Many professional concrete repair contractors that serve Ogden, Utah, offer free, no-obligation mudjacking consultations. But as is the case with other service-oriented businesses, not all have the same standards. And while research can reveal some information, it isn’t always enough to know whether a contractor is capable of providing high-quality results.

Fortunately, mudjacking consultations include time for questions – and by asking the right questions, you can determine if a contractor is the right choice. Here’s what you should aim to find out when you meet with a local concrete repair professional.

Is Mudjacking the Right Method of Concrete Repair?

Mudjacking is an effective fix for most cracked, settled and sunken slabs, but the method isn’t always appropriate. If the surface of your slab is crumbled or badly cracked, the mudjacking method of repair may not work well – and a reputable Ogden contractor will give you an honest opinion as to the best route to take.

What Experience Do You Have with Similar Projects?

While being in business for several years speaks to being reliable and trustworthy, those qualities alone don’t ensure effective concrete repair. Mudjacking requires expertise, and you’re going to want to choose a local professional contractor with experience handling projects that are similar yours.

Can You Explain the Costs and What the Project Involves?

Toward the end of your mudjacking consultation, you should be presented with an estimate for the project. At that time, feel free to ask about any fees that are unclear in nature and if you can expect any additional costs. Clarify the mudjacking project and the total price, and you won’t be surprised by the final bill.

How Will the Property Look When the Work is Complete?

We hate to say it, but some contractors aren’t all that neat and tidy with their work. During your mudjacking consultation, ask if you need to worry about landscape damage and clean-up after the project is complete. That way, you can get some reassurance that your Ogden property will remain in good shape.

Contact Lift-Up Concrete for a Free Consultation Today

If you’re in need of a reputable professional contractor for a mudjacking project at a residential or commercial property in Ogden, Utah, schedule a consultation with Lift-Up Concrete.

A locally owned and operated concrete repair contractor, Lift-Up Concrete has extensive experience in mudjacking uneven walkways, cracked concrete steps, tilted garage floors, damaged parking lots and other settled and sunken slabs. We only offer our mudjacking services when we know the repair method will work – and we also offer a full satisfaction guarantee.

At Lift-Up Concrete, we’re proud to provide top-quality concrete repair for an affordable price, and you can count on our team to meet your needs. To schedule a free, no-obligation mudjacking consultation with a trusted professional contractor serving Ogden, Utah, contact us today.

Think the cracked slab at your Salt Lake City property is a lost cause? With concrete leveling, saving the slab – and saving yourself from a costly and time-consuming tear-out and replacement project – may be possible.

Inevitably, if the slab in question is extremely cracked, tearing it out and pouring new concrete may be the only option. But if the damage isn’t too extensive, going that route may not be necessary. The alternative approach, concrete leveling, is both highly effective and affordable, and the entire process typically takes no more than a couple of hours to complete. Here’s how professional contractors in northern Utah use the technique to fix cracked concrete slabs.

Detection of Soil Voids

Voids, or air pockets within the soil under a slab, are to blame for the cracking – so the first step to the concrete leveling process is to find the precise location of each void. To accomplish this task, professional contractors use ground penetrating radar (GPR), an efficient, non-invasive imaging method that identifies subsurface anomalies by means of high-frequency electromagnetic waves. After guiding the GPR equipment over the cracked slab and evaluating the scan data, contractors know exactly where the underground air pockets are located.

Preparation of the Slab

Filling the voids under the cracked slab is the key to restoring its structural integrity and visual appeal. The air pockets aren’t within easy reach, but professional contractors solve this problem by drilling holes through the concrete. The holes are strategically placed – ordinarily two to four feet apart — to effectively lift the slab back to a level position. About two inches in diameter, the drilled holes aren’t all that large, and the number needed depends on the extent of the damage.

