Have Sinking Concrete? Know How Mud Jacking Works To Fix It

Do you have concrete on your property that is sinking and uneven? This is likely due to the concrete settling and sinking lower into the ground. This can sometimes happen when water collects around your house and seeps into the soil, or simply due to how the ground naturally settles over time. If this problem is happening to your cement, know that you do not have to rip out all of the concrete to even it out. It is possible to correct the problem with a process known as mud jacking. Here is how the process works so you know what to expect if you have it done. 

Drilling

The process starts by drilling holes into the concrete. The holes need to be small enough so that they are not noticeable, but big enough so that you can use the holes for the mud jacking process. It is common to make multiple holes in each slab of concrete that needs to be raised by using mud jacking since the material needs to be spread evenly under the surface so that it can raise the concrete evenly. 

Pumping

The mud jacking process is performed using a special slurry of materials designed to lift up the concrete. While other processes use a foam material, mud jacking uses a crushed limestone material. The benefit is that the material is not going to settle or shrink after it is placed under the cement. It's the same material that is used for road patches and it gives the cement a solid base.

The crushed limestone material is pumped underneath the cement by sticking a hose into the holes that were created earlier. The cement will then gradually rise upward as more of the slurry is inserted. The slurry needs to be carefully controlled as it is pumped underground because you do not want to end up with too much crushed limestone material raising the ground too high. 

Repairing

Once the cement has been brought to the desired level, the holes will need to be filled in so that they blend in seamlessly with the surrounding cement. This can be done by adding color to the cement so that it blends in with the existing cement on your property. The cement will then be ready to be walked or driven on immediately.

Reach out to a concrete contractor to learn more about residential concrete mud jacking.