Concrete Lifting

If your concrete is flaking off, it’s a sign that something is wrong with the concrete. Concrete doesn’t stay smooth forever, and some flaking is to be expected after a few years. However, you should inform yourself on the kind of flaking it is so that you can get a better understanding of what your concrete is going through and how it could potentially lead to settling.

There are two types of surface deterioration concrete structures go through: pitting and flaking. They are caused by different things though are very similar in terms of appearance. Pay close attention when inspecting your concrete, and you’ll be able to differentiate between the two.

• Concrete Pitting 

Concrete pitting is caused by problems with the way the concrete was produced or poured. It’s a problem that only shows up after the concrete has finished curing. Concrete pitting means there’s a problem with the structural integrity of the concrete itself. It indicates that the concrete is weak and deteriorates incredibly easily, which means that you have to be careful if you see signs of pitting on a settled slab.

Concrete pitting is defined by small craters that form on the concrete structure. Although the craters are only visible on the surface, if you were to break the slab open, you would see that the craters run deep since the entire concrete is deteriorating. The craters can either appear sporadically across the concrete or, they can clump up and form one big crater that makes it look as if a piece of the concrete has broken off.

• Concrete Flaking 

Concrete flaking is caused by an external force eroding the surface of the concrete. Freeze-thaw damage is a common cause of flaking since the ice creates micro-tears across the surface of the slab. If the micro-tears become too much, the piece will flake off. Concrete flaking can still happen on slabs that are strong, so it does not indicate that there was a problem with its production. You can tell it’s flaking and not pitting when a big chunk flakes off and you don’t see any craters, indicating that the damage was only surface-level.

Just because flaking can occur on slabs that are strong does not mean it doesn’t affect settling. By deteriorating the surface of the slab, it allows water to seep through to the soil a lot easier, accelerating settling. Plus, a flaking slab does not stay strong for long. As the surface breaks apart, the slab loses its soundness and is likely to break once it begins settling.

Homes can often be difficult to keep up with. Just when you’ve gotten one thing fixed, something else breaks. It’s understandable if you want to put a repair job on the back burner while you try to solve other problems around your home.

You might be wondering just how long you can wait to get that settled slab of yours fixed. However, you might want to bump concrete lifting up your priority list, because it can go from insignificant to consequential in only a matter of days.

• How Concrete Settling Damages Your Property

Nothing breaks a settling concrete slab faster than a heavy car going over it. Your car can create a pothole in the middle of the slab, effectively ruining it and making repairs very difficult. Not only does having to replace your slab more expensive, but it can also damage the wheels of your car as it goes over the potholes every time you use your driveway.

The more a slab settles, the more damaged your property is. The more damaged a property, the lower its value. Even if you’re looking to sell your home and aren’t interested in repairs because of it, you might want to consider lifting your slab to raise the property value. The longer you wait for the repairs the more expensive it will be.

• How Concrete Settling Can Be Dangerous 

Part of the reason a property’s value goes down when there’s concrete settling is that it’s a safety hazard. Walking on a settling slab is a risky affair. If it’s not already sunken into the ground, your step can be the straw that breaks the camel’s back and brings down the slab as you’re walking on it. There’s nothing scarier than feeling the ground suddenly give out under you, so even if you don’t trip, you’ll get a little scare.

It’s especially dangerous for children and the elderly, as they aren’t able to balance themselves as well to avoid falling. If you want to protect yourself and your family members, you need to contact an expert for concrete lifting solutions as soon as you spot the problem signs.

Things can get complicated for a homeowner once they realize that there are multiple concrete lifting solutions. Polyurethane foam injections, mudjacking, and limestone grout leveling are some of the methods you might come across when wanting information about concrete settling repairs. 

Not all repair methods work in the same way and not all of them are beneficial. There is one method, however, that is better than all the rest in terms of longevity, efficiency, and overall performance. If you want a long-term solution that slows down future settling, choose polyurethane foam injections. 

