Liability insurance claims are on the rise in Canada, a sign of a population more willing to take litigious action to seek financial compensation.
That’s important for homeowners and commercial property owners to know, because you can be held liable if someone gets injured tripping on property you own with uneven cement walkways, patios, or other areas where cement pads have been compromised.
With seasonal precipitation soaking into the ground and expansion and contraction affecting its position, concrete can raise, dip, or crack, resulting in a potential hazard to people moving along such high traffic pedestrian areas. An expensive solution is removing all the concrete, levelling the earth, and reinstalling or repouring concrete to fix the problem. Matt Sonnenburg offers a more affordable option: contracting Algoma Concrete Lifting.
Through the use of NCFI Geotechnical polyurethane spray foam, the experts at Algoma Concrete Lifting can lift and level existing concrete back into its proper position, eliminating risks and helping property owners avoid liability claims as a result of accidental injury. Given the variances in seasonal climate across the greater Sault Ste. Marie area, it can be a major problem according to Sonnenburg.
“Our main business in Sault Ste. Marie is walkways and driveways,” said Sonnenburg, who has been operating the business with his wife Carol as a division of Sonnenburg Spray Foam and Coatings for the past four years. “There are a lot of concrete driveways that have sagged and settle due to soft soil or reduction in the soil underneath, usually because of rain and snow washing it away over the years. Our primary targets are any concrete slabs that are self-floating.”
Sonnenburg said the Algoma Concrete Lifting process is much less invasive than that of other companies, which tend to drill large holes in the concrete as access points for any materials they are using to life the concrete.
The process at Algoma Concrete Lifting starts with a 5/8th inch port in the surface of the concrete through which spray foam gets injected. As it seeps into the various available spaces the foam works to compact the ground underneath the concrete. Once that cycle is completed and the soil is fully compacted and densified, the foam continues to expand as it lifts the concrete upward into a level position. Once completed the foam eliminates sags and provides lasting security according to Sonnenburg.
“The great thing about this product over time is that it doesn’t settle or wash away because it’s a foam product and rain won’t affect it,” he said. “The product we use is NCFI polyurethane from the U.S. They had the foam age-tested to 800 years if it remains covered underground and protected from UV light.”
As an added service, Algoma Concrete Lifting also does void filling under concrete using a special void filling foam that results in a better density under concrete than if it was packed with soil or sand.
“We offer this service as a fraction of the price compared to tearing up your concrete,” said Sonnenburg.
The process of concrete lifting – aka mud jacking – usually takes from half to a full day depending on the size of the job. Algoma Concrete Lifting can also conduct deep ground injections using pipes for unstable ground under large slabs and buildings in consultation with engineers.
To find out more and discover all the ways Algoma Concrete Lifting can provide you with solutions to level your concrete, call 705 849-5221. Visit them on Facebook or email them at [email protected].