Many businesses that use commercial concrete may spend a lot of money to keep their concrete looking good. Unfortunately, a few things can cause concrete to become uneven and hazardous despite your efforts. You do have options for your uneven concrete. First, you need to understand why it's happening and which solution will work best for fixing it.

Why Concrete Slabs Become Uneven

There are many reasons concrete slabs can become irregular and uneven. Most of those reasons have to do with slabs either rising or sinking.

Rising concrete slabs – Things below the concrete can cause a slab to start moving up. One of the main culprits for this behavior is tree roots. The roots only grow larger and press against the underside of the concrete. This will cause the concrete to start rising, which will create the unevenness. After some time, tree roots can even cause the concrete to break.

Sinking concrete slabs – Concrete can also sink for several reasons. Usually, sinking concrete involves the soil of the subgrade beneath it. If the soil compacts, shrinks, or becomes displaced in some way, then the concrete sitting on it will sink and create an uneven hazard above.

This process will also mean the concrete will lose some of its support. That in turn can make the concrete easier to damage or break during normal use or freeze and thaw cycles.

Options for Dealing With Uneven Concrete

There are a few options available to you for dealing with uneven concrete. Which one you use will mostly depend on the severity of the issue.

Layering and resurfacing – For sinking concrete, you can layer on cement to even it out. While this option can offer a quick fix, it can become something of a temporary one if the concrete in question is still in the process of sinking.

You can layer concrete yourself, but the process can become a little complicated. If done improperly, you can damage your concrete or weaken it.

Raising and filling – It's possible to raise a sunken slab with mudjacking, lifting, or concrete injection. All of these terms describe a process in which contractors inject cement or other filler to fill the cavity created below the slab. This process can also help you change the angle of your slabs if you're having any issues with runoff.

This is another process you can do yourself if you're dealing with a single or small slab. You would raise the slab then add filler material, like sand, below it. Once again, this is still a process that's best left to the professionals.

When it comes to leveling rising concrete, a commercial concrete service can lift the slab and fix whatever issue is at work pushing the concrete upwards. For example, they can lift the concrete and then remove or smooth out tree roots beneath it.

Don't let your commercial concrete become and stay uneven. It creates hazards and can cause accidents that you will own all the liability for. Contact a professional commercial concrete contractor with a specialty in concrete lifting. See what options they have for your concrete.