Frequently Asked Questions About Polyurethane Concrete Lifting & Levelling

• What is your minimum charge?
• What is concrete lifting?
• How does foam jacking and concrete lifting work?
• How long does the typical foam jacking job take?
• How big are your injection holes and how many will there be?
• What kind of material do you use?
• What is the weight capacity of your foam?
• Will you be parking any equipment on my property?
• What do you patch the injection holes with?
• Can all concrete slabs be lifted?
• Do you provide crack sealing services?
• Mudjacking Vs Foam Jacking
• Is there a warranty?
• How long will my concrete lifting job last?

What is your minimum charge to show up for a job?

Our minimum charge for any concrete lifting and levelling, void filling and stabilization as well as underslab insulating project is $1000 plus GST, covering all costs such as travel, material, employee wages, equipment maintenance, and repairs. If this amount doesn’t fit your budget, please reconsider requesting an estimate. Feel free to contact us to discuss other factors that our family can find some compassion for and we will work something out. Travel surcharges may apply for locations outside of The City of Winnipeg limits.

What is concrete lifting?

Polyurethane concrete lifting is a highly cost-effective solution that provides an excellent alternative to replacing concrete. In most cases, concrete lifting can be completed for less than half the cost of pouring new concrete. However, the savings can be even greater since the costs associated with demolition, removal, and landscaping are eliminated during the lifting process.

Polyurethane concrete raising achieves the same results as traditional mudjacking, but with a lightweight material that requires smaller and fewer injection holes. This process, also known as slab-jacking, foam jacking, foam lifting or poly lifting, is the latest and most innovative concrete repair method available. Its lightweight and versatile properties make it ideal for lifting and levelling concrete slabs and floors, including driveways, sidewalks, patios, basements and more.

With polyurethane concrete lifting, you can avoid costly and time-consuming replacements and enjoy a smooth and level surface in no time. Its cost-effectiveness and efficiency make it a popular choice for both residential and commercial applications. So, if you’re looking for a reliable and affordable solution to your concrete repair needs, polyurethane concrete lifting is the way to go.

What is Your Process?

On the day of your job, injection holes are strategically drilled into the concrete slab that requires lifting. Our equipment is contained in a trailer, and has a sufficient length of hose to accommodate the project’s location. Our equipment remains parked, while our crew pulls out enough hose to reach the concrete that is to be repaired.

Polyurethane foam engineered specifically for concrete lifting is then injected as a two-part liquid beneath the slab, infiltrating all air spaces to fill voids, and raising it to the correct level upon expansion.

The concrete lifting foam has an average reaction time of 12 seconds. Within those 12 seconds, the foam travels in about a 6-foot diameter beneath your concrete, throughout the voids and then expands in a slow and controlled fashion.

Our lifting technician will “bunny hop” from hole to hole in order to lift your concrete slab to avoid breaking it. With use of our specialty equipment, this is extremely rare.

How long will it take to get my work done?

After an estimate is requested, we will have our seasoned estimator look at your project and provide you a proposal to complete your concrete repair work. Provided the area is accessible to our estimator, it is not  necessary to be present at the time of the estimate. The average estimate time is under 30 minutes.  A proposal will be emailed to you, where you can then access an online customer portal link. This link will allow you review and accept your estimate online. An acceptance of the proposal will result in a scheduling  of the work at your earliest convenience.  Most residential jobs involving driveways, garage floors, patios and sidewalks are completed in only a few hours. Slabs can be used 15 minutes upon job completion.

How many holes are necessary and what size will they be?

Polyurethane concrete lifting is a superior option compared to mudjacking for several reasons, one of which is its ability to require fewer and smaller injection holes. Typically, polyurethane injection holes are only 5/8″ in diameter, which creates a more aesthetically pleasing appearance compared to the much larger 1 5/8″ diameter holes required for mudjacking. So, if you’re looking for a concrete lifting solution that can provide effective results while also maintaining the visual appeal of your property, foamjacking is the way to go.

What kind of material do you use to raise concrete?

