Mudjacking 101 for Commercial Property Owners
For those of you who own commercial property (a strip mall, a duplex, or maybe a few apartment units), have you thought about the liabilities you could avoid through simple, inexpensive solutions? When it comes to your property’s concrete, sidewalks, steps and driveways, you can improve the aesthetics of your property by making a few simple repairs and reducing your liability at the same time.
Consider some of the most used and trafficked attributes of your property: the sidewalks, driveways and entrances to apartment buildings, or the sidewalks leading to a store entrance. Don’t forget about the basketball court, the walk to the playground, and any other high-traffic, high-responsibility areas. Is the concrete uneven? Are there cracks in the concrete in any of these areas? Does water (and therefore ice) settle in any of these areas?
Have you ever considered how high your liability is for neglecting these repairs, especially as a commercial property owner? A “trip and fall” lawsuit due to uneven concrete walkways or a slip on ice in populated pedestrian areas could cost you tens of thousands or more.
Protect your investment by considering some cost-effective concrete repair. Concrete lifting, often referred to as mud lifting or slab lifting, is a very effective way to smooth out bumps and joints, lift sagging or cracked concrete, re-grade sidewalks to divert water, or repair improperly leveled patios. .
The process is simple:
- An array of holes is drilled into the sunken sections of concrete, typically less than 2″ in diameter.
- A concrete slurry is pumped under pressure into the holes.
- The grout fills the voids and pushes the concrete back into place and holds it.
- The holes are then plugged with cement and smoothed to a less obvious finish.
- Now the concrete is repaired.
One of the biggest advantages of this type of concrete repair is that you can use the repaired area almost immediately. An example is repairing the entrance to a retail commercial space. In most cases, a store front has specific business hours, so any repairs that can be done during those hours could hinder or block normal traffic to the business, which can have an adverse effect on a tenant who pays rent. In many cases, concrete removal takes less than an hour, unlike concrete replacement, which can block the driveway for several days.
Concrete lifting is a cost-effective way to repair your concrete, reduce your liability, protect your investment, and make tenants happy, all while keeping more of your hard-earned money in your pocket.
