Concrete is a fantastic and durable product for several important areas of a given property, whether residential or commercial, but it’s not invincible. It can be damaged over time, either through specific events or, more commonly, by the natural wear and tear they go through over the course of the passing years.
At Lift-Up Concrete, we’re here to help if your concrete is dealing with these wear or damage issues of any kind. Our concrete leveling and lifting services are available at the residential, commercial and municipal levels, and can assist with everything from minor concrete issues to major damage. One common type of damage to concrete in various areas is the concrete void – how do voids appear, what are some signs they’re present underneath your concrete, and what are your options for addressing them? Let’s take a look.
Signs of Void Presence
Concrete voids may appear in slabs for several reasons, and they refer to gaps beneath the concrete slab between it and the soil or foundation area. Voids may form for a variety of reasons, from lack of proper compression to water erosion that takes place due to leaks at the surface. Voids will weaken your concrete slabs, first just a little but eventually to the point where surface dips, tilting, cracks and even major breakages take place.
When voids are first forming in your concrete, they may be a bit tougher to spot or notice. But as they worsen, they will present visible signs that you should be able to pick up on. These signs include the following:
- Cracking: Cracking will generally begin in small ways, with tiny fissures forming, often near the corners. Eventually this will become larger and full pieces may begin falling off.
- Deterioration: Beyond basic cracking, you may also notice chipping or erosion based on moisture or other elements.
- Corners: A telltale sign of hollow ground below the concrete is breaking corners, which signal that the slab itself is falling in areas.
Options for Addressing Voids
If you’re unsure whether you have voids underneath your concrete, our professionals at Lift-Up Concrete can help determine it for you. And if we do assess voids present, you’ll have a few options available for how you address them:
- Ignorance: Unfortunately, too many home and business owners choose this option. Trust us, we can tell you from experience: All this will do is make your problem worse and cause it to cost more when you do eventually get it taken care of.
- Replacement: In most cases of concrete voids, full-on replacement of your slab is not necessary. This is quite expensive in most cases, and usually does the same job that much more affordable leveling services can do just as well.
- Leveling: Using our expert services, we can drill into your concrete and help raise the void areas with no replacement needed.
For more on your options for concrete voids, or to learn about any of our concrete raising or leveling services, speak to the staff at Lift-Up Concrete today.
