward. The schedule turns on the same things, plus whether tile and glue have to be cleared or the building inspected first. If the plan is a new garage floor coating, the stripping is where that floor's life starts, so I look at yours in person and write up what it needs before anything comes up.
How do you know your floor needs stripping?
Coating peeling in patches
When an old epoxy or paint is lifting at the edges or flaking where the tires sit, the bond to the concrete has usually failed, often because the slab wasn't prepped right the first time. Coating over it just glues a new layer to one that's already letting go, so the whole thing comes up together later.
Black glue where tile was
When tile or sheet flooring comes up and leaves dark adhesive and broken bits stuck to the slab, nothing new will bond well until that's gone. If you leave it, the next floor sits on glue instead of concrete, and that's a peeling floor waiting to happen.
Sealer that won't take more
A sealer that's gone cloudy, slick or blotchy is still sitting on the surface, and most new coatings won't grab through it. Taking it off now is less work than stripping a failed coating plus the sealer under it a few years from now.
How we handle concrete floor stripping and removal
I start by figuring out what's on the floor, because a thin sealer, a thick epoxy and a layer of tile glue each come off a different way, and the size of the room matters too. If there's old tile or glue on the slab, we sort that out before anyone starts grinding. Then we cover what needs covering, take the coating or flooring off with the method that fits, and scrape and vacuum up the residue. After that I look over the bare concrete for cracks and soft spots, so you know what the next floor will sit on, and we load out the debris and clean up.
Stripping is usually the first half of a job. Once the slab is bare and sound, it's ready for epoxy floor coatings in a garage or basement, or commercial and industrial epoxy floor coatings in a shop or warehouse, and either one holds better on concrete that was prepped by the people putting it down.
Coating and sealer stripping
This suits garages, basements and shop floors where an old epoxy, paint or sealer is peeling or standing in the way of a new coating. We choose between stripper and grinder based on how thick the coating is and how much floor there is, and you're left with clean, bare concrete.
Tile, glue and concrete removal
This suits rooms where old tile or sheet flooring has come up or still needs to, and slabs with broken or loose concrete that has to come out. It's slower, more careful work because of what old flooring can hide, and when it's done we haul the debris away.
Get a free written estimate for your floor removal
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I'll come look at the floor and write you a free estimate, with no pressure to book.
- Based in
- Indianapolis, IN 46204
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 6 AM–9 PM, Sat–Sun: 8 AM–10 PM
What happens when you call us about stripping a floor?
Here's how a stripping job runs from your first call to the last walk-through, and who you'll be dealing with at each step.
Call or send the form
We get back to you and set a time for me to come out. Tell us roughly how big the floor is and what's on it, so I show up knowing what to look for.
I come out and check the floor
I check what's on the slab, how thick it is and what shape the concrete is in underneath, then write you an estimate that says which method I'd use and what the floor needs. That way you know the price before we start, not partway through.
We strip, clean and walk it
If you go ahead, our crew does the work with me on the job, taking the floor down to bare concrete, fixing what needs fixing and cleaning up. Before we leave, we walk the finished slab with you so you can see what the next floor will sit on.
Why Indianapolis owners call us to strip their floors
I look at your floor myself
I come out to look at the floor and write the estimate, and I'm on the job with our crew when the work gets done. The person who decided how your floor comes up is there watching it come up.
A concrete finisher reading your slab
I poured and finished concrete for other outfits for years before starting this business in 2023. That's why I read the slab before picking a method, because a floor stripped the wrong way costs you on whatever goes down next.
Licensed, insured and straight about asbestos
We're licensed and fully insured. Asbestos work is its own field in Indiana, where the state licenses asbestos inspectors and contractors, and you can check any of them for free in the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency's Search and Verify database.
On this job, what matters most is knowing what's on the floor before anything gets ground, so tell us about your floor and I'll come take a look. The work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
Floor removal, permits and asbestos rules in Indianapolis
In Indianapolis, the city's Department of Business and Neighborhood Services handles permits and inspections. Whether a stripping job needs a permit comes down to the job and the address, so we check with the right office for yours before work starts, and if one is needed we pull it ourselves. Old flooring brings in a state rule too. Indiana guidance says a building being renovated or demolished has to be inspected by an Indiana-licensed asbestos inspector before work begins, unless it's a residential building with four or fewer units. If you own or manage a larger building, book that inspection before we schedule the removal.
A lot of what we see around Indianapolis is garages with tired coatings and basements where tile came up and left black glue behind, and the same floors turn up on jobs in Beech Grove and Speedway. We're based in Indianapolis and work in the cities around it, so if yours isn't listed, call and ask.
Questions about floor stripping in Indianapolis
What is the best way to remove an old coating from a concrete floor?
The best method depends on what's on the floor and how big the space is. Chemical strippers suit thin sealers or smaller areas where keeping the concrete surface intact matters most, while grinding, blasting or scraping suit thicker epoxy and heavy glue. I'll look at the coating in person and tell you which one your floor needs.
Should I use a stripper or grind epoxy off my garage floor before recoating?
If a new coating is going down, grinding alone is usually the better plan. One epoxy removal guide points out that a stripper used correctly leaves the concrete undamaged but doesn't profile the slab, which is the light roughening a new coating grips to, so the floor still gets ground afterward. That's why the guide favors skipping the stripper in most of those cases.
How long does it take to strip a concrete floor?
One national cost guide puts a typical 1,000-square-foot area at one to three days for removal, cleanup and prep for the next floor. Where yours falls depends on what's on it, how thick it is and whether tile or glue has to come up first. Book the new floor for after that window, and I'll tell you at the estimate what your space looks like.
How much does concrete floor stripping cost in Indianapolis?
The cost comes down to the size of the floor, what's on it and how hard it is to get off, so I give you a number after I've seen it. Thick epoxy or heavy glue takes longer than a thin sealer, and patching the slab or hauling out broken concrete adds to the job. The written estimate I leave you with is where your own figure comes from.
How do I get old tile glue off a concrete floor?
Not by sanding it. Where old floor tile or sheet flooring has come up but pieces and glue are left, OSHA's rule says that flooring and its backing shall not be sanded, so a floor like that needs another way off. If your building needs an asbestos inspection, that comes first, as covered above.
Where does removed concrete go when a floor is torn out in Indiana?
Indiana guidance says construction and demolition debris has to go to a state-permitted landfill or a state-permitted processing facility, such as a transfer station. Uncontaminated, unpainted concrete counts as clean fill along with brick, rock and dirt, which puts it outside those waste rules, though grinding it can still need a permit from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management's Office of Air Quality. Ask us where your debris is headed and we'll tell you.
Coatings that go down after stripping
Epoxy Floor Coatings
Once the old coating is off and the slab is ground, a new epoxy coating gives a garage or basement a floor that's easy to sweep and mop clean.
Commercial & Industrial Epoxy Floor Coatings
For shops and warehouses, a commercial epoxy system needs an older coating or glue cleared off first, and the same crew can handle both halves of the job.
Cities where we strip and remove floors
Landmark Epoxy Flooring of Indianapolis is based in Indianapolis, Indiana, and the 12 cities below have their own pages, from Fishers to Greenwood. If your city isn't on the list, call and ask.
Find out what's on your floor first
Have the square footage, what's on the floor and the building's number of units handy when you call (317) 429-4446, so I can plan the visit around what you've got.