Mud Jacking 101

So you’re out looking for a new home in Omaha and you think you may have found the perfect one, but you notice that either the sidewalk or the drive way has settled a little. Well don’t let that keep you from finding your dream home. The solution may be mud jacking. It’s a simple process as far as fixing areas in the driveway or sidewalks that need to be raised because of soil erosion that has caused the concrete to sink.

Mud jacking is the term most commonly used in Omaha but the process is also known as slab jacking, concrete lifting, concrete raising, and slab leveling, is a process of basically drilling holes into the existing concrete, placing a line in the hole and forcing this slurry mix underneath the concrete to raise it up. These slurry mixes consists of water, soil, sand and cement that cure to create a solid, sable foundation under the concrete. It does need time to cure or set up so it’s best to not put anything on the area for a few days or longer, the contractor that you hire would be able to tell you the exact amount of time needed to cure. Mud jacking is a professional job so I recommend never trying to do it on your own unless you have the training of a professional mud jacker.

Mud jacking can also be used to help fix the settling of the foundation. How it works is a foundation contractor will go and level the settled sections of the foundation by using push piers, using them to lift the masonry to a level position. When this is complete, mud jacking can be done to fill in the empty space beneath the footing created by the lifting; this will create a stable long lasting foundation. There are several different companies in Omaha that are qualified to do the job.