Concrete Repair & Replacement in Arlington Heights, IL

Concrete repair and replacement starts with a diagnosis, not a sales pitch. A lot of older concrete in Arlington Heights is still structurally sound and only needs its cracks sealed, a sunken section lifted, or one bad square cut out and repoured. Other slabs are failing from underneath, and patching them is money spent twice. We look at the surface, the joints, the base and the drainage, and then tell you which repair makes sense, what it costs, and how long it should last.

Common problems we see

• Hairline cracks: normal shrinkage cracks. Sealing them keeps water out so freezing does not widen them.
• Settled sections: a walk square, stoop or driveway panel that has dropped as the soil below compacted or washed out.
• Heaved sections: lifted by frost or tree roots, creating trip edges.
• Scaling and spalling: the surface flaking or popping off after freeze-thaw cycles and de-icing salt.
• Through-cracks with offset: cracks where one side sits higher than the other, which usually means the base has failed.
• Water toward the house: a slab that has tilted so it drains at the foundation.

Repair options

Crack sealing. Each crack is blown or routed clean, then filled with a sealant that flexes as the slab moves. Bob Vila's driveway repair cost guide puts crack sealing at about $0.10 to $0.25 per foot. It is the cheapest upkeep a slab can get, and it slows water damage.

Slab lifting (mudjacking). Small holes are drilled through a sunken slab and a cement-based slurry is pumped underneath to raise it back to level, then the holes are patched. HomeGuide's mudjacking cost guide lists $4 to $9 per square foot, often 30% to 50% below the cost of replacement. It works on slabs that are sunken but in one piece. Polyurethane foam lifting is another option, at a higher price per square foot.

Surface repair. Small areas of spalling can be patched. Resurfacing coats a worn slab with a thin overlay, but it only lasts if the slab underneath is sound and stable.

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When replacement is the better answer

Repair is the right call for slabs that are mostly sound. Replacement makes more sense when:

• Cracks run all the way through and the pieces have shifted
• Scaling covers most of the surface
• The slab has been patched before and the patches have failed
• Water drains toward the house and the slope cannot be corrected by lifting
• The concrete is near the end of its life. On many 1950s to 1970s homes here, it is.

Often the answer is partial: replace the worst two driveway panels or the stoop, and seal and lift the rest. We price it that way so you can compare.

Replacing sections

When we replace part of a slab, we saw-cut clean edges, break out the bad section, repair the base under it, and pour the new concrete to match the surrounding grade. In Arlington Heights, replacement work follows the Village's flatwork standards: compacted CA-6 base, the required thickness for driveways, approaches and walks, and base and final inspections. New concrete will not match the color of old concrete exactly at first; it usually blends more over time.

Preventing the next repair

• Seal cracks as soon as they open
• Point downspouts away from slabs and the foundation
• Go easy on salt and avoid ammonium-based de-icers
• Seal exposed concrete every few years
• Watch for soil washing out at slab edges and fill it before voids form