What is Concrete Lifting?

As you work to protect your home from damage, you’re not just keeping an eye on your foundation, basement, or crawl space. You’re also watching out for all the concrete slabs that surround your home. 

Your patio, walkway, driveway, and concrete steps are just as vulnerable to cracks as the rest of your home, if not more so. Because these structures come into direct contact with the elements that can do them the most harm, you may start to see your concrete slabs starting to sink long before any signs of similar damage appear within your home. This kind of sinking is more than just inconvenient. If left untreated, you’ll have a tripping hazard. 

You can work with area professionals at Innovate Basement Authority to repair this kind of damage as it appears. Our expert team can inspect your concrete slabs’ damage and provide you with a free quote on the services that might benefit you the most. 

What Is Concrete Lifting? 

“Concrete lifting” is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the process of lifting concrete from where it’s sunk into the ground. Concrete can sink for a number of reasons, and we’ll review them along the process in this article. Whether you need to lift a full slab, part of the slab, or just a corner, concrete lifting is an important part of keeping your concrete safe and secure. 

When Should I Lift My Concrete? 

As soon as you notice concrete issues, it’s a good idea to start looking into what problems you’re experiencing and whether concrete lifting could be a good option. Typically, if you’re experiencing a problem that concrete lifting can help with, you’ll be able to fix the problem up until the slab becomes too broken to effectively hold after lifting. That means the earlier you fix your concrete problems, the better. 

The Best Solution to Many Concrete Problems 

Some people worry that the only effective solution for concrete issues is complete slab replacement. In fact, if you don’t address the underlying problems that are causing the concrete issues in the first place, slab replacement may not actually fix the problems. Concrete lifting with polyurethane foam will actually give you consistent support for your concrete, making it a great way to solve many of the problems you might be experiencing regarding concrete in your home.

Why Is My Concrete Buckling?

The concrete structures around your home—your patio, your front walk, your pool deck, and your driveway, for example—can all fall victim to water damage. Hydrostatic pressure, more specifically, can cause the products you have in place to expand and contract on a molecular level. Your materials, in turn, can begin to develop cracks as they attempt to contend with the stress of those changes.

That said, animals and tree roots can also do significant damage to the concrete structures you have around your home. If, for example, you have trees with invasive root systems planted within 20 feet of a concrete structure, the soil beneath your structures can shift unevenly, causing your structures to sink. Burrowing animals can leave behind similar gaps. You’ll never know which of these forces is causing problems for your property, though, if you don’t know what signs of damage to look for. If you think something may be going amiss out in your yard, you’ll want to keep an eye out for:  

• Signs of unusual animal behavior in the general vicinity 
• Gaps in the foundation line near your home 
• Pooling water or damp ground near your concrete structures 

How Can I Most Effectively Fix Damaged Concrete? 

Fixing damaged concrete is best left to the professionals. They can employ several options to repair cracked or otherwise damaged concrete. The solutions used most often include overlays, fills, patches, resurfacing, and replacing. It all depends on what kind of damage your concrete slabs have sustained. Plus, most of these are temporary in nature and do not address the root cause of the problems.  

However, there’s also another great option in the form of polyurethane foam injections. Polyurethane foam injections are often the best way to lift and restore concrete, ensuring that your concrete stays sturdy for years to come.

PolyRenewal™ Polyurethane Foam Injections 

One of the best options for concrete lifting in today’s day and age is PolyRenewal™, which is the go-to solution for Innovative Basement Authority. PolyRenewal™ is polyurethane foam injections, which allows an expert to inject a special foam underneath a piece of concrete. That foam will expand, then set, creating a firm spot for the foam to stay. 

Because the foam expands before it sets, an expert can perfectly determine how much foam is necessary to bring the concrete up to its original placement. The expansion also makes sure that the foam moves up into all the little cracks and crevices underneath the concrete, which isn’t possible with many other options. Lifting concrete is easiest with PolyRenewal™, which is why it’s the go-to solution for Innovative Basement Authority. 

You can work with a professional to determine which of the above solutions may suit your needs best. 

Reach Out to Innovative Basement Authority Professionals for Concrete Lifting Guidance 

If you find yourself forced to contend with splitting, cracking, or sinking concrete, know that you’re not alone. Hundreds of homeowners just like you have faced these kinds of problems. Luckily, you can reach out to the team of experts working with Innovative Basement Authority to discuss what action plans will help you restore your damaged concrete. You can discuss what waterproofing measures, too, if applicable, can help you avoid seeing the same kind of damage later down the line. 

Get in touch today to schedule an inspection and for a free quote on any repair or installation services your concrete—or the rest of your home—might require.