• Polyurethane Foam Injections 

Part of the reason polyurethane foam injections work well for your driveway and sidewalk is that it doesn’t place pressure on the soil. Polyurethane foam is a light substance, so it doesn’t displace the soil with its weight. This is important for preventing future settling, especially in your driveway. Driveway slabs have to frequently support heavy loads as cars go in and out of the driveway. 

Another important characteristic unique to polyurethane foam injections is that it doesn’t wash away with time. Given how frequent flooding is in cities like Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Virginia, you definitely this material may be ideal for you. Other materials, like the cement slurry used in mudjacking, are short-lived for this reason. There are only so many times you can repair a settling slab, so a solution like polyurethane foam injections goes a long way in saving you money. 

• How PolyRenewal™ Is Installed  

PolyRenewal™ is a concrete lifting method that utilizes polyurethane foam. The installation is easy and a lot more straightforward than other concrete lifting methods, which are often messier and less reliable. First, concrete dpecialists drill holes the size of pennies into the slab. They inject the polyurethane foam until it fills the gap and lifts the slab. Then the holes are filled back up and covered, and your concrete is left looking like new. 

Installing PolyRenewal™ is something only JES experts can do. If you want a job well done, contact your local experts for professional repair solutions.

Your concrete slab is a lot more likely to break once it begins settling. Concrete is a reliable building material that has excellent compression strength, meaning that it does not lose its volume when under a lot of pressure. Unfortunately, this compression strength comes at the cost of its tensile strength, which is the reason why concrete slabs break when settling.

• Why It Breaks

Tensile strength refers to a material’s ability to handle pressure. It measures how much tension a structure is able to endure before breaking. If a concrete slab is able to evenly disperse the pressure throughout its body, it will have an easier time handling the weight. However, when slabs settle, they aren’t able to disperse the pressure evenly, causing them to crack.

This is more likely to occur in outdoor slabs that have to support heavy weights frequently. Your driveway is an obvious one, what with your heavy car putting pressure on the slabs whenever you drive in and out. The slabs on your patio are also likely to break if they have to bear the weight of heavy furniture and the people that use them.

• How To Prevent Breaking Your Concrete 

The more cracks on the slab, the harder it is to repair. Replacing a concrete slab can be an expensive ordeal, and it’s not as convenient as polyurethane foam injection repairs. Because of this, it’s in your best interest to want to preserve your concrete and keep it as intact as you can.

The moment you notice the settling, make sure not to place any weight on the slab or the slabs that surround it. For your driveway, this might mean parking your car elsewhere until the slab can be fixed. For your patio, you might have to remove the furniture or simply avoid sitting on it. Avoid walking on any settled pathways, and make sure to inform your family members of the change so they don’t end up breaking the slab.

Who is in charge of sidewalk repairs—you or the city? Your driveway is no doubt part of your property, but what about the sidewalk? 

• City Responsibilities 

If it’s considered public property, it is the city’s responsibility to keep the sidewalk repaired and safe so the residents can walk on it without getting injured. Making sidewalks public property benefits the city because it means that they can repair sidewalks without needing the homeowner’s permission. It also means that they can prevent homeowners from tampering with the sidewalk in a way that isn’t beneficial to the members of the community. 

Read up on your city’s municipal code and see if it’s their responsibility to fix the sidewalk. If it is, you’ll need to file a report. However, this doesn’t guarantee that the city will have the resources available for repair.  

• Homeowner Responsibilities 

Depending on the city municipal code, you might be responsible for your sidewalk repair whether it’s public property or not. Certain cities have codes that state that homeowners are responsible for sidewalk repair. Not keeping up with sidewalk maintenance could result in a fine since there’s a chance that someone in the community could get injured as a result of the unstable slab. 

Most municipal codes state that any homeowner that wants to repair their sidewalk needs to get a permit from the city in order to do so. Sometimes, even when it’s the city’s responsibility to repair the sidewalk, if they lack the resources to do it in a timely manner and you are willing, they might grant you a permit to do it yourself. Once you have that permit, you can contact your local experts.