Why Mudjacking, Not poly foam still remains the best option for concrete raising

We all know the history of cement grouts date back to the romans. Concrete is the second product used worldwide after water by volume. It is a trusted , time proven product.

Poly foam ( poly isocyanates), have been recently added to the concrete raising and concrete leveling market. These products have a history of flammability and toxicity. Our lab tested cement grouts which are used in the process know as mudjacking are 5 to 10 times the compressive strengths of poly foam. It is recommended to ask for the (2), part A & B, Material Safety Data Sheets for the poly leveling product so you can make an informed decision prior to deciding to install any product into the soils around your home.

We recently created a video returning to customers from 2000 that have shown our jobs to withstand the test of time. For this reasons among many others, Concrete Chiropractor has chosen to not add poly foam to it’s concrete raising process. We continue to provide great quality, service and price along with a natural, earth based material.

While poly foam installers push their product and make the following claims, our opinion based on over 40 years of masonry experience are as follows: Is it true that Poly foam or poly leveling foam is lightweight and does not add weight causing the soils to settle.

Does mudjacking add weight causing further settlement ?

The cause of settlement is mostly due to concrete being placed on newly disturbed soils around the home or building. This soil can settle for a period of 10 or more years, regardless of whether concrete, poly foam, or mudjacking grout is resting on the soil. This is easily proven by noticing how the back filled soils around the outside of a home will settle and reverse pitch when absolutely nothing is resting on them. If the base soils are still moving, so will the concrete and poly foam it is resting on.

Do Poly foams expand, compressing loose soils, stabilizing the base to prevent future settlement ?

Backfill around homes, especially with basements have fill that can be 6′ feet or deeper. Proper compaction practices call for backfilled soils to be mechanically/machine compacted in one foot lifts. It is logically impossible for poly foam or mudjacking to correct this within the top few inches of soil layer.

Is it true poly foam does not wash away?

Neither does the concrete slab or a cement grout used to raise it. But the soil base under them sure does!

If your settlement is being caused by soil wash out, you have a serious drainage issue that must be corrected before considering ANY concrete repair! We have seen some in the poly foam industry taking “mud”, not cement grouts and showing they wash out on video. That would be the similar to mixing a concrete slab of just sand and stone without portland cement. Followed by pouring a sidewalk slab, then washing it away with a fire hose and say “you see!, it fails! ” Portland cement is the binder. But they will not show a cement mix for obvious reasons and we realize our customers can’t be fooled. We use a portland cement based grout and can provide compressive strength, lab tested data, in writing !

Is Poly foam environmentally friendly ?

Poly is a material that is used to manufacture plastics such as bottles, straws, bags and other products you hear about the elimination of in the news for environmental reasons. Plastics have wound up in our landfills and oceans and have had negative environmental effects. The poly foam industry has been using recycled foams, i.e. couch cushions, etc. in the manufacture of their product, then using the recycle factor for marketing purposes to show it is environmentally friendly.. But how does this breakdown over time?

Cement based grout is accepted at concrete recycling facilities where it is crushed, machine compacted and re used as a base for new construction. While poly isocyanate foams can be recycled, they must be recycled like other petroleum based products at a much higher cost. In closing, eventually most concrete will need replacement. As we move to a greener. more environmentally conscious society, we are concerned about the planet we leave for future generations. Our customer testimonial videos show our product is time proven. We do not logically believe their is true room for improvement using a different product. The true value is in you’re contractor’s knowledge and reputation!

Concrete Chiropractor “The Experts to be Trusted, when you need your concrete adjusted!” ™