Tips On Techniques For Restoring A Sinking Foundation
A sinking foundation is a problem that can sneak up on you. You may or may not notice small cracks that form at the seams between walls and ceilings until they become unignorable.
One day, you may notice that your door or window is harder to open or close than normal, and think you may just need to grease up the hinges with some WD-40. The next day, the door or window may not open or close at all.
When you finally figure out that you have a foundation problem, the damage to your home can already be extensive, and the thought of having to repair your foundation as well can be daunting.
There are many techniques for repairing a bad foundation, ranging from relatively inexpensive crack repairs to incredibly expensive foundation replacements. One of the less expensive repair methods for a sinking foundation is slabjacking. Sometimes, it is also referred to as mudjacking.
Aside from the lower cost, slabjacking has a few other advantages to other methods. Slabjacking can be done without excavating your lawn, and you can go back to using your home immediately after the procedure is complete.
It can also be done under any weather condition, and without weather delays, it is a relatively quick process.
So how does slabjacking work?
A rock driller is used to drill holes in the concrete slab foundation from the inside of your home. The size and number of the holes vary depending on how large the slab is and how much the slab needs to be raised.
The grout, which will act as a filler to raise the foundation to a proper grade, is then pumped in through each of the holes, one-by-one, revisiting holes as needed. This slow and methodical process is to ensure that the entire slab rises to the same level.
The grout itself is some combination of sand, cement, ash, Bentonite, and other additives which control the rate at which the grout sets and controls the shrinking or expansion of the grout while it sets.
Once the foundation has risen to the desired level, the holes are filled with mortar. As soon as the mortar sets, you can go back to using your foundation.