Lifting sunken concrete, often referred to as concrete leveling or slab jacking, is typically done by injecting a material underneath the slab to raise it back into place. One common method involves using expanding foam.
Here's how concrete can be lifted using this technique, based on the provided information:
Lifting Concrete Using Expanding Foam
This process involves carefully injecting a specialized material beneath the concrete slab to fill voids and gently lift the surface to its desired level.
The steps generally followed for lifting concrete with expanding foam are:
- Drill Small Holes: Small holes, approximately the size of a penny, are drilled through the concrete slab in strategic locations.
- Install Injection Ports: Injection ports are placed into the drilled holes. These ports serve as entry points for the lifting material.
- Prepare Lifting Material: A two-part, closed-cell foam material is mixed according to the manufacturer's instructions.
- Inject Foam: The prepared foam is injected through the ports and under the concrete slab.
- Foam Expands and Lifts: As the foam expands beneath the surface, it fills any voids and applies upward pressure, gently lifting the concrete slab. The foam expands and cures quickly, often within about 15 minutes, holding the concrete in its new position.
- Remove Ports: Once the lifting and curing are complete, the injection ports are removed from the holes.
- Fill and Smooth Holes: The small drilled holes are then filled and smoothed to match the surrounding concrete surface, leaving the lifted slab looking restored.
This foam injection method is a common technique used for correcting uneven concrete slabs caused by soil settlement or erosion. It offers a relatively fast and minimally invasive solution compared to completely replacing the concrete.
