Concrete Leveling & Repair in Lenexa, KS

Concrete leveling and repair can save a slab that has sunk, tipped or worn on top but is still in one piece. On Lenexa’s clay, panels drop when the soil beneath them shrinks or washes out, and the Kansas Geological Survey ties that seasonal heave and shrink to cracked driveways and sidewalks across Kansas. Lifting or resurfacing costs much less than replacement, and the work is usually done in a few hours. The catch is that it only works on concrete that is structurally sound, so we tell you honestly which kind of slab you have.

Mudjacking versus foam lifting

Both methods raise a sunken slab by filling the empty space under it.

Mudjacking pumps a cement-based slurry through holes drilled in the slab until the panel rises back into place. HomeGuide’s leveling guide lists it at $4 to $9 per square foot, and says it typically lasts 5 to 7 years with good drainage.

Polyjacking (foam lifting) injects expanding polyurethane foam through smaller holes. It weighs less, cures faster and often lasts longest, according to HomeGuide, but costs more, at $8 to $25 per square foot.

HomeGuide also notes that most contractors have a minimum job charge of $300 to $700 or more, so several small lifts are usually done in one visit.

When leveling is the right call

• One or two panels have dropped but are not broken into pieces
• A walk panel has created a trip edge at a joint
• A patio or stoop has tipped toward the house
• The garage apron has dropped below the floor and holds water
• Steps have settled as a unit without cracking apart

When it is not

HomeGuide’s guide says replacement is the better choice when cracks are wider than a quarter inch, when the surface has spalled badly, or when the slab is severely deteriorated. A slab broken into many pieces will not lift as one panel, and a lifted slab will sink again if the water that undermined it keeps flowing. That is why we always check downspouts, grading and gutters before lifting anything.

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Resurfacing worn concrete

When the slab is level and solid but the top has flaked, pitted or discolored, a resurfacing layer can renew it. HomeGuide’s resurfacing guide lists basic driveway resurfacing at $3 to $5 per square foot and patio or walkway overlays at $3 to $7, and says resurfacing typically lasts 8 to 15 years. It is not a fix for a slab that is sinking or cracked through; HomeGuide notes that cracks wider than a quarter inch usually signal deeper problems that a new top layer will not solve.

Crack repair

Narrow cracks let water reach the soil under the slab, and in winter that water freezes and widens them. Cleaning and sealing them early keeps water out. HomeGuide lists crack filling at $0.50 to $3 per linear foot. We use flexible sealant on cracks that move with the seasons and rigid repair material where the crack is stable.

Fix the water, too

Most sunken concrete around a Lenexa home started with water: a downspout emptying at the edge of a walk, a patio sloped the wrong way, or runoff from the yard flowing under the driveway. Any repair we quote includes a look at where the water comes from. Extending a downspout or regrading a strip of lawn is often what makes a lift last.