Have you recently moved into a home with uneven walkways or a cracked driveway? Maybe you notice shifting of the concrete slab over the years and wonder whether it can be corrected.
Why might I need mudjacking?
Mudjacking, or concrete leveling, is the process of levelling and supporting sunken concrete. This might be a patio, a sidewalk, a driveway, or a garage floor.
How much does mudjacking cost?
Poly-Mor Canada Inc. operates in Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Calgary. Your fee for mudjacking will depend on a number of factors including the amount of concrete filler required for the project, the number of contractors required, the size of the area being repaired, and the condition of the concrete being lifted. Our contractors are experts in concrete lifting, concrete leak sealing and soil stabilization.
What are the benefits of mudjacking?
In order to repour your cement as an alternate solution to concrete lifting, your existing driveway would have to be drilled apart and removed for disposal. Your base layer (gravel) would be reinforced and re-tamped before forms and rebar could be set. New concrete would be poured into the forms, and you would need to keep off of the area until it has set and cured properly. The dust and debris created by the concrete’s removal and the time and money it takes to repour make this an investment in time and money that may not be necessary based on what concrete lifting can accomplish.
Unlike the large visible cracks that might be bothering a homeowner, concrete lifting pumps filling material into the area beneath your slab of concrete to lift it from within. This requires several small holes to be drilled into the concrete’s surface. Once the material has levelled the slab, the holes are closed and sealed with caulking to prevent any water from entering the site. The final product is a level driveway with almost no visible repairs.
Water pooling on uneven and cracked concrete is a major cause of damage to concrete in Canada. Cold winters and hot summers cause concrete to repeatedly shrink and expand – and when water gets into small cracks it spells trouble for your slab. Small cracks that take on water get larger when the water expands during freezing. Over time, this can cause major cracks in the slab.
A well-maintained driveway looks better. mitigates trip hazards by levelling the walking surface and may even increase the value of your property when you decide to sell.
How long does mudjacking take?
When you have your sunken concrete repaired, your project will be complete in a number of hours, and you will be able to use your sidewalk, driveway, patio or garage floor as soon as your contractors have completed their work.
How do I maintain an area that has been mudjacked?
When you live in a cold climate, we recommend applying a concrete sealer to your concrete bi-annually. This does not require a professional contractor to apply, though you may want to ask your concrete professional to recommend a sealer. Sealer keeps your concrete resistant to stains from vehicle lubricants, but these substances should always be cleaned when they are noticed and should not be left to eventually sink in.
Small cracks and breaks in concrete might not look like anything to worry about, but they can lead to serious damage to your slab. For that reason, pitting, breaks and cracks should be patched as soon as possible to keep water and other elements from worsening its condition.
The thickness of the concrete on your driveway will be less at the edges, and therefore the edges should be avoided. Keep vehicles inside the pad by a minimum of twelve inches to prevent any cracking of the edges.
If the edges of your driveway break or chip, you can have a concrete professional remove the outer edge to improve its appearance. You may want to install a perimeter of landscaping bricks or patio stones or backfill the gaps from the edges with soil and grass seed.
Watch For Spalling and Scaling
Concrete spalling and scaling look like the concrete is breaking away in flecks of various sizes and can be occurring for several reasons including that water has reached the rebar and is corroding it. These pits can be patched with a concrete compound that has been colour matched for low visibility.
In Canada, the use of salt and other de-icers on driveways and sidewalks causes the freezing point of water to change and often leads to the water freezing and thawing repeatedly as temperatures fluctuate. This melting and refreezing can cause the concrete to begin to spall and scale.
For more information about concrete lifting, and other services like foundation repair, visit our website at: https://www.poly-mor.ca/ or call us to see how we can help.