Polyurethane concrete lifting involves injecting a liquid material that sets up as a rigid foam. Unlike other materials, this foam will never lose density or shrink over time, ensuring long-lasting results. Furthermore, it is significantly lighter than traditional mud-jacking material, which reduces the stress on unstable soils beneath your concrete. These unstable soils are often the root cause of concrete settlement in the first place.

Our polyurethane foam is specifically designed to infiltrate the air spaces within the underlying soils and aggregates beneath your concrete. By binding these materials together, the foam creates a stable surface to lift against. This unique approach provides a precise and reliable lift, without the need for extensive excavation or replacement.

Additionally, our polyurethane foam is non-erodible and non-decomposable, thanks to its hydrophobic properties. This ensures that the foam will not break down or wash away over time, providing a long-lasting solution to your concrete lifting needs.

What is the weight capacity of your foam?

Our concrete raising and stabilizing foam boasts impressive compressive strength, measuring at 100 psi at 1 inch by 1ft square. In its free-rise state, this translates to a remarkable 14,000-20,000 pounds per square foot. Under the added pressure of weight, the foam can accommodate over 25,000 lbs per square foot.

Furthermore, each additional inch of foam applied adds to the pressure capacity per square foot, making it a versatile and adaptive solution to your concrete lifting and stabilizing needs. With this level of strength and adaptability, our foam provides a reliable and long-lasting solution for concrete lifting and stabilization, even in challenging environments.

Will there be heavy trucks or trailers on my property?

If you are choosing polyurethane to raise, level and stabilize your concrete slab, a small truck and an enclosed trailer like the one depicted in the photo below, will arrive and will usually be parked on the street adjacent to the location of your project. We can reach up to 350 feet with our hose, that is similar in size to a residential vacuum hose. We are much less messy than mud-jacking. We are less invasive and more convenient than concrete replacement. After completion of most jobs, if we don’t need any mechanical jacks for assistance during a lift, we will leave your beautiful landscaping in tact and untouched!

How do you patch the injection holes?

We use a fibre reinforced cement patching mortar that will best match your concrete surface. A multitude of dye colours is available to us. In most cases, the patching material is harder and more durable than the concrete slab itself. There is a benefit to using polyurethane over raising with mud with regards to patching our penny-sized injection holes. When mud-jacking, a foam plug is inserted into the hole, and the hole is patched over with cement. Mud-jacking contractors usually recommend you to allow the patch material to set-up before use of the slab-typically a couple of hours. You can immediately walk or drive on our patches. The foam plugs used in mud-jacking help patch the holes, and they act as a shock absorber when slabs are affected by the frost cycle. Holes that are not patched with foam can pop out when the material and earth under the slab expand from freezing. There is a significant possibility of the plugs popping out and having to be re-done. With our system, there is no possibility of this occurrence as our product maintains its shape and density until you are ready to dispose of it.

Can all concrete slabs be lifted?

Occasionally, our attempts to lift a concrete slab are not possible, due to unforeseen circumstances such as: insufficient re-bar reinforcement, the age weakening aspects of concrete, etc. Only after the first injection holes are drilled and the first injection of foam is made, can we fully determine if the concrete slab is liftable. Our lifting team will communicate with you this difficulty and we will halt the lifting process and provide you with a replacement alternative. We can provide you with a timely estimate for replacement if need be.

Another circumstance when concrete is unliftable is when we come across pre-cast steps, or hollow cast steps. Unfortunately if your staircase is actually pre cast that means it was made in a facility and then was mechanically installed and tied into your foundation. What you’ll need to look for is a Barkman Step Installer in your area to see if they can either mechanically reinstall the step, as it might be sitting on a pile and/or is still tied into the house which means it is unliftable. If it is sitting on a pile, this would mean either the pile and step have broken off where they were attached, or the pile could be sinking and pulling the step down with it. These steps are very heavy and fairly expensive so if you have an aggravated or settling sub base (which is what normally happens in Manitoba’s weather conditions) there is always a possibility of it sinking again in the future. Unfortunately any type of concrete lifting product such as foam or even a mud or tindlestone mixture would not be able to fix the problem, as it is not a slab-on-grade, poured in form concrete step.

