What is Mudjacking?
Mudjacking is a popular, quick, and cost-effective method for lifting sunken concrete. It offers an affordable alternative to replacement but can be messy and less durable over time.
The slurry used in mudjacking may break down or wash out, depending on soil conditions. Before deciding if it’s right for your home, it’s important to consider both its benefits and potential drawbacks. Let’s dive in!
How Does Mudjacking Work?
The installation process for lifting cracked or sunken concrete with mudjacking generally goes as follows:
1. Drill Holes in the Slab
The process begins by drilling small, strategically placed holes in the affected concrete slab. These holes are typically about 1 to 2 inches in diameter and are spaced at intervals to ensure even lifting. The placement of the holes is crucial for the uniform distribution of the lifting mixture.
2. Prepare the Mixture
Next, a slurry mixture is prepared, usually consisting of water, cement, and sand. The exact composition of the mixture can vary depending on the specific requirements of the project, but the goal is to create a flowable yet stable substance that can be pumped beneath the slab.
3. Lift the Slab
Once the holes are drilled and the mixture is ready, the slurry is pumped into the holes under pressure. As the mixture fills the voids beneath the slab, it begins to lift the concrete. The process is carefully monitored to ensure that the slab is raised evenly, restoring it to its original position.
4. Seal Installation Site
After the slab has been lifted and the mixture has settled, the drilled holes are sealed with a concrete patch. This step is essential to prevent moisture and debris from entering the holes, ensuring the longevity and stability of the repair. Optionally, joints and seams are also caulked for a clean finish.
What are the Benefits of Mudjacking?
Mudjacking offers some benefits for homeowners dealing with uneven or sunken concrete surfaces. One of the primary advantages is its cost-effectiveness. Compared to replacing the entire concrete slab, mudjacking is significantly more affordable, providing a quick and efficient solution to restore the concrete to its original level.
The process is also relatively quick, often completed within a few hours, minimizing disruption to the homeowner’s daily routine. Professional mudjacking services also save homeowners the time and effort involved in attempting to repair cracked or sunken concrete themselves using DIY solutions like self-leveling concrete kits.
How Much Does Mudjacking Cost?
Mudjacking is generally a cheaper alternative to other forms of concrete repair, depending on the extent of the work needed and the region. This price can vary based on factors such as the size of the area to be lifted, the condition of the existing concrete, and local labor rates. In contrast, concrete replacement can be significantly more expensive. This higher cost is due to the labor-intensive process of removing the old slab, disposing of the debris, preparing the ground, and pouring and finishing the new concrete.
Is Mudjacking Worth It?
While the upfront cost of mudjacking is low, it can be more expensive in the long run. This is because mudjacking primarily focuses on lifting the existing concrete without addressing the underlying issues that caused the concrete to crack or sink in the first place. Factors such as foundation settlement, poor soil compaction, or drainage problems can continue to affect the stability of the concrete. As a result, the lifted concrete might settle again. Homeowners may find themselves paying for multiple repairs or eventually full replacement to properly address the root causes.
Why Mudjacking is Considered a Bad Idea
Mudjacking is often considered an outdated solution by many concrete repair experts for several reasons:
Only a Temporary Fix
Mudjacking lifts the concrete but does not address the underlying issues that caused the settling, such as poor soil conditions or tree roots. As a result, the concrete may settle again, leading to repeated repairs.
Heavy Mixture
The slurry used in mudjacking is heavy, often consisting of a mixture of water, soil, and cement. This added weight can exacerbate the original problem by putting more pressure on the weak or unstable soil beneath the concrete.
Lack of Precision
Mudjacking relies on pumping the slurry under the concrete to lift it. This process can be imprecise, leading to uneven lifting and potentially causing new cracks or misalignment in the concrete slabs.
Polyurethane Foam: A Better Option
Polyurethane foam lifting is often considered a superior choice to mudjacking for a number of reasons:
- Lightweight Material: Polyurethane foam is lighter than mudjacking slurry, reducing pressure on the soil beneath the concrete.
- Efficient at Filling Voids: The foam expands quickly, filling voids and stabilizing the soil to prevent future settlement.
- Less Invasive: Foam lifting requires smaller drill holes, resulting in less damage and a cleaner finish.
- Quick Curing Time: Repaired concrete is ready for use within minutes due to the foam’s rapid curing process.
- Durability: Polyurethane foam is water-resistant and won’t erode or weaken over time, unlike mudjacking slurry.
