Concrete Repair & Leveling in Tigard, OR

Concrete repair and leveling can save a driveway, walk or patio that is mostly sound but has a few problems: a panel that sank, a step that tipped, a crack that keeps opening, or a surface that has worn rough. In Tigard the cause is usually water. Silty soils that stay wet through the rainy season lose support, and slabs sink where downspouts, gutters or runoff soak the ground. A repair only lasts if that cause gets fixed too, so every repair quote we write starts with where the water is coming from.

Lifting a sunken slab

Leveling raises a settled slab back into place by pumping material underneath it. Mudjacking uses a cement-based slurry; polyjacking injects expanding foam through smaller holes. HomeGuide lists mudjacking at $4 to $9 a square foot and polyjacking at $8 to $25, with many contractors charging a minimum job fee of $300 to $700 or more. It says leveled concrete generally lasts 5 to 10 years or more, with mudjacking typically 5 to 7, and that repairs fail sooner when the original drainage problem is not addressed.

When leveling is not the answer

HomeGuide notes leveling is a poor fit when cracks are wider than a quarter inch, when the surface is badly spalled, or when the slab is not structurally sound. A panel broken into pieces will not lift as one, and a slab that has sunk because the base washed out may keep moving. In those cases, cutting out and replacing the bad panels, with a proper rock base under them, is usually the better spend than lifting.

Crack repair

Hairline shrinkage cracks are normal and mostly cosmetic, but sealing them keeps water out of the base. Wider cracks get routed and filled with a flexible sealant. HomeGuide lists crack filling at $0.50 to $3 per linear foot. Cracks where one side has dropped, or that keep growing, point to a base problem and should be looked at before they are filled.

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Resurfacing worn concrete

A slab that is level and solid but rough, pitted or stained can be resurfaced with a thin bonded overlay. HomeGuide puts basic driveway resurfacing at $3 to $5 a square foot, patios and walks at $3 to $7, and says resurfacing lasts 8 to 15 years before needing repairs. It also flags that a repair needing a layer more than two inches thick, or concrete shifting at its joints, calls for replacement instead.

Panel replacement

Many driveways and walks are poured in sections. When one or two sections fail and the rest are fine, we saw-cut along the joints, remove the bad panels, rebuild the base and pour new ones doweled into the old. New concrete will not be an exact color match at first, but it weathers closer over time, and it costs far less than a full tear-out.

Fixing the cause

The most common fixes that go with a repair are simple: extend downspouts past the slab, regrade soil that slopes toward the concrete, add a drain at the low spot of a driveway, and seal joints so water stays out of the base. On public sidewalks, remember that Tigard makes owners responsible for repairs and that right-of-way work goes through the city's PFI permit, which is free for repairs up to 20 linear feet.