If you have a slab-on-grade foundation and your floor seems to be uneven, it's a good idea to call a foundation repair contractor to take a look. Slab foundations can sink or crack under the right circumstances, and the problem could affect the structure of your home if not repaired as soon as possible.

Foundation repairs may involve supporting the perimeter of your house on piers or pilings. The contractor may even need to place piers through the inside of your house. These bore into the ground until they hit rock so your home has a strong support. If only the interior of your home needs to be raised and leveled, the contractor may use polyjacking rather than piers. Here's how this foundation repair method works.

Expanding Polyurethane Foam Lifts The Slab

Foundation repair using polyjacking is done by drilling holes in the concrete slab so polyurethane can be injected below the concrete. The foam is injected as liquid and then flows to fill voids in the soil. As this happens, the liquid expands into foam that's able to lift the concrete slab and bring it back to level. The foam then hardens to provide lasting support for the slab.

The contractor might need to drill several holes in your floor for the injections, but these holes are small and are filled in when the work is complete. Your flooring needs to be pulled up in the area so it won't be harmed and then replaced when the work is over. When finished, you won't be able to tell work was done on the foundation since the foam is hidden under the slab.

Cracks In The Foundation May Need Repairs Too

If your foundation cracked when it sank, the foundation repair contractor needs to repair the crack when the slab is brought back to level. This needs to be done to keep water, bugs, and radon from getting in through the crack. The contractor might use epoxy filler or hydraulic cement to fill the crack depending on the size of the crack. These products fill and stabilize the crack so the foundation repair is complete and permanent.

Polyjacking Is Not As Messy As Using Piers

Polyjacking is easier on your home than opening up the floor to sink a pier. Your foundation contractor may use polyjacking alone or use it to raise the interior floor while piers are used around the perimeter of your house depending on the nature of your foundation problem. The foam dries and hardens fast, so your flooring can be replaced and you can use your floor as you normally would fairly soon after repairs are done.

Contact a foundation repair contractor to learn more.