In short, polyurethane foam lifting is a better choice than mudjacking because it’s faster, stronger, and causes less damage to your concrete. Its lightweight foam sets quickly and resists water, giving you a cleaner and longer-lasting fix that helps prevent future problems.
Contact Groundworks for Concrete Lifting Done Right
While mudjacking has its uses, it’s easy to see why many concrete repair experts prefer more modern and effective solutions, such as polyurethane foam injection, which addresses the root causes of settling, is less invasive, and provides a longer-lasting fix.
At Groundworks, our concrete repair pros have years of experience repairing cracked or sunken concrete with our PolyRenewal™ foam lifting solution. Contact our team today to get started on a safe and stable surface with a free inspection.
Concrete Lifting FAQs
Subtitle
Because there are many different methods of leveling concrete, there’s not necessarily a best one. However, there are concrete leveling methods that stand out over others. Here are the top two ways to level concrete, compared and contrasted.
- Slabjacking and Mudjacking
Slabjacking and mudjacking are widespread methods of concrete leveling that have been used for years. This concrete leveling method requires that you pump a concrete slurry underneath the concrete slab. The pressure of this procedure raises the slab back into line with its peers. The concrete slurry hardens, possibly allowing the concrete to stay level. However, this is an invasive and time-consuming procedure that’s not as effective as the other main option.
Slabjacking and mudjacking are, therefore, best used outdoors. Indeed, these methods are most commonly used for lifting and leveling patios, exterior stairs, and driveways. However, it can also be used in lighter structures like standalone garages and workshops. However, mudjacking and slabjacking are not suitable for use inside your home.
- Polyurethane Foam Injections
For most homeowners, the best choice for concrete lifting is going to be polyurethane foam injections. This is a unique method of concrete leveling that utilizes polyurethane foam, which can expand substantially past its initial mass, making it much easier for the foam to press upon the concrete and lift it back to its initial position, regardless of how far it’s sunken since the initial pouring. It’s a fast-curing, strong, effective method of raising your concrete back to the position it was initially in.
The PolyRenewal polyurethane foam system is compatible with both indoor and outdoor installation. It is less invasive than mudjacking or slabjacking and is more lightweight than the concrete slurry used in mudjacking. It is also water-resistant. This means that it is more suitable for use in areas where the soil is looser than it should be and already struggling to deal with the weight of your property.
Concrete leveling can take a very long time or a relatively short time. It all depends on what you’re using to level the concrete. Slabjacking and mudjacking tend to take more time than polyurethane foam injections, which is another reason that you might want to opt for the more modern polyurethane foam injections.
- Slabjacking and Mudjacking
Slabjacking and mudjacking have a relatively short installation time; most jobs will see installation taking less than a day. Of course, this does depend on the number of slabs that are affected by settlement and the size of each slab as well as their overall condition. A professional will be able to give you a rough estimate for installation times, so be sure to ask about this when you contact them for a quote!
The main problem is the time it takes for the concrete slurry to set once the installation is complete. This process can take up to 48 hours to start to harden, depending on the weather, ambient temperature, and several other factors. The biggest issue is that it can take around two weeks for the concrete to be entirely set and stable. Having to stay off a slab of concrete for up to two weeks isn’t even possible for lots of areas, including driveway leveling.
- Polyurethane Foam Injections
The process of installation for polyurethane foam solutions is roughly the same as mudjacking. Like slabjacking, this process will generally take less than a day. It could take as little as a few hours, but that does depend on the area being treated. Unlike slabjacking and mud jacking, however, polyurethane foam sets rapidly and is ready for use very quickly.
Polyurethane foam will start to harden immediately after injection into the void between your slab and the ground below. Part of this is the process of expansion that lifts the slab. You can start to walk on the leveled area within about 15 minutes from the time the expert initially pumped in the polyurethane foam and it will have reached 90% rigidity within 30 minutes. This is another reason concrete leveling with polyurethane foam injections is one of the best options; you don’t have to wait a long time for any concrete to harden and you can instead start using the area nearly immediately.
The polyurethane foam injection method from Groundworks allows the surface to be used on the same day as the installation. The foam cures within 15 minutes. This is far more efficient than other methods like mudjacking, self-leveling concrete, or repouring, which can take hours or days to harden.
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Disclaimer: “Concrete leveling” means the process by which cracked, uneven concrete is stabilized, and in many cases lifted, by means of PolyRenewal™ polyurethane foam. Groundworks does not guarantee that PolyRenewal™ can make your concrete perfectly level.