Dealing with sunken concrete can be both a safety hazard and an eyesore, but there’s an effective solution: polyurethane concrete raising.
In this blog, you’ll learn about polyurethane concrete – what it is and how it raises and straightens floors or pavements. We’ll explain why concrete often gets uneven and how to tell if your home needs leveling and lifting services. We’ll look into the pros and cons and what influences the cost.
So, keep reading to learn more.
What Is Polyurethane Concrete Raising?
Foam lifting, also known as polyjacking or polyurethane concrete raising, is an advanced and efficient approach to leveling uneven concrete surfaces. You will find polyurethane concrete raising a durable solution because the foam’s resistance to water helps prevent further settling or erosion without needing constant repairs.
How Does Polyurethane Concrete Raising Process Work?
Polyurethane concrete raising requires professional expertise and specialized equipment. It involves injecting polyurethane foam beneath the concrete slab to fill voids, stabilize the soil, and raise the slab back to its original position. Here’s how the process works:
- Drilling Small Holes: Small holes, typically around 5/8 inch in diameter, are carefully drilled into the sunken concrete slab. These holes allow access to the area beneath the slab.
- Injecting Polyurethane Foam: A polyurethane foam mixture is injected through the holes. As the foam is injected, it expands and fills the voids beneath the concrete, pushing the slab upward.
- Lifting and Leveling: The expanding foam raises the concrete slab back to its original level. The foam is carefully controlled to lift the slab gradually, ensuring that it aligns properly with surrounding surfaces.
- Hardening and Stabilizing: Once the desired height is reached, the foam hardens and stabilizes the slab. It provides a strong and durable foundation, preventing further sinking or shifting.
- Filling the Holes: After the slab is leveled, the small drilled holes are filled with a concrete patch to blend with the surface.
Why Does Concrete Become Unlevel?
Construction markets often choose concrete for its affordability and availability, but it’s prone to cracking. Concrete often loses its level due to various changes in the underlying soil. But why does concrete sink and become uneven? Let’s go over it in detail.
- Soil Movement: The land under concrete is susceptible to movement from natural settling or outside disturbances. When the soil moves, it creates voids that cause the concrete to sink or uneven.
- Erosion: When water from rain, poor drainage, or nearby leaks erodes the soil beneath a concrete slab, it creates voids that leave the slab vulnerable to settling or cracking.
- Soil Expansion and Shrinkage: Soil types, like clay, thickens when it absorbs water and shrinks when it dries out, which can cause your concrete to become uneven and shift over time.
- Tree Roots: Roots from surrounding trees can grow beneath your porch, pushing it upward and causing cracks or elevated areas. This can lead to the need for patio or porch concrete lifting to restore a level surface.
- Freeze-Thaw Cycle: When water penetrates concrete in cold climates and freezes, the expansion puts pressure on the slab. After thawing, this pressure alleviates, which can cause the concrete to sink or crack due to the change.
- Poor Soil Compaction: Poor soil compaction under concrete can result in unstable support, causing the slab to settle unevenly as the ground beneath compresses.
Signs Your Home Needs Polyurethane Concrete Raising
If you notice these common signs below, they signal a loss of stability in your concrete and might need polyurethane concrete raising.
- Uneven or Sunken Concrete: If sections on your driveway, sidewalk, patio, or garage floor are lower than others, it’s a sign the ground beneath has moved, and the slab is no longer level.
- Cracks in the Concrete: Cracks in concrete often happen because the ground underneath isn’t even, making parts of the concrete settle or shrink. Small cracks can occur naturally over time, but if they get bigger or start to spread, it usually means the concrete needs raising.
- Water Pooling or Poor Drainage: If water gathers in spots on your concrete when it rains, it often means the surface is uneven, with dips where water stays. Over time, this can get worse as the water weakens the ground.
- Tripping Hazards: If you tripped or stashed over raised or sunken concrete parts, it indicates that the surface is uneven and needs leveling.
- Gaps Between Concrete and Adjacent Structures: If you notice spaces between the concrete and nearby walls, stairs, or structures, the slab has shifted. If addressed, such gaps suggest potential further structural issues.
