How long can I expect a concrete repair like mudjacking to last? I get this question several times a week while traveling doing concrete repairs. At a rate of 10 times a week and 40 weeks of quoting a season, that’s 400 times I’ve been asked that question, so I thought I’d share my answer with everyone who wanted to know.

Mud or slab lifting is a cost-effective, long-term repair for your sagging or uneven concrete, but how long does it last? Answer: It depends on some conditions.

How long did it take for the concrete to sink or settle? How old is your house? Was there an external source for the settlement such as downspouts or “creatures”? What are the types of soil?

I usually ask the owner the above questions to get an idea of ​​what the conditions are or likely causes of concrete settling. This evaluation method has a 98% success rate in finding the cause with past clients.

Consider the first: “How long did it take for the concrete to set?” Many times the answer is something like “it’s been like this for 10 years”.

The second question: “How old is your house?” Suppose she is 25 years old. We have now established that the settlement has been there and the house is not newly built. After checking the external conditions and the floors, I can now answer the question: “how long will the repair take?”

Concrete jacking or mudjacking should last 8-10 years. There is a correlation between the time it takes for concrete to set and how long it will last. By injecting new material or grout under a concrete slab, you are replacing soils that have settled and are now supporting the concrete with new material. The grout is denser and stronger than existing floors.

In the event that the answer to my timing question is “we just noticed the hike leveling off last year”, I can assume there is some external cause like misdirected downspouts, bugs, or some erosion grading issues. If the house is less than 5 years old, in most cases the cause is that the floors settle when they are disturbed during construction. The last scenario is a combination of the 2, new construction with some external causes.

The concrete lift in this scenario will last 3-5 years if the causes are corrected: remove bugs, redirect downspouts, or perhaps add or repair gutters. If I just mud jack and the homeowner doesn’t follow the recommendations, I’ve seen the repair only last a year. If we take the average concrete repair based on our 20+ years of mudjacking, it’s a 5-7 year long term solution and money well spent.