Stabilizing Concrete in Grand Haven, MI

Saturday, September 26th, 2020 by Amanda Waldmann

Challenge

Sinking concrete is a headache any time of the year, but in the winter the snow causes an extra level of problems - first, you can’t see when something first goes wrong, and second, it’s easier to damage property or injure yourself when you can’t see what’s gone wrong. This was the case for our customer, a Grand Haven property manager who called with issues in his rental property.

Multiple slabs in the home’s driveway and sidewalk were sinking, and both the front and back porch had sunk as well. Not only was this a safety issue for the current residents, it was an eyesore that could affect future rental prospects and the value of his property.

Solution

Luckily, all of the affected areas were freestanding concrete slabs and could be raised and stabilized with PolyLevel. (Slabs that support a structure - like a porch with columns supporting a roof - require piering for stabilization). PolyLevel is a waterproof, minimally invasive two part polymer that is injected below a slab and expands to fill voids. As a result it lifts and stabilizes a sinking slab. It cures quickly - generally less than an hour, depending on the size of the void - and can be weight bearing within the day of injection.

We injected PolyLevel under the affected slabs of the driveway and sidewalk first - these areas are known for collecting water and snow in the winter and freezing it into dangerous ice slicks. After this, we raised the front and back porches to close gaps between the porches and house. We also sealed the joints between sunken stairs with NexusPro joint sealer, which prevents water from getting under the slabs and washing out soil to create another void and sinking situation.

There are many things to keep in mind with concrete: the safety of your family, customers, or tenants; the convenience of maintaining your property without trouble from uneven slabs; and the value and curb appeal of the property in the future. PolyLevel, with its minimally invasive installation and quick cure time, is an easy, economical solution for your concrete troubles all year round.

In this close-up, you can see the gap between the step and the front stoop of the home. When soil washes out below a slab, like the step, it will sink and create gaps like this.

After injecting PolyLevel in the sidewalk slab (you can see the white dust and tiny hole in the bottom-middle of the photo), the slab and step were raised. We then sealed the joint with NexusPro sealant to prevent water from getting between the slabs and washing out remaining soil.

Multiple slabs are often affected by a soil washout. Here, the right side of the sidewalk has sunk, causing everything to tilt downward to the yard. The sidewalk was freezing over in a dangerous ice slick throughout the winter due to water gathering at the low point.