Concrete is an extremely popular material found in buildings all over the country and the world. In fact, concrete is used more than any other manmade material in the world. Since concrete is used in so many places and so many different environments, it makes sense that problems will eventually develop, no matter how well the concrete i placed. One common problem is settled concrete, which is what happens when voids develop under the concrete due to soil washing away underneath the slab. This causes part of the slab to sink which in turn causes cracks to form. It’s important to fix settled concrete by hiring concrete services which work on filling voids in concrete. This article is an overview about how to fix the problem of settled concrete at your home.
- Determine if There is a Problem: The first step in fixing settled concrete is to determine if there is a fact a problem. The biggest sign that there is settled concrete in or around your home is when cracks begin to appear in the concrete. For example, if you have a concrete driveway that suddenly becomes uneven and forms cracks, that’s a sure sign the concrete is settling due to a void. This can also happen to concrete foundation slabs, or indeed to any concrete that is built on soil that gets washed out over time.
- Hiring a Service to Fix the Problem: Once it’s been determined that you have a problem with settled concrete, the next step is to hire a concrete crack repair service that works on filling voids in concrete. When the service arrives, they will examine the problem and likely begin by using a process called concrete raising. This is a process that used to be called mudjacking or slabjacking and has existed for almost 100 years. Concrete raising is when the concrete is drilled into and elevated so that the void underneath can be filled with a solution that will keep the slap stable and level with the surrounding area.
- Repair the Cracks: Once the concrete has been raised and made level, the final step would be to repair any cracks that have developed in the concrete. This is partially for aesthetic reasons and also because if cracks aren’t repaired, it can lead to further damage being done to the concrete slab because pieces will be slowly and surely wearing away from the top down.
In conclusion, there are some basic steps to follow when fixing settled concrete by filling voids in concrete. You need to determine if there is a problem, then hire a service that can raise and repair the concrete. Finally, you need to have any cracks repaired. These basic steps form the core of how to fix settled concrete that has developed at your home.