Improving The Structural Longevity Of Your Concrete Walkways

Over the years concrete sidewalks and roads can demonstrate indications of structural deterioration, you can notice these signs of surface decay across your whole neighborhood if you look closely enough.

You'll recognize them in the form of discoloration and a disheveled appearance, more often than not, from exposure to sunlight, humidity, as well as continuous water intrusions.

These factors can without a doubt have detrimental effects on the integrity of your walkways, but the worst settlement culprit is the soil that lies beneath these surfaces. Poorly compressed soil is the number one leading cause of sunken and settled surfaces.

We know concrete is a very heavy-duty material, so just take a moment to imagine what occurs when the soil under these slabs becomes displaced.

Some slabs that have more support will stay put, while others begin to slope and sink, creating the unsightly cracked appearance you often see on sidewalks and roadways.

Thousands of years before humanity populated the earth, glaciers, wind, and erosion created several soil layers that make up the Earth's crust.

During the initial stages of structural development, builders transported the soil in various directions to prepare the site for construction, creating an additional top layer of fill soil. This is the layer of soil we pour your concrete slabs on top of. Unfortunately even if we utilize special equipment to compact this fill soil to the highest degree possible, that top layer of soil is still severely lacking in the stability department, compared to the untouched native soil beneath.

As time goes on this fill soil consolidates and begins to settle, empty pockets eventually form under the slabs, resulting in cracks and other visible signs of deterioration.

And did you know that soil strength varies by geographical location as well?

In coastal areas the soil is predominantly weaker, due to consistent contact with moisture and water intrusions, sadly this means settlement is unavoidable in these locations. Compared to the strength of the soil in mountainous and rocky areas, where soil is known to be less disturbed, ultimately ensuring it is more compacted and solidified. 

Now that we understand the science behind the leading causes of settlement, let's briefly educate you on concrete and why erosion can often occur on these surfaces.

Concrete is continuously expanding and contracting, this stems from constant changes in temperature and exposure to moisture. Even though we often believe these surfaces are impenetrable, concrete behaves much like a reinforced sponge would.

During rainfall the concrete's microscopic pores absorb this water, and the sun causes this water to evaporate, after this absorption and evaporation process plays out frequently enough, you will begin to observe spider-cracking at the surface level.

In colder climates where this water can potentially freeze, the expanding ice shatters those microscopic surface pores. Surface deterioration is often mistakenly believed to stem from salt and other foreign melting agents, but we now know that is not the case, natural elements are the most common cause of surface deterioration.  

Luckily our team of concrete repair experts possess the most reliable and efficient solution to these structural challenges. Installing our specially patented PolyLevel Foam Injections beneath these settled slabs is the key to fortifying and essentially reinforcing these surfaces.

PolyLevel is a minimally invasive process, this powerful material is injected beneath these sunken slabs to lift and restore them to their designated surface level. And not only does PolyLevel repair, but it also entirely reinforces the slabs, by filling in any voids left beneath from poorly deposited soil.

To seal off and safeguard against erosion we can apply our ultraviolet resistant NexusPro Joint Sealant. This uniquely formulated product is applied to the cracks and crevices of the concrete to fully certify that the surface is prepared to tackle any potential challenges of deterioration in the future years ahead. 

With this newfound knowledge, we now know that instituting these systems can guarantee the preservation of the structural integrity of your concrete surfaces.

So if your goal is to improve the aesthetic appeal of these surfaces and completely transform these unsafe walkways into pleasantly inviting transportation routes we can all take pride in, you're headed in the right direction.

All that's left to do now is a simple phone call, are you ready to take on settlement issues? If not, what are you waiting for?