Concrete Contractors in Corona, CA

Corona is where we are based as concrete contractors, and its housing covers almost every flatwork problem the Inland Empire can produce. The city grew from 37,791 people in 1980 to 76,095 in 1990, then to 124,966 by 2000. That burst means a large share of Corona's driveways, patios and garage slabs are now 25 to 45 years old. Concrete that age is often still sound underneath, but it shows cracked panels, sunken walkway sections and tired, stained surfaces. We help owners decide what to repair, what to resurface and what to tear out and pour new.

Before the boom: lemon groves and dairies

Wikipedia notes that Corona was mostly agricultural until the 1980s and was once known as the Lemon Capital of the World. Tract homes then went in on former grove and ranch land. Whatever the age, when we look at an older Corona driveway we check the joint layout first. Random cracks running across a panel usually mean the joints were too far apart, not that the whole slab failed.

What older Corona homes tend to need:

• Replacing one or two broken driveway panels instead of the whole driveway
• Lifting or replacing walkway sections that settled near downspouts
• Cleaning, repairing and sealing a patio that has never been sealed
• Widening a driveway to fit a third car or an RV pad

The Circle City and the newer hills

Grand Boulevard forms a near-perfect circle about one mile across around the original street grid, which is how Corona got the name Circle City. Homes inside and near the circle are the oldest in town. Away from the core, Wikipedia lists Corona Hills (2.91 square miles), Sierra Del Oro (2.45) and Eagle Glen (1.89) among its largest residential areas. Hillside lots in those areas bring their own concrete questions: steeper driveways, patios built on cut or fill, and drainage that has to go somewhere other than toward the house.

On a sloped driveway we use a heavier broom finish for traction and pay close attention to how water leaves the slab. On a backyard patio cut into a slope, we look at where the hillside drains in a storm before we set the forms.

Get a Free Estimate

Heat, wind and when we pour

A typical July afternoon in Corona hits about 92 degrees, and the city has seen 118. In that heat the top of a fresh slab dries before the rest, leaving fine shrinkage cracks and a soft, dusty surface. In summer we schedule pours for early morning, dampen the base before placing, and keep the slab moist or covered with curing compound right after finishing. Santa Ana winds blow two or three times a year between October and December, and a hot, dry wind does the same damage as heat. If a Santa Ana is in the forecast, we would rather move a pour day than fight it.

Winter brings its own small issue. Frost and chilly mornings are common in Corona even though snow rarely sticks. That is not freeze-thaw country, but cold mornings slow early strength gain, so we time stamping and saw-cutting to the actual temperature, not the calendar.

Flood control and low ground

Prado Dam, built by the Army Corps of Engineers and finished in 1941, sits near Corona above the SR 71 and SR 91 interchange and holds back the Santa Ana River for flood control. In January 2005, seepage through an earthen extension led to the evacuation of more than 3,000 residents for nearly a day. For most homeowners the practical point is simpler: water in this area has to be managed. Every slab we pour is sloped to drain away from the foundation, and we ask about any spot in the yard that ponds after rain.

Our six services in Corona

• Concrete driveways: full replacements, panel repairs, widenings and RV pads
• Concrete patios: new slabs, extensions and covered-patio footings
• Stamped concrete: slate, flagstone and wood-plank patterns for patios and entries
• Pool decks: new decks and replacements with cool, textured finishes
• Concrete slabs: sheds, garages, AC pads and workshop floors
• Concrete repair: crack repair, resurfacing, and replacing sunken sections

We give a written estimate after looking at the site. We also check whether your project needs a city permit before any work starts, so you are not surprised later.