Gresham Basement Epoxy Floors, From Downtown to the Butte

Near Historic Downtown Gresham, the 1940s to 60s homes include a fair number with basements, usually partial and unfinished, with a laundry and a furnace and not much else. Up on Gresham Butte, some houses were built into the slope with a daylight lower floor. Across Rockwood, Powell Valley, and Hollybrook, the 1970s to 90s subdivisions are mostly split-levels and ranches, where the lower concrete room is a family room half a flight down or a converted garage.

That is a wide spread of floors, and they fail for different reasons: a downtown basement from bad drainage, a Rockwood split-level from a cheap coating, a Butte lower level from the hillside. What they all share is ground that stays wet from the first November rain until well into spring.

East Wind, Freezing Rain, and Wet Ground

The Gorge wind blows straight into Gresham, and freezing rain and ice storms land on this city more often than on its neighbors. That means deicer and salt tracked indoors all winter, and a lot of melt soaking into the ground around foundations. Basement slabs here read wet more often than not. Finding out takes a few days with a taped test dome or an RH sensor in a drilled hole, and a wet result means the moisture primer goes down before the color coat.

On top goes 100% solids epoxy, full flake, and a polyaspartic seal, around 30 to 40 mils. Salt melt and grit sit on top instead of soaking in. It is mold resistant and carries a 15-year warranty. Kelly Creek and Pleasant Valley homes are newer, but the same ground under them holds water.

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.

Old Paint, Salt Damage, and Tile in the Older Homes

Most concrete we see in town dates from the 70s through the 90s and brings the whole list: cracks, old paint, oil, and salt damage near the door where the ice melt came in. Downtown basements sometimes have 9 by 9 tile that may contain asbestos, and we will not remove it. A sample goes to a lab. With asbestos confirmed, either a licensed crew abates it or, when it is tight to the slab, it may be sealed under the new floor; your walkthrough is where we make that call. From our Vancouver shop, getting to the Springwater Corridor side of town takes half an hour via I-84.

Gresham Neighborhoods We Cover

Historic Downtown Gresham, Gresham Butte, Rockwood, Powell Valley, Hollybrook, Kelly Creek

Gresham Basement Costs

An older downtown basement is usually 550 to 800 square feet. Priced between five and ten dollars a foot, the answer is anywhere from $2,750 up to $8,000. A split-level lower family room in Hollybrook, around 480 square feet, runs $2,400 to $4,800. Salt-damaged concrete near an exterior door and the moisture primer are the most common things that raise a Gresham price.

Frequently Asked Questions

Our Gresham basement gets salt stains near the outside door every winter. Can you fix that?

Yes. We grind out the salt-damaged top layer, fill any spalls, and coat. Once sealed, melt water and salt stay on the surface and mop up, instead of soaking in and leaving white rings.

Does the east wind grit wear a basement floor down?

Not a coated one. The polyaspartic topcoat is much harder than paint or bare concrete. Grit tracked in on shoes gets swept up. A mat at the entry helps in winter.

We have a split-level in Powell Valley. Is the lower floor a candidate?

Yes. Split-level lower floors sit partly below grade and act like basements. We test for moisture, grind off whatever is on the slab, and coat with the same system. Rockwood has many of these too.

Can you do a basement during an ice storm week?

We reschedule if the roads are bad. Indoors, the basement just needs to be above about 50 degrees. A cold snap can stretch the week-long cure a few extra days. Gresham Butte roads ice first.

How far is Gresham from your shop?

Thirty minutes, give or take, since we come down I-205 and cut over on I-84. Estimates and moisture setups usually happen within a week of your call. Hollybrook is closest.

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