Don't Let Your Holiday Guests Get Tripped Up with Uneven Concrete

One of the best things about the holiday season is how it brings friends and family together. However, that juicy roast turkey may have to wait if someone falls and bodily injury occurs due to tripping hazards across your sidewalk, concrete steps, pool decks, or parking lot.

These surfaces around the home made of concrete look great in the first few years after the construction. However, the elements can cause cracks and sinking over time, leading to driveway or sidewalk trip hazards.

We'll look at the top solutions for taking bumpy concrete back to regulation levels to eliminate tripping hazards and prevent slip and fall injuries.

How to Repair Uneven Concrete Slabs and Eliminate Driveway Trip Hazards

Any vertical change of a quarter inch across your sidewalk is a tripping hazard.

There are many DIY options for fixing concrete walkways to remove trip hazards. However, as a savvy property owner, you want to use high-quality approaches that will generate lasting results.

Working with a qualified team of professionals is the best way to achieve those goals. Some of the approaches available for repairing irregular concrete and eliminating trip hazards include:

Polyurethane Foam Injection Underneath Concrete Panels

Concrete leveling experts can lift concrete slabs and panels using polyurethane foam. Proper foam application can lift an area of concrete in minutes, removing any trip hazard on your concrete walkway.

This option is popular with property owners because it's lightweight and minimally invasive. The final finish can also hold up well against the elements.

Mud or Slab Jacking

Mud jacking or slab jacking is an old and inexpensive technique for lifting concrete and removing any trip hazard from your sidewalk or driveway.

The process involves drilling holes through your driveway or walkway and injecting heavy wet concrete through the holes. The goal is to fill the gaps underneath the slab to make it even.

Mud jacking is out of style because it is messy and can take at least a week to cure fully.

It's also not a permanent solution, as the property owner will need to repeat the process every few years for adequate stabilization. Still, it's an option to consider if you spot a trip hazard across your concrete pathways.

Partial Concrete Replacement

As you've guessed from the name, this process involves cutting out the damaged or unlevel concrete parts of your driveway or walkway surface and pouring a fresh layer. It's a straightforward way to eliminate sidewalk trip hazards.

However, using this method to level uneven concrete will take at least two weeks. The new concrete will also look different from the surrounding area.

Concrete Grinding

If you're not ready for major reconstruction work, you can eliminate trip hazards from your walkway or driveway by grinding down the higher part of the concrete.

This part of the concrete is more stable and can withstand the pressure from a concrete grinder without sinking further. 

Proactive Trip Hazard Prevention

With the holiday season almost here, repairing cracked or sunken concrete to eliminate sidewalk trip hazards is likely an expense you'd rather avoid for now. In that case, you can cordon off the dangerous condition with rocks, ribbons, or paint to keep people away from it during the holiday fun.

Get Professional Help Today for Your Cracked or Sinking Concrete

At Level Best, we proudly offer high-quality residential and commercial concrete leveling solutions in Cuyahoga Falls, OH. Contact us today to discuss your concrete sidewalk leveling project.