Concrete Repair & Leveling in Flint, MI

Concrete repair and leveling can bring back a sunken sidewalk, tipped patio or settled driveway panel for a fraction of the cost of replacement, as long as the concrete itself is still sound. In Flint, where so much concrete is decades old, we see both kinds of slabs every week: ones that just need lifting or a new surface, and ones that are too far gone. We tell you which is which and price accordingly.

Leveling: mudjacking and foam

When a slab sinks because the soil under it washed out or compacted, leveling fills the void and lifts the slab back into place. Small holes are drilled through the concrete and material is pumped underneath.

• Mudjacking uses a cement-based slurry. HomeGuide's leveling guide puts it at $4 to $9 per square foot and says it typically lasts 5 to 7 years with good drainage.
• Polyjacking (foam) uses expanding polyurethane, which is lighter and needs smaller holes. HomeGuide lists it at $8 to $25 per square foot and says it tends to last longest.

Leveling works best on slabs that are in one or two pieces. It is a good fit for a sidewalk square that became a trip hazard, a patio tipping toward the house or a driveway panel that dropped at the garage door.

Resurfacing and crack repair

Flaking and pitting from freeze-thaw and salt, known as scaling, is the most common surface problem in Flint. If the slab underneath is solid, a resurfacing overlay gives it a new wearing surface. HomeGuide's resurfacing guide says overlays typically last 8 to 15 years and should not be used for cracks wider than a quarter inch, crumbling, spalling or structural problems, or where the overlay would need to be thicker than 2 inches.

Cracks can be routed and sealed to keep water out of the base, which slows further damage. Sealing cracks before winter is one of the cheapest ways to extend the life of a driveway.

When replacement is the better call

• Cracks wider than a quarter inch, or cracks with one side higher than the other
• Slabs broken into many pieces
• Deep scaling across most of the surface
• Settlement caused by an ongoing drainage problem that leveling will not fix
• Concrete crumbling at the edges or around joints

In those cases we can replace just the failed sections, such as a few sidewalk squares or a single driveway panel, rather than the whole slab, as long as the rest is sound.

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Fixing the cause

A lifted slab will sink again if water keeps washing out the soil under it. Common culprits on Flint lots are downspouts that empty onto or beside the slab, gaps along the foundation that let water in, and low spots that hold water. We look for the cause and recommend simple fixes like downspout extensions and sealing the joint along the house.

Public sidewalk repairs

If the sunken or broken square is the public sidewalk, any replacement goes through Flint's Street Maintenance Division for a permit and final inspection. Remember that under Section 42-47 of the city code, the city can repair unsafe walks and approaches and charge the owner or occupant, so it is worth fixing a flagged square on your own terms.