Sunken Steps Become a Problem in the Winter 

Sunken steps don’t make the best impression on guests visiting your home for the first time. It also isn’t convenient for you or your family members.

Sunken Steps

Making your way up slanted steps only gets more dangerous in the winter. How should you go about solving this problem?

Why Did They Sink in the First Place?

Concrete steps seem like they should be durable enough to last forever. For the most part, they are, but the foundation beneath them might not be.

One of the main reasons you may have sunken steps is because of soil erosion beneath them. Many times, improper drainage can wash away supportive soil and leave your concrete steps without the support they need to stay level.

If the ground wasn’t compacted correctly before the concrete was poured, the soil could have settled as well. Even when soil is thoroughly compacted, it can contain air pockets that can later cave in and cause your concrete to shift.

Winter Makes it Worse

Winter is one of the harshest times of year, and it takes a toll on your concrete as well. You may try to keep your stairs and walkway de-iced using buckets of rock salt.

While this is a great way to protect against slip-and-fall accidents, it’s not the best solution for your concrete. De-icing salt speeds up the freeze/thaw cycle, which causes wear and tear on your concrete. Your steps absorb the melting snow and ice, but as it re-freezes, it puts pressure on the internal concrete. This can lead to spalling and degradation.

By the time winter is over, not only are your steps uneven and sinking, but the surface is also degrading as well. This can lead to cracks (another trip hazard) plus it makes them look even worse.

What Are Your Options?

Your best bet is to repair your sunken steps before they get any worse. One of the best ways to do that is restore them to their previous level position, and regardless of what you may believe, that doesn’t mean you have to rip out your staircase and start over. Not only is that expensive, it’s unnecessary!

There is a better way to go about eliminating the problem of sunken steps: concrete lifting. This involves injecting stabilizing grout beneath the surface of your steps to raise them until they’re even again.

Relieve Your Worries Now

It’s much easier than you might realize to repair sunken concrete steps, especially when you depend on Lift-Up Concrete. Call us today to get a free quote on how we can help make your steps safer this winter.