The Downside of Mudjacking

For a long time, if your driveway or sidewalk started sinking, you were...well, you were out of luck. You could get the affected slabs torn out and repoured, or you could live with bumpy, unsafe concrete.

Then came mudjacking. Construction science and technology progressed enough to create a process to inject a slurry of mud and concrete under the sinking slabs, lifting then back to their original position. 

The problem is, it doesn’t work.

Well, it works, but only temporarily. See, the biggest reason concrete slabs sink is soil washout - when soil washes away, the slab is left unsupported and gravity takes over, causing it to sink. Mudjacking involves injecting a mixture of concrete and mud under the slab. Mud is just wet soil, which will dry as it cures and be left at risk to wash out again. Mudjacking isn’t a solution, it’s just a reset that will eventually fail again in the same exact way.

But the good thing about science and technology is that that constantly improve and adapt. Mudjacking was a first step but wasn’t a great solution, so people like the engineers at Supportworks took it further and created PolyLevel.

PolyLevel is a two part polymer that is injected under a sinking slab to lift, level, and stabilize it. PolyLevel also expands to fill the void that caused the sinking in the first place. The best part? It’s waterproof so it resists erosion and washout from water.

When comparing mudjacking and PolyLevel, the initial process is similar - they are both injected under the slab - but that’s where the comparison ends. The PolyLevel injection holes are smaller and less intrusive, for one. Second, PolyLevel generally cures in about an hour, depending on the size of the fill, instead of the few days mudjacking takes. Finally, once PolyLevel is injected, you’re done. It won’t wash away, and you won’t have to deal with the problem again in a year, or five years, or ten.

Mudjacking was, at one point, the best solution to the problem of sinking slabs. But time marches on, and it’s revealed the downside of the mudjacking process - namely that you won’t fix it once and be done, but you’ll keep fixing it. Time and research have given us PolyLevel, which guarantees that your first fix will be your final fix. Call us today to schedule your free concrete inspection and take care of the problem for good.