Mudjacking Specifically For Sidewalks

There was a time when the only thing you could do for an uneven sidewalk was to simply tear it out, and pour a new slab. This cost a great deal of time and money, and down the line, you knew that it was just going to happen again. There is a new concrete repair remedy in town though, and it’s called mudjacking. For a long time, this process was used to fix big roads and highways, but today it can easily be done with small equipment to fix sidewalks.

It’s usually pretty easy to tell whether or not you need mudjacking for a sidewalk. If a section of sidewalk has sunken into the ground, and the section hasn’t disintegrated too much, a concrete repair contractor or foundation repair contractor will drill a small hole through the slab. Subsequently, they will pump a slurry mixture into the void under the sunken concrete, raising it back to its even height and position.

The Benefits of Mudjacking

The benefits of mudjacking are many. First of all, mudjacking is extremely cost-effective, compared to the classic rip and repour method. Apart from it being easy on the wallet, it’s also simply more effective in general, and can increase the healthy lifespan of the sidewalk by many years. Considering the large liability that’s involved with uneven sidewalk slabs, mudjacking has become very popular in recent years.

Eco Friendly?

Mudjacking is considered by many to be an eco-friendly concrete repair remedy, because it’s not disruptive to the surrounding landscape. When a section of sidewalk is ripped out and repoured, the grass is usually badly damaged from the heavy equipment and the removal of the old slab. With mudjacking, there’s virtually no waiting for the concrete to cure. With a rip-and-repour, it takes about a 24 hours for the concrete slab to finally cure.

Since sidewalks are in constant demand of usage, mudjacking is the preferred method, because it’s more inconspicious and doesn’t disrupt peoples’ daily goings-on. Slurry is mixed in a truck, dumped into a hopper, and wheeled into a pump. Then it’s pumped through a hose down into the slab, so dust and debris are minimal. This is a far neater alternative than dealing with the dust that’s created using the traditional method.

Guaranteed Work

Guarantees differ from contractor to contractor, but most mudjacking contractors will provide a guarantee of their work for a year, though this is dependent on when the ground under the affected concrete slab is done settling. Some sidewalks will settle in increments for 6 to 10 years before finally settling. Nevertheless, this large time span is not typically common. If a portion of new sidewalk becomes uneven after a long winter, and a  building owner or the association wants to level it in order to avoid liability, most mudjacking contractors will take the job, but without a guarantee.

The price of a mudjacking job varies as well, but it’s usually calculated by square foot (slab being lifted). The cost is usually somewhere around $4 per-square foot of concrete slab. A four-by-four-foot section of sidewalk can cost between $50 and $80 to put back into position, but some variables may apply that can drive up the cost:  if the area to be mudjacked is difficult to access, if special care needs to be taken with surrounding vegetation, etc. Also, if a lot of slurry needs to be used, the cost can increase that way, as well. Still, it will probably still be less expensive than paying up to 50 percent more to have that same area ripped and re-poured.

Although we’re making mudjacking sound like an all-purpose, miracle remedy, the truth is, it’s not for every situation. Mudjacking is widely used to remedy many different types of leveling problems, but in areas where there’s a sinkhole present, mudjacking simply won’t work. Also, when the concrete slab has broken into pieces, mudjacking can’t do much, because the slab actually is not only not level, but cracked. In this case, a complete sidewalk renovation needs to be done.

If you’re interested in having a mudjacking procedure done, don’t hesitate to contact us and we’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have.