Your driveway has settled. The patio has a lip that trips guests. The sidewalk tilts toward the house. Before you tear it all out and repour, there are two concrete leveling methods that can restore level at a fraction of the cost: traditional mudjacking and polyurethane foam injection (polyjacking). Both work. Both are widely used in Oklahoma. But they’re not interchangeable. Here’s how to decide which is right for your project.
How Mudjacking Works
Mudjacking (also called slabjacking or pressure grouting) has been used for decades. The process is straightforward:
- Small holes (1.5 to 2 inches in diameter) are drilled through the settled concrete at strategic points
- A slurry of cement, soil, and water is pumped under pressure through the holes
- The slurry fills voids beneath the slab and hydraulically lifts it back toward level
- Holes are patched with matching concrete
The slurry cures over 24 to 48 hours. Light foot traffic is usually fine within a few hours. Vehicle traffic on driveways typically waits 24 to 48 hours.
Mudjacking strengths:
- Lower cost per square foot (roughly 30% to 50% less than polyjacking)
- Proven track record spanning decades
- Excellent for large-area lifts (driveways, parking lots, warehouse floors)
- The heavy slurry provides substantial support for high-load applications
Mudjacking limitations:
- The slurry is heavy (adds weight to potentially weak soil)
- Larger drill holes (though they patch cleanly)
- Longer cure time before full load-bearing
- Not ideal for areas with very loose, sandy soil that can’t support the added weight
How Polyjacking Works
Polyurethane foam injection is the newer method, gaining popularity over the past 15 years:
- Smaller holes (roughly 5/8 inch in diameter) are drilled through the settled concrete
- Two-component polyurethane resin is injected through the holes
- The resin expands on contact, filling voids and lifting the slab
- The foam cures in approximately 15 minutes
The rapid cure time means the slab can bear full load (including vehicles) within 15 to 30 minutes of injection.
Polyjacking strengths:
- Lightweight (does not add significant weight to weak soil)
- Rapid cure (15 minutes to full load-bearing)
- Smaller injection holes (less visible after patching)
- Precise, controllable lift
- Waterproof and does not break down in moisture
Polyjacking limitations:
- Higher cost per square foot
- Some environmental considerations with polyurethane chemistry
- Not easily removable if adjustment is needed later
- Less effective for very deep voids where large volumes of material are needed
Cost Comparison in Oklahoma
For a typical residential project in the Tulsa metro:
Mudjacking: $3 to $6 per square foot. A standard two-car driveway (roughly 400 to 500 square feet) runs $1,200 to $3,000 depending on the number of sections that need lifting and the severity of settlement.
Polyjacking: $5 to $10 per square foot. The same driveway runs $2,000 to $5,000. The premium reflects the material cost (polyurethane resin is more expensive than cement slurry) and the specialized injection equipment.
Both are significantly cheaper than demolition and replacement. Pouring a new driveway in the Tulsa area runs $8 to $15 per square foot, or $3,200 to $7,500 for that same two-car driveway, plus demolition costs.
Which Method for Which Situation?
Choose mudjacking when:
- Budget is the primary concern
- The concrete is structurally sound and just needs leveling
- The project involves large areas (driveways, parking lots, garage floors)
- The soil beneath is reasonably stable and can support the added weight
- You’re not in a rush for cure time
Choose polyjacking when:
- The soil beneath is loose, sandy, or has poor load-bearing capacity (the lighter foam won’t overload it)
- You need the area back in service quickly (15-minute cure)
- The project involves smaller, targeted areas
- Aesthetics matter (smaller injection holes)
- The concrete is near a pool, water feature, or area where the waterproof foam is advantageous
Either method works well for:
- Sidewalks and walkways
- Patios and pool decks
- Steps and stoops
- Most residential driveways in typical Tulsa clay soil
Oklahoma Clay Soil Considerations
In the Tulsa metro, the underlying cause of concrete settling is almost always expansive clay soil. The clay beneath your driveway swells when wet and shrinks when dry, creating voids that cause the concrete above to settle.
Both mudjacking and polyjacking fill those voids and restore level. But if the underlying drainage issue is not addressed, the clay will continue its cycle and new voids may form. A licensed contractor typically evaluates drainage alongside the leveling project and may recommend:
- Extending downspouts away from settled areas
- Correcting grading that directs water under the concrete
- Installing channel drains at the driveway-to-garage junction
Addressing drainage alongside leveling gives the best long-term result regardless of which leveling method you choose.
Longevity
Mudjacking typically lasts 5 to 10 years when the underlying cause is addressed. Without drainage correction, re-settling can occur sooner. The cement slurry is durable but can erode if exposed to persistent water flow through cracks in the concrete above.
Polyjacking foam is waterproof and does not break down, erode, or lose volume over time. The foam itself is essentially permanent. However, if the soil beneath the foam continues to move (because the drainage issue wasn’t addressed), new voids can form around or beneath the foam, requiring additional injection.
Both methods are most effective when combined with drainage correction. The leveling restores the surface. The drainage correction prevents recurrence.
When Neither Method Works
Concrete leveling (mudjacking or polyjacking) works best on structurally sound concrete that has simply settled. If your concrete is:
- Badly cracked into multiple pieces
- Crumbling, spalling, or surface-deteriorated
- Broken at control joints with wide gaps
- Heaved (pushed upward by clay swelling rather than settled downward)
Then replacement may be the better option. A licensed contractor will tell you during the free inspection whether your concrete is a good candidate for leveling or whether replacement is the more practical path.
Foundation Slabs vs. Flatwork
An important distinction: mudjacking and polyjacking are designed for flatwork (driveways, sidewalks, patios, garage floors, pool decks). If your home’s structural foundation slab has settled, that requires slab piering with steel push piers or helical piers driven to load-bearing soil. Mudjacking a structural foundation is not a permanent solution for settlement because the underlying soil problem hasn’t been resolved at depth.
If you’re unsure whether your settling is a flatwork issue or a structural foundation issue, the free inspection makes the distinction.
Get a Free Assessment
A licensed contractor will inspect your settled concrete, determine whether mudjacking or polyjacking is the better fit, and provide a written estimate before any work begins. Most concrete leveling projects in the Tulsa metro are completed in a single day.