Utilization of Pressure

When the drilling is done, it’s time to eliminate the soil voids under the cracked concrete slab. To do so, professional concrete leveling contractors first attach a hydraulic pump to one of the holes. Then, an environmentally friendly cement-based slurry mixture is sent through the hole to fill the air pocket. Contractors repeat this process at each of the drilled holes, and once all of the voids are filled, pressure raises the concrete slab and returns it to its original level position.

Application of a Sealant

When the slab is even and stable, there’s one last task – sealing the cracked concrete. Leaving the cracks and drilled holes as-is leaves them vulnerable to water infiltration, and if too much rainwater or melting snow reaches the soil under the slab, further damage is likely. Applying a sealant helps preserve the integrity of the concrete, as it acts as a barrier to moisture. Property owners can opt to handle this task, but professional concrete leveling contractors offer sealing for a nominal fee.

Can Concrete Leveling Save Your Cracked Slab?

Concrete leveling not only costs quite a bit less than a slab tear-out and replacement project, it also takes much less time. What’s more, since the soil is stabilized with the slurry mixture, the repair offers long-lasting results – in fact, most concrete that is leveled remains stable and secure for at least 8 to 10 years.

No doubt all of that sounds excellent, and you’d probably rather get concrete leveling than go to the trouble of tearing out your cracked slab and pouring new concrete. But is repair the right choice? Can your slab be saved and made to look aesthetically appealing? Or does the concrete need to be replaced?

The answers to these questions depend on a few variables, but it really comes down to the extent of the damage. As such, the decision on whether to move forward with concrete leveling or replace a cracked slab must be made on a case-by-case basis. That said, professional contractors do follow a few rules of thumb:

• If the slab has only small, narrow cracks, concrete leveling may be the most effective and least expensive fix.
• If a section of cracked concrete has settled and is uneven with its neighbors, leveling can provide a remedy.
• If the concrete has a good deal of material missing, a tear-out and replacement project is likely warranted.
• If a large crack extends down to the subbase, causing it to be eroded, a new concrete slab may be needed.

Concrete leveling can be a real time- and money-saver for Salt Lake City property owners. Using the repair technique, slabs that are cracked, settled or uneven can be leveled and strengthened – without spending the time and cash it would take to replace the concrete. And while the results are noticeable up close, little evidence of the fix can be seen from a short distance away. But to find out if concrete leveling can work at your property, you’ll need to get an expert opinion from a local professional contractor.

Lift-Up Concrete, based in Kaysville and serving the surrounding northern Utah area, is a local industry leader with many years of experience. With us, you can expect top-notch workmanship, exceptional customer service and fair, affordable pricing. To schedule a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss concrete leveling at your Salt Lake City home or business property, contact us today.

Concrete lifting – otherwise known as mudjacking or slabjacking – is a proven, cost-effective technique for raising and stabilizing settled slabs in Salt Lake City, Utah. Uneven sidewalks, cracked driveways, tilted patios and sinking porch steps are just a few of the issues that can be resolved with this repair method.

At Lift-Up Concrete, we’re often asked how we go about fixing settled slabs. The process involves three simple steps, and most projects can be completed in one day. Read on to learn how concrete lifting works.

Step 1: Drilling Holes in the Concrete

To start off, several holes are drilled in the affected slab. The holes, which are typically placed two to four feet apart, must be strategically patterned to effectively raise the concrete to a stable, even position.

Holes drilled for mudjacking are usually around two inches in diameter. The specific number needed varies, depending on the level of settlement and damage.

Step 2: Pumping a Slurry Under the Slab

For the next step, Portland cement and water are combined with other materials, such as sand and pulverized limestone, creating a mud-like mixture. Then, using a hydraulic pump, the slurry is sent through each of the drilled holes.

As it is pumped down through the slab, the cement-based mixture fills the empty spaces in the soil. Pressure lifts the slab, and it’s carefully guided into position.

Step 3: Sealing the Surface of the Concrete

When the slab is level, the concrete lifting process is complete. However, the work isn’t quite done – any excess slurry material needs to be removed, and both the drilled holes and any cracks in the surface of the slab must be properly sealed.

