Why Concrete Leveling Material Weight Really Doesn’t Matter

By: Kris Winters

February 24^th, 2024

Concrete leveling, concrete lifting foam, mudjacking

Concrete leveling repairs, whether done through the well-known mudjacking method with cement, or with the recent process using lightweight polyurethane foam, have been shown to stand the test of time. So, what is all the hype over which concrete leveling method or material is better? Let’s have a look.

“The polyjacking salesman told me that unless I use foam, the mudjacking material is heavy and will cause the concrete to resettle! “

That makes sense. Wrong!

We have customers with 25-year-old concrete leveling repairs that are still in place today!

At Concrete Chiropractor, we have worked with both poly foam and mudjacking. Having nearly 25 years in the industry, our actual on-the-job experience and reports by structural engineers have shown that although concrete leveling material weight is being used as a marketing tool to sway customers, concrete leveling material weight really does not matter.

Concrete Lifting Material Weight. Fact Versus Fiction

What is The Cause of Concrete Settlement

The first and foremost factor to consider is what causes concrete settlement.

The leading cause of concrete settlement is soil disturbance during initial construction in and around a home or building. These areas include concrete pool decks, concrete patios, garage floors, sidewalks, porch tops, concrete driveways, concrete floors in homes, and warehouse floors.

The first step during construction is soil excavation. Once the structure or inground pool is built, these excavated soils are used to backfill and grade around the newly constructed project. The depth of the soil disturbance can vary, with areas closest to a basement foundation wall reaching depths of seven feet or more.

Proper soil compaction practices are often overlooked, followed by concrete being placed on the surface. As soil reconsolidates and settles, so does the concrete. While it is impossible to predict how long the soil settlement process will take, an average estimate is 5 to 10 years, depending on depth.

In this video by Concrete Chiropractor, you can see what causes sinking concrete: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_U4MhrGVdc&t=1s

Fact: Injecting lightweight concrete leveling foam under a concrete slab and onto base soil that has not yet finished settling will leave you with a settled slab with lightweight foam underneath it!

“I heard Poly Foam Only weighs 4 Pounds Per Cubic Foot, and Mudjacking grout is 150.”

While this comparison sounds significant, it does not hold weight. No pun intended!

Concrete or mudjacking grout weighs 50 pounds per cubic foot at 4” thick, while the poly foam is less than a pound. But the average soil-bearing capacity of consolidated soil is a whopping 1500 to 3000 pounds per square foot!

This means that mudjacking grout or poly foam is less than 5% of what the average soil will support per square foot.

Fact: Concrete leveling material weight differences are not a significant factor. The weight of your entire home is resting on the soil!

What DOES Matter Regarding Concrete Leveling Material?

Material Strength

Polyjacking foam is lighter than mudjacking cement grout. It only has 1/5th of the strength at 80-100 psi. The minimum mudjacking mix design is 500 psi.

Poly foam cannot achieve higher strength while mudjacking grout strength can be increased on demand up to 5000 psi, or TEN TIMES the strength of foam.

Proper Void Fill

Filling all the voids under concrete slabs provides full support and a strong foundation, preventing the concrete from bridging or resting on only pillars of material, which can eventually cause the concrete slab to crack.

Concrete Chiropractor’s mudjacking process with cement grout flows over distance, raising and supporting your concrete slab and restoring long-term stability.

Health and Environmental Safety

Mudjacking grout is a mix of sand and locally sourced earth materials mixed with Portland cement. The product is all-natural and 100% recyclable when attached to the existing concrete.

Polyfoam, chemically known as polyisocyanate, is a two-part chemical product derived from crude oil. The product is toxic, flammable, and has a history of self-combustion during installation. Concrete recycling facilities do not accept the product, so it must be removed from the concrete and brought to a landfill. This leads to a higher disposal cost to the homeowner, along with a long-term environmental impact.

This video by Concrete Chiropractor shows the concerns with poly foam flammability: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hbsplz5drIo&t=128s

Concrete Maintenance

With concrete leveling or mudjacking grout, if the soil base beneath the two products erodes from drainage issues, this can cause concrete settlement.

Maintain your gutters and downspouts. Be sure your gutters are not clogged, and downspouts are diverted far enough away from your concrete. Also, take care of any yard drainage issues.

Taking the proper steps to prevent erosion will help your concrete last a lifetime.

Your choice of Contractor

Be sure to choose a quality contractor. Check their history by checking how long they have been in business, their reviews, what type of warranty they offer, and if there has been any negative feedback when honoring their warranty.

A reputable contractor understands the importance of maintaining positive customer relations as part of their long-term business plan.

What’s Next

Now that you know why concrete leveling material weight really doesn’t matter and can’t be swayed by unsupported claims that heavier material like mudjacking grout will cause your concrete to resettle, you can visit our Learning Center.

There, you can find related concrete leveling articles such as:

 Mudjacking Vs. Poly Jacking: Which is The Better Choice

Advantages Of Mudjacking For Use In Slab Leveling

If you want to speak with our Concrete Chiropractor team about your concrete leveling needs, click the link below for an expert evaluation!

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