Concrete Repair in Athens, GA

Concrete repair is often the smarter spend when a slab is mostly sound. A single driveway panel that dropped after a wet winter, a patio that settled away from the back door, a walk with a few hairline cracks or a surface that has worn rough can usually be fixed for much less than a full replacement. HomeGuide's leveling guide puts replacement at $6 to $15 a square foot, while leveling averages $3 to $12. The trick is telling the repairable slab from the one that will fail again, and that is the first thing we look at.

Why slabs sink and crack around Athens

Most settling here comes from what is under the slab. Fill dirt placed around a new house compresses over the years. Roof water and runoff on sloped lots wash out the base along an edge and leave a void. Red clay that stays saturated softens, and clay that dries out in a long summer shrinks back. Tree roots lift panels on one side. Knowing which of these caused the damage decides the repair, because leveling a slab without fixing the water that undermined it means it will sink again.

Leveling sunken panels

Leveling lifts a settled slab back into place by pumping material underneath it through drilled holes. HomeGuide describes two common methods. Mudjacking uses a cement-based slurry; it costs less but needs larger holes, about 1 to 2 inches. Polyjacking uses expanding foam through holes about 5/8 inch wide; it costs more, weighs less and cures in about 15 minutes. HomeGuide says leveled concrete typically lasts 5 to 10 years or more, with drainage making most of the difference. Leveling works best on panels that are intact and have dropped as a unit.

Cracks

Hairline shrinkage cracks are normal in any slab and are mostly cosmetic. Cracks that are widening, offset or letting water under the slab should be cleaned out and sealed with a flexible filler so rain does not keep washing out the base. HomeGuide's resurfacing guide lists crack filling at $0.50 to $3 a linear foot. It also notes that cracks under a quarter inch usually suit repair or resurfacing, while wider cracks can point to a deeper problem that needs a closer look before anything is covered over.

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Resurfacing worn concrete

A slab that is structurally sound but rough, stained or worn can be resurfaced with a thin bonded overlay. HomeGuide lists basic driveway resurfacing at $3 to $5 a square foot and patio or walkway overlays at $3 to $7, with resurfacing lasting about 8 to 15 years before it needs attention. It is not a fix for a slab that is sunken, heaved or broken through; those cracks come back in the new layer. HomeGuide also advises replacement when the repair would need a new layer more than two inches thick.

Replacing broken sections

Sometimes the right answer is in between: cut out the one or two failed sections, fix the base under them and pour new concrete doweled into the slabs that stay. That works well for a broken apron at the street, a cracked panel by the garage or a stoop that has pulled away. If the driveway apron meets a public street in Athens-Clarke County, the county's residential driveway permit application includes a repair option, listed at $79.

Repair or replace?

• Repair when panels are intact, cracks are narrow and the cause can be fixed
• Replace when the slab is broken into many pieces, crumbling, badly sunken in several places or carrying water toward the house

We price both when both are realistic, and tell you which one we would choose for our own house.