- Garage or Basement Floor Issues: If you spot cracks, sinking, or sloping in your garage or basement floor, the soil might settle underneath. Polyurethane concrete raising can stabilize and level out the floor effectively.
Pros And Cons Of Polyurethane Concrete Raising
Polyurethane concrete raising offers an innovative solution for leveling sunken slabs, but like any method, it comes with its own set of pros and cons. Let’s check out the advantages and disadvantages.
Pros
- Quick Results: Polyurethane foam dries fast, so you can use your driveway or patio again almost right after it’s fixed. You won’t have to wait long to use it.
- Minimal Disruption: The process needs tiny holes, less than an inch wide, so it’s cleaner and doesn’t mess up your yard much. Homeowners find this very appealing.
- Durability: Polyurethane foam is rigid and doesn’t let water through, which stops the ground under the concrete from getting worse, meaning you won’t have to repair it often, saving you hassle and money.
- Lightweight: Polyurethane foam is lighter than the heavy mix used in older methods, so it lifts concrete without making the ground underneath sink more, keeps things stable, and avoids extra problems.
- Versatility: This method works well for driveways, sidewalks, patios, and indoor floors, whether in homes or businesses.
Cons
- Cost: Polyurethane concrete raising can save money compared to replacing concrete, but it might be pricier than older methods like mud jacking.
- Specialized Equipment Required: This method requires special tools and materials, so professionals should handle it. You might find it challenging to achieve the right results if you DIY.
- Limited Effectiveness for Severe Damage: If the concrete has serious structural problems, you might need other solutions or even replace the whole thing.
- Color Matching: Polyurethane concrete raising uses light yellow or beige foam, which might not match the existing concrete, which may concern you if you care about aesthetics.
- Long-Term Soil Stability: Polyurethane foam stabilizes concrete, but you should find a solution to solve soil issues for a lasting fix.
Factors Affecting Polyurethane Concrete Lifting Costs
So, what influences polyurethane concrete lifting pricing?
Below are the primary factors:
- Size of the Area: Lifting wider areas like driveways uses more foam and takes more time, so it costs more than fixing smaller places like sidewalks or patios.
- Amount of Lift Needed: If your concrete has sunk a lot, contractors need more foam to lift it back up, meaning the deeper it’s sunk, the more it costs.
- Condition of the Concrete: Professionals need to repair any damage or cracks in the concrete before they can lift it, and these repairs add to the cost because they take more time and materials.
- Accessibility: When tight spaces or obstacles make it hard to reach the concrete, builders might need special tools and more work to do the job, so it can make it more expensive.
- Soil Conditions: Workers need to use more foam to stabilize the concrete if the ground under the concrete isn’t firm. If they don’t fix the weak ground, the concrete might sink again later, so using extra foam will make the job cost more.
- Location: In cities, where living costs are higher, you might pay more for labor and materials compared to rural areas, which means the cost to lift concrete depends on where you live.
- Contractor Expertise: Hiring an experienced contractor may cost more, but it leads to quality, durable work and can save money by avoiding future repairs.
- Additional Services: Additional services like sealing cracks and improving drainage increase the cost but make the lifespan and appearance of your concrete appearance worthwhile.
Don’t Let Sunken Concrete Weigh You Down!
Have you noticed your driveway or patio starting to sink or crack? It might seem like a minor issue now, but uneven concrete can become a safety hazard and costly structural problem.
At Signature Polyjacking, we understand these concerns, so we offer a solution using advanced polyurethane foam. We inject this foam beneath your concrete, and it expands to fill any empty spaces. It gently lifts the slab back into its original position.
Our process restores the surface to a smooth and level state and provides a stable foundation that helps prevent future sinking and water damage.
Best of all, our approach is quick and clean, eliminating the need for tearing out concrete or enduring weeks of disruption. In just a few hours, you’ll have a safe and functional surface that’s ready for use again.
Give us a call today to get a free assessment and a repair estimate.
