Shop Pads in Baker, LA

A shop pad isn't just a big patio. It has to match the building exactly, so the best time to call us is once you've picked a building and have its drawings. Metal building suppliers and builders typically provide pad dimensions, door and opening locations, and an anchor bolt plan showing where every bolt goes and how far it sticks up. Some buildings also call for thickened edges or footings at the columns. We use those drawings to lay out and form the pad. If you don't have plans yet, we can still walk the site, talk through size and placement, and help you understand what your supplier will need from the pad before you order.

Think about the heaviest thing that will ever sit or roll on the floor: a tractor, a loaded trailer, a skid steer, a boat, or a car lift. Concentrated loads like lift posts and trailer jacks put a lot of pressure on a small area, and many lift manufacturers publish minimum slab requirements. Every Parish pour is a commercial 3,500 PSI mix with fiber included, which helps control shrinkage cracking across a large floor. For heavier equipment, rebar may make sense, and we'll quote it on request. Tell us at the walkthrough what's going in the building, now and later, so the pad is built for the way you'll really use it.

In South Louisiana, where your pad sits relative to the ground around it matters as much as the concrete itself. A building floor should sit high enough that heavy rain runs away from the doors instead of under them, and the area in front of overhead doors should slope away from the building. Big flat lots can hide low spots that only show up in a storm. At the free walkthrough we measure the pour, shoot the grade and look at where water goes today. Our pricing assumes a typical property with limited grade changes. If the building pad needs to be raised or the site has a big grade change, we'll tell you up front and price that work separately so nothing comes as a surprise.

Shop floors take oil, tools, tires and boots, so a finish that's easy to sweep and clean makes a big difference. Broom finish gives better grip anywhere the pad gets wet. Before the pour is also the time to plan anything that runs under the floor. Plumbing for a bathroom or sink, electrical conduit to a workbench, and floor drains all have to be roughed in before concrete goes down, and your plumber or electrician will need to be scheduled ahead of us. Expansion joints go in where required, and joint placement is planned around how you'll use the floor.