How much does concrete leveling cost?

It is priced per square foot: area × your rate. A 200 sq ft section at $8/sq ft is $1,600. Leveling is typically far cheaper than removing and replacing the slab, which is why it is worth pricing first.

What is the difference between mudjacking and polyjacking?

Mudjacking pumps a heavy cement-and-soil slurry under the slab through larger holes; polyjacking injects lightweight expanding polyurethane foam through small holes. Foam is lighter, faster to cure, waterproof and less visible, but costs more per square foot.

Should I level or replace a sunken slab?

Level it if the concrete is structurally sound but has settled. Replace it if it is badly cracked, crumbling or spalled — lifting broken concrete just raises a broken slab. Either way, fix the drainage or soil cause or it will settle again.

Will a leveled slab stay level?

It will if the cause is addressed. Both methods lift the slab by filling the void beneath it, but if the soil sank because water is undermining it or it was never compacted, the slab can settle again regardless of the method. Fix the drainage or grading behind the settlement — that is what protects the money you spend on the lift.

Concrete leveling: mudjacking vs polyjacking cost

Q: Is polyjacking cheaper than mudjacking?

Per square foot, polyjacking usually costs more up front because the polyurethane foam is a pricier material than a cement slurry. People choose it for the lighter weight, smaller holes, speed and durability rather than to save money. Enter both rates in the slab leveling tool to compare.

A sunken slab can often be lifted rather than replaced. Mudjacking pumps a slurry underneath; polyjacking injects expanding foam. Both are priced per square foot — the difference is weight, durability and access.

By Francesco Zinghinì

When a concrete slab — a walkway, patio, garage floor or driveway section — sinks because the soil beneath it settled, you often do not have to tear it out. Slab leveling lifts it back into place by filling the void underneath. The two methods, mudjacking and polyjacking (polyurethane foam), do the same job differently. Both are priced per square foot, so the estimate is area × your rate — the job of the slab leveling cost tool.

Mudjacking

Mudjacking (also called slabjacking or mud pumping) drills holes in the slab and pumps a cement-and-soil slurry underneath to fill the void and raise the concrete. It has been done for decades, uses inexpensive materials, and is well suited to heavy slabs. The downsides: the slurry is heavy (it adds load to the very soil that already settled), the drill holes are larger and more visible, and it can take longer to cure before use.

Polyjacking

Polyjacking injects expanding polyurethane foam through small holes. The foam expands to fill voids and lift the slab, then cures in minutes. Advantages: it is lightweight (far less load on weak soil), the injection holes are tiny, it is waterproof and does not wash out, and the slab is usable almost immediately. The trade-off is a higher material cost per square foot. That is the crux of "is polyjacking cheaper than mudjacking?": per square foot, polyjacking usually costs more up front, and people choose it for the lighter weight, smaller holes, speed and durability rather than to save money.

Cost per square foot, worked

Both are area jobs. A 200 sq ft section at $8 per square foot is 200 × $8 = $1,600. To compare methods, enter each one's $/sq ft — the foam rate will typically be higher than the slurry rate — and see the two totals side by side. Because you supply the rates from your own quotes, the comparison reflects your market rather than a stale published figure. Whichever way, leveling is usually a fraction of the cost of full removal and replacement, which is why it is worth pricing first.

Level or replace?

Leveling makes sense when the slab is structurally sound but has settled — it has sunk, not shattered. If the concrete is badly cracked, crumbling or spalled, lifting it just gives you a raised broken slab, and replacement is the better spend. And leveling treats the symptom: if the slab sank because of a drainage or soil problem, address that too, or it will settle again. Poor drainage against the house is also a foundation concern — see the French drain guide.

A note on structural slabs

Leveling a walkway or patio is routine. A slab that is doing structural work — part of the foundation, or supporting load — is a different matter, and settlement there points back to the soil and possibly to piering. When a slab is structural, get a professional assessment rather than simply pumping it back up.

How much lift, and how long it lasts

Both methods lift a slab by filling the void beneath it, but they differ in control and longevity. Polyurethane foam expands predictably and the crew can watch the slab rise in real time, which makes fine adjustments easier; the cured foam is inert and waterproof, so it does not wash away or break down, and it does not add meaningful weight to the soil that already settled. Mudjacking slurry is heavier and the lift is a little less precise, and because the slurry is cementitious it can, over a long time and in wet soils, be susceptible to washout — though for many patios and walkways it lasts perfectly well and at a lower material cost.

Neither method makes the slab last forever if the underlying cause is still active. If the soil settled because water is undermining it, or because it was never compacted, the slab can settle again regardless of what you injected — which is why leveling and drainage go together. Before you level, ask why the slab sank: a downspout dumping at that corner, a grading problem, or a plumbing leak. Fixing the cause with better drainage (see the French drain and downspout tools) protects the money you spend on the lift, whichever method you choose.

Estimate from your own prices

The per-square-foot figures here are planning estimates from the rates you enter, not bids. This site stores no price list, so the arithmetic stays correct as material and labor prices move. Get itemized written quotes for each method and let the total, the weight and the access decide — not a headline number.