Concrete Leveling Warranties: Buyer Beware!

By: Kris Winters

March 4th, 2024

When it comes to concrete leveling warranties, they can actually differ quite a bit in terms of how long they last based on the concrete leveling company. This is because it reflects how confident the contractor is in their work, the materials they use, and what they expect in terms of the stability of the concrete surface.

Warranties state how long the contractor will fix issues during the warranty period at no extra cost. But will they actually do it? The truth is that some warranties are used as a deceptive sales tactic, giving a customer a false sense of security.

Let’s break it down into categories so you can make an informed decision. You can learn about the concrete leveling warranty process by examining each one individually. This will help you understand how to protect yourself in case you need to make a warranty claim for service.

·        Warranty Period

·        Concrete Leveling Material & Long-Term Durability

·        Warranty Terms & Conditions

·        Job Cost and How it Relates to Honoring Warranty

·        Contractor Providing the Warranty

Warranty Period

Here are the standard warranty periods that concrete leveling contractors claim they offer. A common misconception is that a company offering the most extended warranty must be the most reputable. As you will see, this is not true!

·        One Year

·        Two Year

·        Three Year

·        Five Year

·        10 Year

·        Lifetime

Concrete Leveling Material & Long-Term Durability

The two well-known concrete leveling methods are mudjacking and polyurethane concrete lifting foam, known as Polyjacking. Both processes involve drilling small holes 5/8” to 1” in size through the concrete slab, then injecting a concrete raising material beneath the concrete. The material fills any voids and then lifts the concrete slab back into position.

Once the concrete slab has been restored to its original height, the drill holes are patched with cement. But this is where the similarities end.

Mudjacking Material– Mudjacking material or “grout” is a mix of water, sand, portland cement, and other earth-based materials such as limestone or clay. The grout material is locally sourced, all-natural, 100% recyclable, and can achieve compressive strengths up to 50 times that of poly foam. Out Concrete Chiropractor team of experts has raised concrete since 2000 and has a history of completed jobs, which are still in place today!

You can see those jobs and listen to our initial customers speak about how long mud jacking lasts in this video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVyfV7ajAAQ&t=4s

Polyjacking– Polyjacking, or poly leveling, is a petroleum-based, chemically man-made product derived from crude oil. Part A and B and expansion occur when the two products are mixed, rai concrete. Occupational and environmental risks are associated with the product’s use, with the main two concerns being flammability and toxicity.

The product can only achieve 100 psi. Compressive strength compared to the 100 to 5000 psi. is obtainable with the mudjacking process.

Both concrete leveling methods have been used to successfully raise concrete, with mudjacking being the oldest, dating back to the 1930’s. While a salesperson motivated to close a sale will lead you to believe that polyurethane foam will prevent settlement, this is far from the truth. Loosely placed soils cause settlement and can continue for an average of ten years.

The fact is neither concrete raising product can prevent base soil settlement and will also settle if placed on loose soil. You can see more about concrete leveling material strength in this Concrete Chiropractor video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZApCT2qJ38

Warranty Terms & Conditions

Terms written in your concrete leveling agreement spell out what the contractor will cover, for what amount of time, and what you must do as a homeowner for the contractor to honor your warranty. We urge customers not to rely on a well-rehearsed sale pitch and false promises but to READ THE FINE PRINT!

Unreputable contractors will bury terms in small print, making it difficult or impossible for you to get them to honor their warranty. Such as the following:

Labor and Material– The contractor will limit their warranty to “labor and material.” If your concrete resettles, they will drill holes through your concrete in an act to determine the cause of settlement. You will then be shown that the concrete raising material is still under the concrete and has not failed, shifting the blame for failure to other causes.

Lack of Maintenance on Your Part– A salesperson will initially upsell services to seal joints and cracks in your concrete to prevent washout. Most cracks and joints may not collect enough water to cause damage. However, if you don’t keep them properly sealed, they can use this as a reason to void your warranty. Make sure to maintain them sealed as they were when installed.

Job Cost and How it Relates to Honoring Warranty

Experienced concrete leveling contractors consider many factors when giving a quote for their services, focusing on quality and customer satisfaction. Running a successful business involves factoring in labor, equipment, management, advertising, insurance, and honoring customer warranties in every job cost. Doing business with this long-term conscientiousness allows a concrete leveling contractor to honor settled concrete slabs under warranty and be there for their customers year after year.

Contractor Providing the Warranty

The first step in avoiding a warranty issue is a professional evaluation from a well-established concrete leveling contractor who can evaluate the cause of your concrete failure.

Truthfully, the focus on a concrete leveling warranty should shift from the amount of time promised to the contractor’s reputation and history. Any warranty is only as good as the contractor provides it.

For example, you are better off with a one-year warranty and a contractor that will return to address any issue you have without a hassle versus a contractor that offers a lifetime warranty that will not answer your calls.

At Concrete Chiropractor, we have raised concrete for nearly two and a half decades. We maintain an excellent reputation and reviews and pride ourselves on maintaining good customer service and a positive reputation. We offer a no-nonsense warranty for our work and deliver on our promises. We do not provide a warranty to sell you, then look for a reason to void it.

You can read these articles related to concrete settlement and leveling or visit our Learning Center to see more.

 Finding Reliable Concrete Jacking Services : A Step by Step Guide

What Causes Concrete Settlement: And How You Can Fix It

If you are looking for a professional evaluation for your concrete leveling repair, click here to contact a Concrete Chiropractor team expert to receive your free evaluation today.