If this step is skipped, rainwater and melting snow can easily penetrate the slab. This can lead to soil erosion, and that can result in further concrete damage.

Do You Have a Settled Slab at Your Salt Lake City Property?

If you have a settled slab at your Salt Lake City home or business property, the situation should be addressed sooner rather than later. The longer you wait to get concrete lifting, the worse the problem will be – and you could end up needing a more extensive and more costly repair.

The highly skilled professionals at Lift-Up Concrete offer free, no-obligation consultations and estimates to property owners throughout northern Utah. To meet with a member of our experienced team and learn how you can benefit from concrete lifting at your Ogden home or business, contact our office today.

Call on a professional, and you won’t have to set aside much time for concrete lifting at your Salt Lake City home or business. Compared to a slab tear-out and replacement project, the process is significantly faster. That can take a couple of weeks, and a newly poured slab can’t be used for at least a month.

In contrast, apart from the initial consultation, the average concrete lifting project takes just an hour or two to complete. And when the job is done, there’s no need to wait a long time before using the slab. For more details on the time frame for this type of concrete repair, read on.

Consulting with a Local Concrete Lifting Contractor

Many professional concrete repair contractors that serve the Salt Lake City area – including the team at Lift-Up Concrete – offer free, no-obligation consultations and project estimates.

Consultations take place on-site, as contractors must assess the condition of the slab before suggesting a repair approach. And while concrete lifting is an affordable and effective solution for most cracked, sunken and settled slabs, it’s not the right remedy for crumbling or badly damaged concrete.

The day of your consultation, count on your professional contractor to inspect the slab in question, make a recommendation on concrete repair and provide an estimate for the project. In all, this shouldn’t take more than five or ten minutes.

What to Expect When You Schedule Concrete Lifting

When you decide to go ahead with concrete lifting, you’ll call your professional contractor of choice and arrange to have the repair completed at a convenient time.

Before the work crew arrives at your Salt Lake City home or business, you’ll need to get everything ready. Fortunately, that won’t take long – clearing the slab, making sure the area is easily accessible and confirming that the truck can park on the driveway or street nearby is all it takes to prepare for the project.

Once the concrete repair begins, the scope of the work to be done will determine the amount of time it takes. But as a general rule, experienced professionals can complete most jobs in one or two hours.

When Can the Concrete Slab Be Safely Used Again?

Anyone can safely walk on the slab as soon as the work crew is finished or even during the concrete repair, should the need arise. Doing so won’t have any effect on the project results.

However, if the slab is expected to support heavy weight – which would be the case with a driveway or parking lot, for instance – there is a waiting period. But it’s only a few hours or, at the longest, overnight. With a tear-out and replacement, the wait is much longer.

Lift-Up Concrete, a leading northern Utah concrete repair contractor, offers complimentary consultations to homeowners and businesses in the greater Salt Lake City area. To discuss your concrete lifting project with a friendly and knowledgeable professional, contact us today.

When faced with cracked or sunken slab, concrete repair contractors in Ogden, Utah, solve the problem by conquering the subsurface voids. These pockets of air in the soil can form as a result of moisture infiltration, erosion and a host of other factors, but in any case, the spaces must be eliminated. By doing that, filling the voids with a special cement slurry mixture, professional contractors are able to raise and stabilize the concrete.

The question is, how do concrete repair contractors find subsurface voids? Empty spaces under concrete obviously aren’t visible – otherwise, Ogden homeowners and business owners would likely address the issue before a slab sinks or develops cracks. So, what approach do professionals take to determine where the voids are located?

When it comes to concrete repair, ground penetrating radar (GPR) is the key player. Below, the Lift-Up Concrete team explains how the technology works.

