Epoxy Flooring in Cascade, IA

Epoxy flooring in Cascade starts with one question: how wet does this slab get? Cascade sits on the North Fork of the Maquoketa River, about 25 miles southwest of Dubuque. The town straddles two counties. The Dubuque County side is part of the Dubuque metro, and the Jones County side is part of the Cedar Rapids metro. Both sides share the same river and the same history of high water.

Cascade's flood history

The flood most people here know is June 1925. Rain started on Sunday night, June 14, and ran into Monday. The Telegraph Herald later called it the greatest tragedy in the town's history. Buildings were destroyed, including a hardware store, a blacksmith shop, a church and a park pavilion. A 1944 flood followed. Then, in June 2002, the Cascade rain gage recorded 6.0 inches in 14 hours. The U.S. Geological Survey called that event the largest known flood in the North Fork Maquoketa River basin.

What that means for a basement floor

Flood history does not mean every Cascade basement is wet. It does mean we never skip a moisture check here. Water in a slab is the most common reason basement coatings blister and lift. Before we coat one, we:

• Look for old water lines, white mineral deposits and stained walls
• Check cracks to see whether they are dry or have been seeping
• Take a moisture reading on the slab
• Ask about sump pumps, gutters and where downspouts drain

If the floor is dry enough, we pick a primer and system suited to the reading. If water still comes in, we tell you to handle that first. A coating is a finish. It cannot stop water pressure from below.

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After a flood: cleanup floors

One advantage of a coated basement floor is cleanup. Mud and silt wipe off a sealed surface much more easily than they come out of bare, porous concrete. For lower levels used as laundry rooms, workshops or storage, a coating with a light flake and some texture is easy to hose and squeegee.

Garages in town

Cascade gets about 31.1 inches of snow a year, and U.S. 151 and Iowa 136 carry local traffic. Winter salt still comes home on the tires. Older garages near downtown often have worn, patched slabs that need crack and spall repair before coating. Newer homes on the edges of town tend to have attached garages that need grinding and a durable flake finish.

Shops and outbuildings near town

Cascade is surrounded by farm country, and the 2020 census counted its population as fully rural. Many properties have a detached shop or machine building. Those floors see tractors, fuel and mud, and a heavy epoxy with a chemical-resistant topcoat keeps them easy to clean. If a shop sits on low ground, we check the slab for moisture just as we would a basement.

Our approach in Cascade

• Moisture reading on every basement, every time
• Full diamond grinding, edges included
• Crack and joint repair before the base coat
• A written quote that lists the prep, each coat and the total

What should I do before your estimate visit?

Clear a path so we can see most of the floor and the base of the walls. If you know where water has come in before, show us. Photos from past wet seasons help too.