Concrete Sidewalk & Patio Repair | Ottawa, IL

Concrete slabs are a universal component in housing.  No matter where you live, or what kind of home you have, there’s likely a concrete slab somewhere on the property.  It can be a sidewalk, patio, pool surround, garage floor, or even your home’s floor.  Another universal? These slabs will move and create problems for homeowners. Often, the best way to repair a sinking concrete slab is with a process called slabjacking.

We specialize in concrete repair and leveling in Ottawa, IL.  Our concrete services are affordable and will help you maintain the proper appearance of these structures.

Acculevel was founded in 1996, and is well known in the industry for repairing foundations, basements, and crawl spaces.  We raise and repair concrete structures for thousands of customers per year.

Why does a concrete slab move?

Erosion 

A concrete slab sinks as the soil underneath it shifts.  Often, the cause for this is erosion.  Rain comes down and saturates the ground, mixing the water into the soil.  Then, when the water drains away, it takes part of the soil with it. This erosion can happen gradually as a natural process, or suddenly if it’s caused by a broken pipe or ruptured drain.  If the ground under a slab is eroding quickly or seems loose, you should evaluate your home’s guttering and plumbing systems. It’s possible the downspouts or plumbing are draining under the slab and washing out the soil.

Climate and Soil Type

In other circumstances, the slab moves because of the ground itself.  It’s possible that it wasn’t properly compacted before the concrete was poured.  The extreme weather cycles in the Midwest contribute another factor. The ground floods in the spring, then dries out during a summer drought, which prompts erosion  Then there’s the winter freeze-and-thaw pattern. The ground expands when it freezes, and contracts as it thaws. This fluctuation also contributes to shifts in the soil, which accelerates the settling process.

Consequences

Concrete rarely settles evenly; usually one end will sink more significantly than the other.  When this happens, the stress of the uneven support will sometimes crack the slab. At that point, you have high and low points on the concrete, and a crack or joint between slabs that will catch a pedestrian’s toe.  These are trip hazards and a liability issue.

Sometimes, an uneven slab can also cause damage to your home. It may redirect rainwater towards your house, instead of away from it. This leads to water damage to your foundation, and possibly to leaks in your basement or crawl space. Over time this extra moisture can cause serious damage. Water permeating into your home can cause rotting in the structural wood flooring system (sill plate, floor joists, etc) and allow mold to flourish and grow. 

How does slabjacking work?

Slab lifting is done by injection.  Small holes are drilled through the concrete slab, and material is injected below it.  This material fills the void underneath the concrete, and gradually the pressure of this filler being forced under the slab creates lift.  The type of fill material varies; many companies use a concrete or limestone slurry referred to as “mud” and this process is generally called mudjacking.  As the slurry hardens, it creates lift below the slab.

At Acculevel, we use a polyurethane foam.  In our experience, slabjacking provides a better and more reliable repair; once the foam is injected, the chemical reaction promptly begins to expand, and it’s this foam that does the lifting.  Since it’s more immediate than mudjacking, it allows for better control.

In this video, one of our knowledgeable experts explains why we choose to perform slabjacking:

Benefits

Convenience 

The curing time for slabjacking is minimal.  The polyurethane foam sets up quickly and cleanly.  Unlike other fill materials, the foam solidifies within minutes; a patio can be walked on almost immediately, and you can drive on a garage floor within an hour.  Mudjacking uses a concrete mixture, so it must cure for a minimum of several hours before it’s “usable,” depending on the use of the slab, ground and air temperature, and the amount of moisture in the soil.  (Temperature and moisture influence the cure time.)

Cleaner and Less Invasive 

Slabjacking uses specialized equipment, but it’s usually installed in a standard-sized service truck that can park in the driveway or street without issue.  Slabjacking repair work rarely requires an Acculevel crew driving across your lawn, or disturbing your landscape; the slabjacking equipment has a 250 foot injection hose to maximize our reach to the repair section.

In fact, there is very little mess generated at a slabjacking job site.  Generally, crews only need to clean up some dust generated from drilling through the concrete, and maybe trace amounts of foam from the injection site.

This is preferable to the messy process of replacing a slab.  Concrete demolition often involves the use of a jack hammer, which is noisy and creates debris that adds to landfills.  Re-pouring concrete requires building forms, a concrete truck, and the use of this equipment in close proximity to the work site.  This results in a significant amount of trash and upheaval on your property. The new slab can also be visually jarring, as it won’t match the other existing sections in color or texture.

Lower Costs

Slabjacking works with the existing concrete slab, so the costs are limited.  They depend more on the size of the slab being lifted, and the amount of void under the slab. (The larger the gap, the more material is required.)  The costs to replace concrete can be double the price of slabjacking. For more details on costs, please review our article on costs comparisons.

The Next Step 

Get a free estimate on our website or give us a call if you’d like to talk about slabjacking a patio or other concrete slab on your property!