A gloved hand holding an injection port over a small drilled hole in a concrete slab, with concrete dust beside it

How Concrete Leveling Works in Hollywood, FL: How Does Polyjacking Work and How Does Concrete Lifting Work

How Concrete Leveling Works on a Hollywood, FL Slab, Step by Step

If you have wondered how a sunken slab gets lifted without being torn out, Hollywood Concrete Leveling & Repair walks through it for Hollywood, FL and Broward County. This page explains how does concrete leveling work, how polyjacking works and how concrete lifting works on driveways, patios, pool decks, sidewalks and garage floors. Small holes go in, foam goes under the slab, and the concrete rises. The sections below cover each stage of the concrete leveling process.

Why homeowners choose us:

Free written estimates for every leveling job
Small injection holes patched and cleaned up after every lift
Water-resistant foam that does not wash out
Warrantied work every lift backed by a written warranty
Licensed and insured certificate on request

Our crew has 20+ years of experience lifting slabs in South Florida and 1,100+ slabs behind it. Every job follows the same steps, and the estimate names them before any drilling starts. You get a free written estimate and a written warranty on the lift, so the work is covered in writing. Most leveling jobs take 2 to 6 hours.

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How Concrete Leveling Works: Why a Hollywood Slab Sinks First

A concrete slab rests on the soil beneath it. When that soil weakens and settles, the slab loses its support, stresses, cracks and sinks. The surface then picks up trip hazards at the joints and puddles where the slope has gone. Leveling fixes the support and not only the height, which is why the work starts with the soil.

Hollywood’s soil is sand over limestone, and sand fill compacts poorly. In the wettest months the water table in Margate and Basinger fine sand sits at 0 inches, and in Hallandale fine sand about 3 inches down. Water that moves through sand carries grains out from under the slab. The empty space it leaves is the void that foam fills, and the slab drops into it a little more each season.

Hollywood gets about 56 inches of rain a year, and the rainy season from May 15 to October 15 brings nearly 70% of it. Runoff slips under the slab edge and carries sand out, so the edge sinks first. After a wet summer, a slab that looked level in May can sit an inch low at one corner by October, and the gap keeps growing until the void is filled. Most sunken slabs therefore show the problem at a joint, a corner or a door. The crew reads those signs on the visit, because the place where the slab sank first points to where the void is deepest. A void at the corner of a driveway needs a different pattern of holes than a void along a pool deck edge, and the estimate reflects that.

How Concrete Leveling Works in Four Steps on a Hollywood Driveway, Patio or Pool Deck

People who ask how does concrete lifting work are asking about this sequence. The concrete leveling steps are the same on every surface, and only the number of holes changes with the size of the slab.

1. Drilling the Holes

The crew drills penny-size holes through the slab where the damage is, about five feet apart. The spacing is closer on a short slab and wider on a long one, and extra holes go where the void runs deepest. Drilling takes minutes, and the dust is swept up as the work moves along the slab. The crew covers plants and furniture that cannot be moved, and the holes stay small enough that the slab keeps its strength.

2. Setting Ports and Injecting

A port goes into each hole, and liquid polyurethane foam is injected under pressure. This is the answer to how does polyjacking work: the foam expands as it cures, fills the void and compacts the soil around it. Pressure gauges show when the soil is firm, which tells the crew the slab is stable before any lifting begins.

3. Lifting the Slab

If lift is wanted, the crew injects more foam slowly, and the slab rises as close as possible to its original position. The crew checks the height with a level as the slab moves and stops when the surface is flush. Over-lifting would crack the concrete, so the second pass is the slowest part of the concrete leveling process.

4. Filling the Holes and Cleaning Up

Each injection hole is filled with sanded concrete and leveled with the surface, and the work area is cleaned up. The foam cures in as little as 30 minutes to an hour, so you can walk on the slab in 15 to 30 minutes. Most jobs take 2 to 6 hours, and larger ones can take a full day.

How Concrete Leveling Works With Mudjacking Instead of Foam in Hollywood

Mudjacking uses the same idea with a different material. Holes are drilled and a cement-based slurry is pumped under the slab until it rises. The slurry is heavier than foam, the holes are larger than a penny, and the slurry takes one to three days to dry fully.

Foam is lighter, cures in minutes and is water-resistant, which suits Hollywood’s wet ground. Mudjacking asks the soil to carry the weight of the slurry, and in soft sand that weight can push the slab down again over time, while foam adds almost no load. Stone slurry grout is a third method, a limestone-based slurry that fits larger and more even voids. The estimate names the method for each slab and prices it on its own line. Both methods end the same way, with the holes filled and the area cleaned, so the finish does not tell you which one was used. Our polyjacking vs mudjacking page compares the two in detail, and the cost page shows the price of each.

How Concrete Leveling Works on Hollywood Slabs: What It Fixes and What It Does Not

Leveling raises a slab and fills the void under it, and that fixes most of what homeowners see. It also restores the slope of the slab, which helps water drain off and stops puddles from forming. These are the slabs we lift most:

A sunken driveway with a raised edge at the garage
A pool deck with a gap at the coping
A sidewalk with a lip between panels

Leveling does not repair cracks, though lifting a slab back to level can keep a crack from getting worse. A slab that has broken into small pieces cannot be lifted as one unit, and a competitor reports that pieces smaller than about 3 feet square are past repair. We assess a broken slab case by case, and an honest estimate says so when replacing is the better call. Leveling also does not change the grade of the yard, move a slab sideways or fix a slab that is sinking because of a leaking pipe. The visit looks for those causes first, since lifting a slab over a leak would only repeat the problem.

How Concrete Leveling Works FAQs: Hollywood, FL

How does polyjacking work?

Polyjacking injects liquid polyurethane foam through penny-size holes under a slab. The foam expands, fills the void and compacts the soil, and a slow second pass raises the slab. The holes are then filled with sanded concrete.

How does concrete lifting work on a driveway?

Concrete lifting on a driveway follows the same four steps as any slab: drill, inject, lift, then fill and clean. The crew marks holes about five feet apart and watches the slab rise as the foam expands.

How long does the concrete leveling process take?

A crew usually finishes in 2 to 6 hours. When the slab is big or the cavities are deep, the work can take a full day or more.

How soon can I use the slab after it is lifted?

Because the foam hardens so quickly, it carries foot traffic after 15 to 30 minutes and a parked vehicle after 1 to 2 hours. Plan on roughly 48 hours before heavy loads return.

Will the injection holes show afterward?

The holes are about the size of a penny, and each one is filled with sanded concrete and leveled. The surface looks finished when the crew leaves.

Can all sunken concrete be lifted?

No, a slab broken into small pieces may need replacing. The visit sorts out which fix fits, and the estimate says so if lifting is not the right call.

Does the work come with a warranty?

Yes, every lift is backed by a written warranty, and the terms go into your estimate before the work starts. Ask for the terms when you call.

Hollywood Concrete Leveling & Repair serves Hollywood and Broward County.

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