Why We Use Polyurethane Injection and Not Mudjacking to Level Concrete
If you’ve browsed our website, you’ve probably noticed that we speak very highly of our polyurethane injection process for leveling concrete. But if you’re not in the business of leveling, you might not know what that means. So we wanted to take a moment to explain a few things.
What polyurethane injection is
Why it’s better than other techniques like mudjacking
And why our customers love it
What is polyurethane injection?
Polyurethane injection goes by a few different names. You may hear it called polyurethane concrete raising, polyurethane concrete leveling, foam lifting, or polyjacking. No matter what you call it, polyjacking is the process we use to lift and level concrete that has sunken or is uneven.
Our polyurethane injection process
The process is clean and easy. We locate the area where the soil beneath the concrete has shifted and left a void. We then drill a hole through the concrete large enough for our injection gun to pump the polyurethane foam into the cavity.
Here’s why we love this material. The polyurethane foam quickly expands to fill the void, leveling out the concrete surface. But that’s not all! The polyurethane also stabilizes the soil to prevent further shifting. Once the concrete is level, we remove the injection gun nozzle, and we patch the small hole. The finished product is a level concrete surface with almost no sign of the repair job.
Why polyjacking is better than mudjacking
Now that you know what polyjacking is, let’s talk about why it’s so much better than mudjacking. The process of mudjacking is similar to polyjacking. You drill a hole, fill the void with the material until it levels, and then you patch the hole. But the big difference is the material. Mudjacking uses a muddy slurry of crushed limestone, mud, cement, and sand. The slurry is pumped under the concrete where it eventually hardens.
There are a couple of problems with mudjacking. First, the slurry is thicker than the polyurethane, so it requires a larger hole to travel through. The larger the hole, the harder it is to patch, and the more noticeable it is.
Two other significant issues with mudjacking are the weight and longevity of the slurry. The slurry can weigh as much as 100lbs per cubic foot. That extra weight can actually cause the soil to settle, even more, leaving you with the same issue you started with. Our polyurethane foam, on the other hand, is quite light and doesn’t put as much pressure on the soil. Concerning longevity, the slurry can be eroded by water, whereas the polyurethane is not so easily affected by water.
Why our customers love our process
It’s easy to see why our customers love our clean and easy polyurethane process for leveling out concrete. It leaves a smaller, less noticeable hole, it’s cleaner and better for the environment, and it’s more effective. But here is another reason they love it so much—polyurethane dries very quickly. Our customers are able to drive on their concrete immediately after we finish!
If you need your concrete driveway, sidewalk, pool deck, patio, slab floor, or steps leveled, our polyurethane injection process is the way to go. Contact us now for a free estimate, and we’ll be in touch as soon as possible!