Concrete Leveling
Fix sunken, uneven concrete without the cost and hassle of complete replacement.
Why Concrete Settles and Sinks
That uneven section of your driveway or the sunken walkway by your front door didn't happen overnight. Concrete settles when the soil underneath compresses, washes away, or shifts. Heavy rain can erode soil from beneath slabs. Poor compaction during installation leaves voids that eventually collapse. Tree roots can disturb the base. Whatever the cause, you end up with concrete that's no longer level.
Sunken concrete creates real problems beyond just looking bad. Trip hazards are a safety issue and a liability if someone gets hurt. Water pools in low spots instead of draining properly, accelerating damage and creating ice patches in winter. Uneven driveways scrape vehicle undercarriages. These aren't problems you can ignore and hope they fix themselves.
Here's the good news. If the concrete itself is in decent shape, you don't need to tear it out and replace it. Concrete leveling lifts settled slabs back to their original position, eliminating the problems at a fraction of replacement cost. When you work with WFC Cary Concrete, we'll evaluate whether leveling makes sense for your situation or if replacement is the better option.
How Concrete Leveling Works
We use specialized techniques to lift sunken concrete precisely where it needs to go. The process involves drilling small holes through the concrete, then injecting material underneath that fills voids and raises the slab. As the material expands and cures, it lifts the concrete back to level. The holes are then patched to blend with the existing surface.
This approach works because we're not just filling empty space. The material we inject creates stable support that prevents future settling. The lifted concrete stays where we put it. Most leveling jobs are completed in a few hours, and you can use the surface again immediately once we're done. Compare that to replacement, which requires tearing out old concrete, waiting for new concrete to cure, and dealing with much higher costs.
Benefits of Concrete Leveling
- Costs 50 to 70 percent less than concrete replacement
- Completed in hours instead of days
- No waiting for concrete to cure before using the surface
- Eliminates trip hazards and safety concerns immediately
- Improves drainage and prevents water pooling
- Minimal disruption to landscaping and surroundings
Leveling works well for driveways, sidewalks, patios, garage floors, and other horizontal concrete surfaces that have settled but aren't severely cracked or damaged. If the concrete is badly broken up or continues to have underlying issues, we'll be honest about when replacement makes more sense.
When to Choose Leveling Over Replacement
Leveling makes sense when your concrete is structurally sound but has settled unevenly. Minor surface cracks are fine. The slab should be in generally good condition without major deterioration, deep cracks, or extensive damage. If the settling is limited to certain sections rather than the entire slab, leveling is usually the smart choice.
Replacement becomes necessary when concrete is badly cracked throughout, has widespread surface damage, or the underlying soil issues are too severe to stabilize. Sometimes the settling is so extreme that leveling can't realistically bring things back to level. In these situations, trying to save the concrete with leveling wastes money because the fundamental problems remain.
We evaluate your specific situation honestly. You get a clear explanation of what's happening, whether leveling will work, and how long results should last. If replacement is the better option, we'll tell you why. Our goal is solving your problem correctly, not just selling you a service. If you also need repairs or replacement for other concrete areas, we can coordinate everything efficiently.
The best time to level concrete is when you first notice settling. Waiting lets the problem get worse as more soil washes away and additional stress develops in the slab. Early intervention costs less and produces better results than trying to fix severely settled concrete that's been getting worse for years.