Mudjacking, also referred to as concrete raising, concrete lifting, or slabjacking, is a cost-effective alternative to removing and replacing your sunken and uneven concrete. Unfortunately, homeowners are mostly unaware of how mudjacking works and why it's an effective option to repair concrete. Let's go into the "classroom" and learn a little about mudjacking.
The process came about in the late 1920's to early 1930's as a way to repair sunken concrete on highways and fill voids underneath slabs of concrete. You can find pictures of the process in Iowa, Wisconsin, and California. It has become widely used across the US today as a cost-effective repair for sunken and uneven concrete.
When your concrete settles causing a hazard, or the sub grade of your driveway erodes causing voids or cracks, you don't have to remove the sunken or voided concrete slabs and replace them; you can have them mudjacked.
The process requires just a few steps and some special equipment including a small mudjack pump designed to precisely pump the grout or slurry in a controlled manner. The process also requires grout and some small hand tools. Most contractors typically use a small dump truck or truck-and-trailer combo to complete their jobs. There's a larger, more self-contained truck on the market designed to mix and pump simultaneously. Due to the higher cost of this truck, most mudjackers use the truck-and-trailer method.
Here's how it works:
The main lesson for homeowners is this: when you have a sunken sidewalk or a an uneven driveway, consider the process of mudjacking as a cost-effective concrete repair.