Valley Concrete Restoration Q&A
Tearing out and replacing a concrete driveway, sidewalk or patio is a huge undertaking. The old concrete must be jackhammered into manageable pieces and hauled away. Then, new concrete must be poured and left to harden and cure – a process that can take several weeks, during which you’ll have to park on the street and avoid the area. It’s noisy, messy and incredibly disruptive. On the other hand, concrete repair and resurfacing is a quick, easy process that requires minimal disruption, yet offers the same look and functionality of total concrete replacement. Unlike brand new concrete, it can be ready for use the very next day.
Yes! Concrete leveling with PolyLevel is not only less expensive than full concrete replacement, it’s also a much quicker repair process and far less disruptive to the surrounding grass and landscaping. There’s almost no wait time for the concrete to cure before you can walk or drive on it, and unlike concrete replacement, PolyLevel actually fills voids and compacts underlying soil, which stabilizes your concrete for years to come.
Driveways, walkways and sidewalks are exposed to a lot of wear and tear. When the soil supporting it becomes weak or a void is formed, concrete slabs can crack and sink. There are many things that can create a void beneath a concrete slab, such as erosion from rainwater or gutter runoff, or a tree root that has rotted over time. Clogged gutters, downspouts that are not installed correctly, and poor yard drainage can make erosion worse. Dirt fill underneath the slab that has not been well compacted can also create voids beneath concrete.
PolyLevel polyurethane foam is pumped beneath concrete slabs through tiny ports about the size of a penny. Initially, PolyLevel flows like water, filling even the smallest cracks and crevices in the soil. It quickly expands and hardens, lifting the concrete slabs above it and compressing the soil around it at the same time. PolyLevel cures quickly, allowing your concrete to be used normally just 15 minutes after installation!
At Valley Concrete Restoration, we use PolyLevel polyurethane foam to lift and level concrete. PolyLevel is a lightweight, strong high-density polyurethane foam that lifts and supports concrete slabs without adding weight to the soil beneath. It’s waterproof, so it won’t wash out or dry out like traditional mudjacking material. It’s environmentally friendly, too, with no environmentally harmful chemical leaching. Concrete leveling with PolyLevel expanding foam not only raises concrete slabs, but also compacts the soil around it, creating a stable environment that will ensure that your driveway, patio or pool deck remains level into the foreseeable future.
Almost any concrete slab that sits on top of soil can be lifted and leveled with PolyLevel. This includes traditional areas – concrete driveways, sidewalks, patios – as well as other concrete areas around your home or office, such as your pool deck!
Most concrete leveling and repair projects take our crew a single day to complete, and Polylevel cures quickly, allowing your concrete to be used normally the same day. Alternate solutions like mudjacking or concrete replacement often require more time and disruption, as well as longer cure times, which could mean parking on the street or avoiding your sidewalk.
PolyLevel is a lightweight, strong high-density polyurethane foam, developed by our sister company Supportworks and only available to an exclusive network of foundation and concrete repair contractors. A more recent technology than mudjacking, PolyLevel utilizes polyurethane foam rather than a mud-cement-slurry mixture to lift and level uneven concrete driveways. Mudjacking requires a messy, disruptive installation process and larger port size than PolyLevel polyurethane foam. Additionally, mudjacking doesn’t address the underlying issue (stability) as well as PolyLevel does. Concrete driveways sink and crack due to the soil below expanding, contracting, washing out and leaving voids into which heavy concrete slabs sink. Mudjacking material is heavy, adding more weight on top of the already unstable soil, and is susceptible to the same issues of wash out and void creation. PolyLevel is waterproof, so it won’t wash away or degrade over time. During installation, the expanding foam not only raises concrete driveway slabs, but also compacts the soil around it, adding stability to help prevent future sinking and settling.
When we install NexusPro, we prepare and clean the concrete joints, insert the product and then finish it off with native sand to give the whole surface a clean, finished look!
After lifting and leveling your concrete patio with PolyLevel, our crews fill and seal any cracks as well as control joints. This prevents water infiltration, which in turn helps prevent the soil below from softening and eroding over time. We use a high quality, silicone-based sealant called NexusPro. It’s specially engineered to stand up to harsh weather conditions, and unlike traditional urethane sealants, it is UV-resistant to prevent drying, cracking, bubbling or yellowing.
After lifting and leveling your concrete pool deck with PolyLevel, our crews fill and seal all cracks and control joints. This prevents water infiltration, which in turn helps prevent the soil below from softening and eroding over time. This is especially important for pool decks as they are exposed to extra moisture and wear and tear. We use a high quality, silicone-based sealant called NexusPro. It’s specially engineered to stand up to harsh weather conditions, and unlike traditional urethane sealants, it is UV-resistant to prevent drying, cracking, bubbling or yellowing.
Cracked and uneven concrete that remains unrepaired will only get worse over time. In the short term, sunken or heaved concrete slabs present tripping hazards that you may be liable for as a homeowner. In the long term, without repair and proper sealing, the concrete will continue to crack and crumble, eventually requiring replacement. Properly maintaining your concrete by repairing and sealing cracks will extend the life of your concrete for years to come.
Concrete expansion joints are necessary to allow the concrete slabs that make up your driveway to shift and move inward over time. This prevents cracking, buckling and heaving to prolong the life of your driveway.
In many cases, yes. We can lift and level almost any concrete slab, regardless of surface texture.
We use NexusPro silicone-based sealant to seal control joints, often after lifting and leveling the concrete with PolyLevel. Unlike traditional polyurethane sealants, NexusPro resists UV rays, which means it won’t crack, bubble or dry. Plus, the drying time is a fraction of that needed for other urethane-based caulking products, and it’s been proven to last more than twice as long.
At Valley Concrete Restoration, we use SealantPro for concrete sealing projects. It permanently protects concrete with just one application, extending its life by 3-5 times. It’s stain-resistant and UV-resistant, so it won’t discolor over time.
If your concrete is in need of lifting, leveling or crack repair, we complete these repairs first. Then we apply SealantPro, which permanently bonds with the concrete and protects it from moisture, chemical elements and seasonal changes. It dries and cures quickly, allowing for regular use of your concrete driveway, sidewalk or patio within hours.
Almost any concrete surface can be sealed, and any concrete that is exposed to wear and tear and natural elements will benefit from concrete sealing. Concrete sealing protects concrete surfaces from moisture, chemical elements and seasonal changes, which helps to prevent pitting, flaking and cracking.
Most concrete sealing projects take our crew a single day to complete, and SealantPro dries and cures quickly, allowing your concrete to be used normally within hours.
Yes! Valley Concrete Restoration offers financing through Finance of America Home Improvement! (Formerly Renovate America)