Concrete Lifting

For good reason, polyurethane foam injection is one of the most successful and commonly utilized concrete lifting and stabilization technologies available today. Polyurethane foam is less messy, easier to install, less likely to overload already weak soil, and cures far faster than the slurry used in older, more traditional repair procedures like mudjacking. When implemented by a qualified professional, this makes it an extremely effective and stable option.

PolyRenewal™ polyurethane foam has two main applications. To begin with, it can be used to raise and secure individual concrete slabs, tiny constructions, and various exterior surfaces on its own. Second, it can be used in conjunction with more durable foundation repair measures such as slab piers to offer additional support and fill holes left beneath previously sunken slab foundations. As a result, PolyRenewal™ is a highly adaptive and versatile solution.

PolyRenewal™ has a reasonably simple installation method, regardless of the capacity it is utilized in. To begin, holes are drilled into the damaged surface to accommodate injection ports. The two-part foam will then be mixed together to achieve the desired level of expansion and force. The lifting process will be closely monitored once it is injected into the void beneath the sunken or damaged concrete to ensure that the slab is raised to its original location (no higher). The injection ports will be removed after this, and the foam will be allowed to solidify. Once the injection sites have been cleaned and tidied, this method should leave no visible evidence.

Concrete lifting is a complex procedure, and it’s crucial to remember that you must consider all aspects of the concrete. This is why, when it comes to concrete lifting, you can’t rely on do-it-yourself methods. Regardless of where the sunken or fallen concrete is located, you should contact an expert to have someone come in and analyze the problem. Experienced professionals, like our team at Foundation Systems of West Virginia, will be able to explain your options and assist you in repairing your sunken or falling concrete.

Concrete lifting is difficult, but it does not have to be as difficult as you might believe. Lifting your concrete back to its original state is a rather straightforward task if you have the right professional assistance. You can manage your concrete and guarantee that it remains healthy for as long as possible with the help of a concrete lifting expert.

It’s crucial to realize that restoring your concrete to its original state is a precise process. That’s why repairs like polyurethane foam injections aren’t available off the shelf. Contact a local specialist at Basement Authority of West Virginia if you have a concrete problem that you think polyurethane foam injections might be able to solve. They’ll be able to speak with you and assist you in determining the best course of action.

The freeze-thaw effect describes the process through which water freezes and then melts back into its liquid state. Because of the freeze-thaw effect, it’s critical to protect your concrete from moisture exposure if you want to avoid structural damage. Water expands by around 9% when it condenses into ice. Although it may not appear so, expanding ice is capable of displacing concrete particles. When there is any kind of displacement, the concrete weakens structurally over time.

Small craters can form inside and along the surface of concrete due to the freeze-thaw cycle. Concrete is porous to begin with, but with each new micro-tear, moisture seeps through even more. The freeze-thaw cycle displaces the soil beneath the concrete as more and more water passes through it. As the concrete settles, you’ll end up with an uneven, structurally weak slab. Because porous concrete has lower tensile strength, cracking is unavoidable on a slab that has been exposed to moisture during the winter.

The harshness of the winter climate determines how harmful exposure to the freeze-thaw cycle is. Freeze-thaw has a far greater impact on concrete with low psi, which is often the case for pathway slabs because they aren’t deemed “heavy duty.” Covering your concrete throughout the winter is an important element of slab protection since it keeps the snow off of it. This way, if your slab does settle, you won’t have to replace it because of breaking that makes repairs impossible.

Concrete can sustain damage for a variety of reasons, but unstable soil is usually the root of sinking concrete problems. The load-bearing capacity of different types of soil varies. When the load-bearing capability of a soil is exceeded, it compacts and settles. It’s also possible for the soil beneath a slab to naturally settle and compact. When soil with a lot of clay and/or silt dries up, it shrinks a lot. As the earth beneath a concrete slab compacts, the unsupported slab will sink, cracking in one or more places.

Monongahela soil, the official soil of West Virginia that is most prevalent across the state, is particularly problematic for concrete. This type of soil is prone to settling over time, causing a gradual shift in concrete structures along with cracks and structural weakness.

The soil beneath your driveway, patio, or concrete steps might not last long enough to offer enough support for the concrete structure. Water can wash away the soil that supports the weight of your concrete slabs as it flows beneath them. As a result, a void, or empty space, is created underneath. Your concrete slab may sink or cave in over time if there is nothing to support it.

Problems with the soil beneath concrete slabs cause them to crack. Over time, soil erodes or is washed away by water and rains. As a result, voids grow beneath the concrete slab portion of your West Virginia home’s foundation or concrete, and nothing else can support its weight. As a result, the concrete begins to sink and crack at stress spots.

You need also repair the voids beneath the concrete that caused it to sink in the first place in order to lift it. That can’t be done with out-of-date concrete lifting techniques like mudjacking. By filling in the holes and providing a long-term solution, new polyurethane foam technologies fix both the concrete and the soil issues.

The cause of the cracking can sometimes be found in the concrete itself, which occurs when the concrete isn’t strong enough. Often, there is no alternative remedy to this problem except to completely remove the concrete slab and replace it with a new one made of durable concrete that will provide better material.

Engineers have been attempting to perfect the concrete lifting process for decades by combining various elements with cement and pumping the mixture beneath the slab. Despite the fact that these varied mixes have different benefits and drawbacks, the end outcome is always the same: A temporary fix for a sinking slab that can sometimes exacerbate the problem. Fortunately, we live in an era where we have access to the skills and materials necessary to provide homes with a long-term solution. PolyRenewal™, our polyurethane foam injection process for permanently repairing sinking slabs, is that solution. It’s a modern concrete lifting method that doesn’t let you down, not only in terms of results, but also in terms of ease of use.

What makes PolyRenewal™ so appealing is that it lacks the drawbacks that make mudjacking such a difficult process. In mudjacking, the cement slurry erodes over time as the particles are displaced by water and growing ice. The cracks created by the displacement allow water to pass through the concrete and into the earth, causing settling down the line. We utilize impermeable polyurethane foam, which means it won’t deteriorate or allow moisture to seep through and saturate the soil. The same volume of polyurethane foam injected beneath the slab will remain in place for decades.

Polyurethane foam is also a rather light material. Because cement is rough and heavy, mudjacking just serves to shift the soil further. Closed-cell polyurethane foam is dense enough to carry heavy loads without causing damage to the earth underneath. Overall, PolyRenewal™ is the superior concrete lifting choice because it provides a base for the slab that will not shift or wash away, which soil and cement cannot.