Why Does Concrete Sink Or Crack?

When concrete driveways, sidewalks, floor slabs or other concrete features sink, shift or crack, they’re almost always a symptom of a problem with the subgrade below. Usually, the problem is the material below the surface has sunk due to poor compaction, erosion caused by water, freeze/thaw cycles, or all these problems working together.

Cracks can form when areas of the concrete under load are no longer supported by the ground below. If the material below the concrete has sunk or washed away, it creates something known as a void, or a void space. Because the concrete does not bend, the concrete will deflect under load, into the void space, and shear off from the concrete that is still supported. This often appears as a crack on the surface, potentially with one side of the crack at a different level than the other side.

Polyurethane concrete lifting and leveling; what is it?

Polyurethane concrete lifting is the process of injecting hydrophobic (meaning it does not mix with water)  Polyurethane Foam underneath the concrete surface to lift it and stabilize the earthen material below. This will lift the concrete back to level, help prevent the concrete from sinking further, fill void spaces, and help eliminate potential cracking in the future.

Value
Polyurethane foam injection will lift your concrete back into place usually for considerably less than the cost of replacing the whole concrete surface.

Time:
The process can be reasonably quick. A polyurethane foam lifting job typically takes 4 to 8 hours to complete, versus multiple days or longer for a new concrete pour.

Minimal disruption to your home or business:
After the polyurethane lifting work is complete, the concrete surfaces are ready to be driven or walked on almost immediately. This is due to the polyurethane foams’ ability to set up and harden within minutes. Also, there is no heavy machinery in the lifting process to drive over your yard or property and minimal personnel required to complete a job. Inherent to the process is a low profile, and efficient operational footprint.

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