Using Ground Penetrating Radar

Ground penetrating radar is an efficient, non-invasive method for identifying subsurface features. Commonly used in construction, engineering, archeology and various other scientific and commercial applications, GPR is also an extremely useful tool for concrete repair contractors. The advanced imaging technique captures detailed information regarding what’s under the slab, and it clearly shows the location of and dimension of any subsurface voids.

So, how does GPR work? Essentially, the technology is like an X-ray scanner that can penetrate concrete. The equipment itself is similar in size to a small lawn mower, and concrete repair experts can typically complete a GPR scan in less than an hour.

To do so, the equipment, which is similar in size to a small lawn mower, is slowly and carefully driven across the entire repair area. As it moves along, radio pulses are sent through the concrete and into the soil below. When a void or any other anomaly is detected, a signal is sent to the receiver. By sizing up the reflected signals, concrete repair contractors can determine exactly where the pockets of air under a slab are located.

Interpreting the GPR Scan Data

While ground penetrating radar produces highly accurate results, it takes expertise to understand GPR scan data. Not every signal indicates an air pocket – some point to underground pipes, utilities, storage tanks and other subsurface structures. And, the data comes in the form of a wavy line map, not as actual pictures of what lies underground. How, then, do concrete repair professionals pinpoint the position and proportion of the soil voids?

When GPR signals are sent through different materials, their conductive and dielectric properties create distortions. By analyzing these irregularities, experts can identify subsurface voids, along with rocks and items made of wood, metal and PVC.

Most professional concrete repair contractors, including Lift-Up Concrete, have the training and skill to conduct GPR scans and interpret the results. This knowledge is essential in this line of work, as the soil voids under a cracked or sunken slab must be filled to restore the integrity and stability of the concrete. However, for anyone without expertise, the variables at play can make GPR data quite difficult to understand.

Taking Steps to Abolish Soil Voids

After determining the precise location of the air pockets under a slab, concrete repair professionals take the necessary steps to fill them. As we’ve mentioned, eliminating the subsurface voids is the key to raising and stabilizing cracked, settled or sunken concrete. So how is this accomplished?

First, using a high-powered concrete drill, a few small holes – each about two inches in diameter – are bored through the surface of the affected slab. Next, professional contractors use a hydraulic pump to send a specialized slurry mixture into the soil voids. Once the air pockets have been filled, concrete repair experts use the resulting pressure to guide the slab into the proper position.

When the surface is level, the concrete is stable. At this point, the only task left is to caulk and seal the holes and cracks in order to prevent water infiltration. Some Ogden homeowners and business owners handle this themselves, but in many cases, professional contractors include this step in concrete repair estimates.

Does Filling Soil Voids Provide a Permanent Fix?

The cement slurry mixture that concrete repair contractors use to fill subsurface voids is incredibly strong, and most restored slabs remain stable for at least a decade. But as much as we’d love to say that the results last forever, that isn’t the case.

Many parts of Ogden, Utah, have poor soil conditions. Burrowing animals are a common problem, too, and other issues – like improper land grading, poorly placed gutter downspouts and tree root growth – can affect the integrity of concrete structures. And, of course, heavy rainfall, floods and serious plumbing leaks can drive a great deal of moisture into the soil. For all of these reasons, it’s likely that new air pockets will form in the future. Even so, a repeat concrete repair project won’t be necessary for quite some time.

Do you have a cracked or sunken concrete slab at your home or business property? If you’re in Ogden or the surrounding Utah area, the professional team at Lift-Up Concrete can provide you with an expert repair at a reasonable price. For a free, no-obligation concrete repair consultation and estimate, contact us today.

Are you planning on taking the do-it-yourself approach to concrete lifting? In Ogden, Utah, other homeowners have given it a go, and we have no doubt that most regret making that decision.

Sure, you could be the exception to the rule, but whether you’re dealing with a damaged driveway, settled patio or uneven walkway, you’ll likely be better off if you leave the concrete repair work to a professional contractor. Read the following, and you’ll understand why.

