Cracks, sunken slabs, scaling and full replacement
Concrete Repair & Replacement in Lafayette, IN
We tell you which fix your concrete actually needs, and why.
- No-cost site visit, then a written price broken out line by line
- Outdoor pours use air-entrained mix over compacted stone, with joints laid out ahead of time
- Permit and right-of-way rules looked up for your street before a date is set
Repair, Level or Replace?
Concrete Repair & Replacement starts with a diagnosis, not a sales pitch. A cracked driveway, a patio that has sunk toward the house, or a sidewalk that has flaked down to the stone each have a cause, and a fix that ignores the cause tends to fail again. In Lafayette, the usual culprits are freeze-thaw cycles, road salt, water under the slab and concrete that was poured thin or without air entrainment decades ago. With a median home age around 1971 in the city, plenty of local concrete is old enough to be near the end of its life.
What we look at
- Crack width and offset: hairline cracks are cosmetic; wide cracks with one side higher are structural.
- Surface condition: light scaling can be sealed and watched; widespread scaling means a weak top layer.
- Settlement: whether the slab dropped as one piece or broke as it sank.
- Drainage: downspouts, grade and low spots that put water under the concrete.
- Age and thickness: thin, old slabs often are not worth saving.
Repair options
Crack sealing. The crack is cleaned out and filled with a flexible sealant that keeps water and salt from getting in. The line stays visible, but the damage slows.
Lifting a sunken slab. If the slab dropped in one piece, material can be pumped beneath it to bring it back up. HomeGuide's leveling guide lists mudjacking at $4 to $9 a square foot and polyjacking at $8 to $25. The same guide says leveled concrete generally holds 5 to 10 years or longer, and that the slab will probably sink again if the water problem behind it is left alone.
Replacing single panels. On sidewalks and big driveways, the worst panels can be sawn out at the joints and repoured while the good ones stay.
When replacement is the right call
According to HomeGuide's leveling guide, cracks wider than about 1/4 inch, significant spalling or surface damage, and badly deteriorated concrete all point toward replacing rather than lifting. Our experience lines up with that. A driveway flaking over most of its surface will not hold a patch, because the weakness is in the concrete itself, and a thin overlay on a failing slab cracks right over the old cracks. In those cases, tearing out and repouring with entrained air, compacted stone and planned joints costs more up front and less over the next couple of decades.
Why so much local concrete fails the same way
Lafayette crews pretreat streets with salt brine before snow, and salting continues once snow or ice builds up; some of that salt lands on private drives and walks every winter. Add late-winter nights that cross freezing again and again, and any concrete that was finished too wet or mixed without enough entrained air wears fast. Wet spring soil brings heaving and settling on top of that. Correcting the drainage and specifying the right mix for the new slab keeps the replacement from going the same way.
After the repair
Seal repaired and new concrete once it has cured and again every few years, use as little salt as you can, and aim downspouts away from slabs. Before each winter, fill any fresh hairline cracks so water cannot get in and freeze there.
Repair and Replacement Services
The right fix depends on what is wrong and why.
Crack sealing
Cracks routed clean and filled with flexible sealant to keep water out.
Slab lifting
Settled slabs that are still in one piece raised back toward grade.
Panel replacement
Broken sidewalk or driveway panels sawn out at the joints and repoured.
Full tear-out and replacement
Failing slabs removed and replaced on new stone.
Step and stoop repair
Broken edges and nosings rebuilt, or steps replaced when needed.
Drainage corrections
Grade and downspout fixes so water stops undermining the slab.
Typical Repair and Replacement Costs
| Item | Published range |
|---|---|
| Mudjacking, per sq ft | $4 to $9 |
| Polyjacking, per sq ft | $8 to $25 |
| Sidewalk leveling, 100 sq ft (mudjacking) | $400 to $900 |
| Full driveway leveling, 450 sq ft (mudjacking) | $1,800 to $4,100 |
| Slab replacement, per sq ft | $6 to $15 |
| Sidewalk repair, per sq ft | $3 to $8 |
| Minor driveway repairs (crack filling, resurfacing) | $100 to $400+ |
National ranges from HomeGuide's concrete leveling, sidewalk and driveway cost guides. The condition of the slab, removal and drainage work change the total. Your written estimate is the price.
How a Repair Job Goes
1. Diagnose
We look at cracks, surface, settlement and drainage, and find the cause.
2. Recommend
You get the options, repair, level or replace, with a written price for each that makes sense.
3. Fix the cause
Drainage problems are corrected along with the concrete work.
4. Repair or replace
The agreed work is done, cured and sealed.
Concrete Repair & Replacement Questions
Can cracked concrete be fixed?
Narrow cracks can be cleaned and sealed. Cracks wider than about 1/4 inch, or cracks with one side raised, usually point to a slab that needs replacing.
Is leveling cheaper than replacing?
Usually. HomeGuide puts mudjacking at $4 to $9 per square foot against $6 to $15 for replacement. Leveling only makes sense if the slab is still sound.
Why does my concrete keep cracking?
Usually water under the slab, a poor base, missing control joints or concrete that was too thin. Repairs last longer when the cause is fixed too.
Can you resurface flaking concrete?
On a slab that is otherwise sound with light scaling, sometimes. When scaling covers most of the surface, the concrete underneath is usually weak, and an overlay will not hold.
Will a repair match the old concrete?
New concrete never matches old concrete exactly in color. Replacing whole panels or sections at the joints gives the cleanest look.
Concrete Repair & Replacement Service Areas
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Get a Concrete Repair & Replacement Estimate
Free on-site estimates for concrete repair and replacement in Lafayette, IN.