Do you also provide crack-sealing services?

We have various methods available to us to seal cracks, using walk behind saws, foam-backer rods and self-levelling, UV-stable polyurethane joint caulking compounds. These services and any of their additional costs and descriptions are included in your proposal. Again, there are several colours available depending on the colour of your concrete.

It is not a good idea to use a hard concrete patching material for larger cracks, as in Manitoba we unfortunately suffer from the heaving and thaw cycle. In turn, the concrete patching will start to crack once this movement begins and it is inevitable. We consider these cracks to be joints that need a little bit of give to prepare for this unfortunate cycle, which is why it is always recommended to use something more flexible, such as foam backer rod and UV-stable polyurethane joint caulking compounds to stop water infiltration in order to properly prevent future settlement, and prevent the repair from deteriorating and cracking.

What is the difference between foam jacking and mudjacking?

Mud-jacking uses a sand-based, limestone or tindle stone material that is infused with portland cement. This slurry is hydraulically pumped into 1 5/8 inch holes, every 16 inches to reach under the slab to fill voids and raise the concrete. Mud-jacking material weighs on average 100 lbs per cubic foot. Mud is injected into the ground wet, and considering some of the fundamental states of matter (Solid, Liquid & Gas). Most homeowners also assume that portland cement keeps its form which is why you would think that even when the liquid mixture evaporates, it would keep its form no matter what, when in reality, portland cement actually shrinks when it dries. Given these circumstances, your concrete always has the chance to settle again once the liquid has evaporated, as the mixture will shrink no matter what, recreating voids in the process and leaving you with unsupported, settled and/or broken concrete which will need to be re-lifted or demolished and replaced in the future.

Polyurethane Foam Concrete Lifting, Foam Jacking or Slab Jacking uses 2-part liquid-to-foam systems that are injected beneath the slab using injection ports installed into 5/8 of an inch injection holes, for every 3-5 feet of the affected concrete that needs to be raised, and even fewer injection points when filling voids due to these foams slower reaction times. When the components of this material are mixed, a reaction causes the material to expand within about 12-15 seconds from the point of injection. This expanded foam fills all voids to achieve resistance, then strategically placed and timed injections raise concrete where needed. This material will never lose density. After it’s installed, it’s permanent and weighs about 2-4 lbs. per cubic foot depending on which type of foam system is required. It will never deteriorate, loose its form, or shrink as long as you maintain the grade around your concrete to ensure the foam is not exposed to the UV rays. The foam hits every part under a slab, creating a perfect cushion for the concrete to rest on and no more room for water infiltration which actually helps alleviate that heave-thaw cycle that we encounter.

Polyurethane will put a lot less stress on the sub-grade soil under the concrete because of its lighter weight, ending up in an overall better application than mud-jacking. Polyurethane material is more expensive than mud-jacking material due to its superior form and higher equipment costs, but because of the small hole size, lighter material weight, fewer injection holes due to a much larger radius covered within one injection, the hydrophobic properties and the fact that it will not wash away, shrink or sag over time, the cost is 100% worth it. As the saying goes, “you get what you pay for.”

Is there a warranty?

We are so confident in our lifting process and product that we offer a 10-year, non-transferable, limited-warranty. If your concrete slab were to settle 1/2 of an inch within this duration, we would come back and re-pump, using as many of the initial injection points as possible. To date, we have had less than 1% of our customers requiring a re-pump.

How long will my concrete lifting, levelling and/or stabilization last?

Since the only thing that can break down the polyurethane concrete raising materials we use are the ultraviolet rays of the sun, it will essentially outlive the life of your concrete as long as it stays covered; which is perfect under your concrete. As long as you maintain the grade, landscaping stones, bricks, etc. surrounding the edges of your concrete and ensure that all improper drainage (downspouts properly placed and extended so that water drains down and away from the areas surrounding your concrete) has been remediated post-lift, level and/or stabilization, the foam will keep its density and shape until you want to dispose of it.

What Can Be Lifted, Levelled, Void Filled and/or Stabilized?

Some of Our Completed Projects

Slab-Jack Kings Reviews

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