Uptown

Upriver from the Garden District, around St. Charles Avenue. The St. Charles streetcar line and Magazine Street's shops run through it. Audubon Park is here.

Many homes here are older raised houses, and many have a driveway, a carport, or a detached garage rather than an attached one.

Driveways and side slabs

South Louisiana has a hot, humid climate, and humidity can matter twice for a coating: moisture in the slab, and condensation on a cool slab during application. On a narrow driveway shaded by the house next door, that means mildew, algae, and the black streaking that returns after every cleaning. The fix is not a garage coating — it is a thorough cleaning and a sealer.

A penetrating sealer, about $2 to $4 per square foot, keeps the concrete looking like concrete and slows water and growth getting in.
A decorative sealer, about $3 to $6 per square foot, deepens the color and adds a sheen, at the cost of more upkeep in full sun.

Patios and courtyards

Back patios behind older houses have often been patched more than once. If the surface is sound, clean and seal it. If it is flaking or the patches have failed, a resurfacing overlay — about $4 to $9 per square foot — gives a new, uniform surface that can take a broom or knockdown texture for grip. A patio budget generally runs $1,200 to $4,000 depending on size and finish.

The detached garage

A small garage at the back of the lot can get a full flake system like any attached garage. Expect the quote to include removal of old paint and real crack repair, and expect a small floor to sit near the project minimum of about $400 to $700 or in the single-car range of $1,500 to $3,000. If the garage has become a studio or workshop, a solid-color or decorative finish with a satin topcoat looks more like a room.

Shops on the commercial streets

Local businesses along the shopping streets tend to have small floors and short closing windows. A fast-cure polyaspartic system can often go down between closing on one day and opening on the next. See commercial epoxy flooring for the options.

Steps, stoops, and front walks

The concrete people walk on most is often a front walk and a short run of steps up to a raised porch. When the surface is pitted or patched, a thin resurfacing overlay evens it out; a broom or knockdown finish keeps it from getting slick in the rain. Glossy coatings do not belong on exterior steps. A penetrating sealer afterward slows water and staining without changing the look.

Permits. Uptown is in Orleans Parish. Whether a floor coating job needs a permit is a question for your city or parish permit office — for the parish, the Orleans Parish permit office — and for the installer, who should know before quoting.

Other neighborhoods: Mid-City and Lakeview. Every area by parish is on the service areas page.