Concrete Lifting Isn’t the Right Solution for Every Situation

Concrete lifting, or mudjacking, is a proven, cost-effective repair method – it’s been in use since the 1930’s, and professional contractors rely on the technique because it produces exceptional results. That said, it’s not the right remedy for every cracked or settled slab.

For concrete with dormant surface cracks, applying an epoxy mortar to mend the gaps might be all that’s needed. This type of cracking doesn’t pose a threat to a slab’s stability, so concrete lifting wouldn’t really be appropriate.

In addition, mudjacking isn’t the solution for structural foundation cracks. Helical piering, which involves the use of steel posts driven into the soil, is typically a more appropriate repair method for cracking that affects a home’s structural integrity.

Furthermore, and this may go without saying, but concrete lifting can’t fix a badly crumbled slab or one that has extensive cracking. When faced with this situation, the only route to take is to plan a tear-out and replacement project.

So, while you may think that mudjacking is the way to go, only a professional contractor can tell for sure if it’s the right approach for your damaged slab.

Concrete Lifting Isn’t as Easy as It Appears in Online Videos

Any homeowner in Ogden, Utah, could opt to pick the brain of a professional contractor, as most – including the team here at Lift-Up Concrete – offer free, no-obligation consultations. And we have to say, meeting with an expert can be a good way to learn if mudjacking is the best approach.

However, knowing that concrete lifting is the right choice isn’t enough. To get the job done properly requires knowledge of Utah’s unique soil conditions as well as an understanding of how to find voids in the soil under a concrete slab. Plus, of course, there’s the whole concrete lifting process – knowing how many holes to drill, where the holes should be and how much of the mudjacking slurry to pump through is essential for the repair to be effective.

Online videos and concrete lifting how-to guides make all of this seem extremely simple. In actuality, mudjacking isn’t an easy skill to master.

Professional training and a good deal of hands-on experience are essential for a project to go as planned – and no amount of online research can put an individual on the same level. At best, taking the DIY route to concrete repair might provide a temporary fix. And any way it goes, DIY concrete lifting almost never produces first-rate results. For that, you need to rely on a professional contractor.

Concrete Lifting Requires Specialized Tools and Equipment

Mudjacking isn’t a repair that can be done with ordinary household tools. Professional contractors use special equipment, including a high-power concrete drill and a hydraulic pump, and they use a proprietary cement-based slurry to fill voids in the soil under a damaged or settled slab.

Obviously, these aren’t items the average homeowner has, and attempting concrete repair with the wrong tools can create additional damage – or, worse, the slab could be left with a weak point, one that can’t be resolved without calling in a professional.

What’s more, because Utah law requires a license to perform concrete repair work, most areas don’t have mudjacking equipment available for the general public to rent. Purchasing it is an option, but the specialized tools and slurry mixture could add up to more than $10,000 – and anyone fortunate enough to complete the repair properly might not need to use any of it ever again.

How DIY Concrete Lifting Can Cost You

Whatever the issue at your Ogden home – whether it’s a cracked sidewalk, sagging porch steps, a damaged pool deck or some other settled slab – you want an effective solution. But, you also want the concrete to look good when the work is done. To make sure you don’t end up with an eyesore on your property, you need to hire a professional contractor.

Attempt concrete lifting on your own, and people who visit your property – which might include potential buyers, if you decide to sell at some point – will probably be able to tell that you took the DIY approach. And in all likelihood, no one will be impressed.

Also, without the expertise of a professional contractor, the results of mudjacking aren’t optimal. Do the concrete lifting work yourself, and your damaged slab may very well lack the structural integrity it needs for long-term stability. As such, you might need a repeat repair sooner than you’d like.

Don’t jeopardize the integrity of your concrete by taking the do-it-yourself approach to mudjacking. In Ogden, Utah, Lift-Up Concrete offers expert concrete repair services at an affordable price – for a free, no-obligation concrete lifting consultation, contact us today.