Mudjacking vs. Polyjacking: An Honest Comparison
Both methods lift sunken concrete. The right one depends on your slab, your soil, and your budget — here's how we actually decide.
Get My Free Estimate
The short version
Mudjacking (slurry)
A sand-cement slurry pumped under the slab. Strengths: economical, fills big voids completely, adds a dense compacted base. Trade-offs: heavier material, larger ports (about the size of a coffee cup), longer cure.
Polyjacking (foam)
Two-part polyurethane foam injected through dime-sized ports. Strengths: light weight, 15-minute cure, precise lifts. Trade-offs: higher cost, and foam quantity gets expensive in very large voids.
What St. Joseph's soil changes
Here's the local wrinkle: our loess soil doesn't just settle — it washes out, leaving large open cavities under slabs. Foam excels at lifting; it's costlier as pure void-fill when a cavity is big. Slurry fills those big washouts economically and compacts into the silt below, which is why traditional mudjacking has stayed the workhorse method in river-bluff towns like St. Joe while foam took over in some other markets.
Our honest rule of thumb: big voids and budget jobs favor slurry; light structures, precision lifts, and quick-turnaround jobs favor foam. On many St. Joseph jobs the right answer is slurry for the deep fill. We'll tell you which your slab needs at the estimate — not just whichever one we prefer to sell.
Common questions
Which lasts longer, mud or foam?
Both last decades when the void is filled completely and water is kept out afterward. Longevity has more to do with fixing the drainage that caused the settlement than with the lift material.
Is polyjacking worth the extra cost?
For garage floors, pool decks, and precision lifts — often yes. For a big driveway washout in loess soil, slurry usually delivers the same result for less.
Do you offer both in St. Joseph?
We quote the method that fits the job; where both work, you'll see both numbers and choose.
Get My Free Leveling Estimate
Tell us about the job — we'll get back to you fast with straight answers and an up-front price.