Camas Basement Epoxy Floors for Daylight Levels and Old Cellars

Camas splits in two when it comes to basements. Up on Prune Hill and around Lacamas Heights, the 1995 to 2015 houses were set into the hillside, and a good share have a daylight lower level: back wall buried, front wall open to the yard, slab floor. That is where people put the media room, the gym, the second family room, and it is usually carpeted over concrete that was never tested.

Down in Downtown Camas and near Crown Park, the mill-era houses from the 1920s to 60s have the other kind. Small, fully below grade, rough floor, sometimes old paint, sometimes tile. Those take more work but come out just as clean. Either way we drive about 20 minutes east on SR-14 to see it before we say anything about price.

Why a Buried Back Wall Changes the Floor Plan

On a hillside lower level, the back half of the slab sits against wet soil and the front half sits near daylight. Moisture readings can be very different ten feet apart. So we test in more than one spot, and if the uphill side reads high we run a moisture-mitigating primer across the whole floor rather than guess where it stops.

Over that primer goes 100% solids epoxy, then colored chips that hide the seams and patches, and a polyaspartic topcoat. The finished floor is 30 to 40 mils thick and wipes clean with a damp mop. Carpet in a lower level soaks up whatever the slab gives off. A coated floor does not, which is why the musty smell tends to leave with the old pad.

Our Basement Epoxy Floors System

Materials: Moisture-mitigating primer, 100% solids epoxy, flake broadcast, polyaspartic topcoat
Thickness: 30-40 mils
Install time: 2-3 days
Walk on it: 1-2 days after
Heavy furniture: about a week after
Warranty: 15 years

Moisture tolerant. Mold resistant. Easy to clean.

Lake Air, Cool Winters, Slower Cures

Camas sits a few degrees cooler and a bit wetter than Vancouver because of the hills and the water at Lacamas Lake and Round Lake. In a basement that means slower evaporation and slower cure. For winter jobs in Grass Valley or Fern Prairie we ask that the room stay heated, and the week-long cure may run a little past that. The mill-town cellars downtown sometimes have 9 by 9 tile; we will not remove it. It gets tested, and if asbestos shows up a licensed abatement outfit handles it or, depending on condition, it gets sealed in place. We say which one fits once we see it.

Camas Neighborhoods We Cover

Prune Hill, Lacamas Heights, Downtown Camas, Crown Park, Grass Valley, Fern Prairie

What a Camas Lower Level Costs to Coat

Prune Hill daylight lower levels are often big, 900 to 1,300 square feet once you include the hallway and a bathroom. Multiply by $5 and by $10 and the span is roughly $4,500 to $13,000. Down by the mill, a 380 square foot cellar comes in between $1,900 and $3,800. Carpet removal, a moisture primer, or a lot of crack repair push a job toward the top of its range.

Frequently Asked Questions

Our Prune Hill lower level has carpet. Is the slab under it good enough for epoxy?

Most are. Once the carpet and tack strip come up we grind off the glue and fill the nail holes. The bigger question is moisture on the uphill wall, which we test before quoting. A slab that is only 10 to 25 years old is usually sound concrete.

Does the cooler Lacamas Lake weather slow down a basement install?

Our time on site stays at two to three days, set by the size of the room. A cold Lacamas-area basement in December or January can push the roughly one-week cure a little longer. Running the furnace and keeping the room around 60 degrees keeps things on schedule.

Can a coated lower level handle a home theater with heavy recliners?

Yes. The cured floor takes furniture, rolling chairs, and foot traffic without marking. Felt pads under recliner feet keep them from sliding on the topcoat. Wait the full cure before you move the heavy pieces back in.

Downtown cellar with old square tile. What happens with that?

It gets tested before anyone touches it. We do not do asbestos removal. If the lab comes back positive, a licensed abatement contractor takes it out, and in some cases encapsulation under the coating is an option instead. We make that call with you after looking at how intact the tile is.

Is a basement coating in Camas covered by the same warranty as a garage?

Yes, 15 years in writing. The warranty assumes we tested the slab and primed it where the test called for it, which we always do. It does not cover water from a new leak in the foundation wall.

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