Sometimes it is a repair, sometimes it is a rebuild
Sunken slabs lifted, cracks and spalling repaired, and an honest answer about which of the two your concrete actually needs.
Why slabs sink here
A slab does not shrink. The ground under it leaves. In Charlotte that is usually one of three things: clay that shrank in a dry spell and never came back, fill that was never compacted before the original pour, or water finding a path under the slab and taking the fines out with it, a downspout discharging at the edge of a driveway being the classic.
Which one it is decides whether lifting is worth doing. Lift a slab that is sinking because water is still running under it and you have bought yourself a year. Concrete leveling is on our Google profile, and part of the job is telling you when to spend the money on the drainage instead.
Cracks: which ones matter
Hairline shrinkage cracks in the field of a slab are normal, they appear in the first months, and they are cosmetic. Leave them or fill them.
The ones worth attention are cracks with a vertical offset between the two sides, cracks that keep opening, cracks that run through a footing or a foundation wall, and cracks wider than about a quarter inch. Those are movement, and filling them without finding out what is moving is decorating.
On a foundation, a horizontal crack in a wall is in a different category to everything above and it wants a structural engineer, not a concrete contractor with a caulk gun. We will say so.
Spalling, scaling and the surface coming apart
Spalling is the surface flaking off in sheets or pits, and in this climate it is usually freeze and thaw, de-icing salt, or a slab that was finished while there was still bleed water on it, which traps a weak layer right at the top.
A shallow spall on a sound slab can be resurfaced with a polymer overlay. A slab that is spalling across most of its area, or where you can see the aggregate and the reinforcement, is telling you the top inch is gone. Resurfacing that is putting a skin over a problem.
Saying replace when it is replace
The honest version of this trade is that a lot of repairs are not worth doing. A driveway with cracking through most of its panels, a slab that has settled unevenly across its whole area, a walkway that has broken up at the joints: money spent patching those comes back for more within a couple of years.
One of the reviews on our Google profile calls the owner honest and humble, and describes doing what was said for the price agreed. Telling a customer their repair is not worth doing is the least profitable sentence in this business and it is the one that earns that kind of review.
Sealing, which is the cheap one
The single best value thing you can do to concrete you already own is seal it. A penetrating sealer keeps water and salt out of the top layer, which is where freeze damage, staining and scaling all start.
It is not glamorous, it is not expensive, and on a stamped or colored surface it is the thing keeping the color alive. Ask about it while we are there for something else.
Not sure this is the work you need?
What 21 homeowners said
Every quote below is a real review, word for word, from our Google profile.
At the recommendation of our neighbor we used Ivan and company @ I.V Concrete Services to have a much needed driveway installed. The guys were on time, maintained an open line of communication with us throughout the process and did an absolutely phenomenal job. This is by far the best looking concrete work I have ever had done.
I am very happy with the work that IV Concrete services provided. They were able to complete a massive driveway within only 2 days. Very good finish and didn't skimp out on material thickness. Ivan is great to work with. Very reasonable prices for the work provided.
They did a fantastic job to help decide on the right solution for two walkways that are at declines at different heights. They then poured the concrete the way it was specified with the higher strength concrete mix. Grading was done very well on a sloped lot and areas of water were identified for the right runoff to ensure longevity and mitigate any erosion. Price was very competitive over other bids.
They arrived on time, communicated clearly about the process, and took the time to understand exactly what I wanted. The quality of their work exceeded my expectations. The concrete was smooth, perfectly poured, and looks fantastic. Not only was the job completed quickly, but the attention to detail really stood out.
Hired IV Concrete to do a pad for a shop. Awesome work, great finish, great job overall. Left no mess behind, extremely clean job. Ivan is a pleasure to work with. Cant wait to work with him again in the future!
If you need concrete work done, this gentleman did what he said for the price we agreed and completed job on time. Owner is a perfectionist as well as honest and humble.
Think you have a problem up there? We will look at it, free.
Usually a fraction of the cost, and it is done in a day rather than a week with no cure time before you can use it. That is only true when the slab itself is sound. If it is cracked through, leveling lifts a broken slab into a slightly higher broken slab.
Indefinitely, if the reason it sank has been dealt with. If water is still running under it, it will sink again, which is why the first thing we look at is where the water is coming from rather than the slab itself.
We can fill it and make it far less obvious. We cannot make it invisible. New material against fifteen year old weathered concrete shows, and anyone who tells you otherwise has not done it. What we can do is stop it taking water and stop it getting wider.
If the flaking is shallow and the slab under it is sound, yes, a polymer overlay works and it lasts. If the surface is coming off across most of the slab or you can see stone and steel, the top of that slab is gone and an overlay is a cosmetic delay. We will tell you which one you have when we look at it, free.
We photograph the work and show you. If concrete repairs and leveling is not what you actually need, we say so and quote the work that is.
We cover concrete driveways, patios and stamped concrete, slabs and foundations, sidewalks and walkways, concrete repairs and leveling and concrete cutting and removal. Every one of them has its own page with what is included.
Get a free onsite estimate.
Tell us what you need poured. We come out, look at the ground, and give you a real number.