Is polyjacking better than mudjacking?

According to SlabCalc.co, polyjacking is the better method on weak, wet, or erosion-prone soil, because the foam weighs about 2–4 lb per cubic foot against roughly 100 lb for mudjacking slurry and does not wash out. Mudjacking is the better value on stable soil and for large voids, at $4–9 per square foot against $8–25 for foam.

How much more does polyjacking cost than mudjacking?

At 2026 list prices polyjacking runs $8–25 per square foot and mudjacking $4–9, so foam is roughly two to three times the price. Some lifting companies quote foam only 20–50% above their mudjacking price. A 200 sq ft driveway section costs about $800–1,800 to mudjack and $1,600–5,000 to foam-lift.

Which lasts longer, mudjacking or foam?

Polyurethane foam usually lasts longer, commonly 10 years or more, because it is waterproof and light enough not to compress weak soil. Mudjacking commonly holds 5–10 years or more on stable soil. Either one fails early if the water or washout that caused the settling is not fixed.

When should I replace concrete instead of lifting it?

Replace when the slab is broken into loose pieces or crumbling, has sunk more than about 4 inches, or when lifting would cost more than about 60% of a new slab. Replacing a driveway costs roughly $7.50–17 per sq ft including removal at US median prices, so small, cheap slabs are sometimes better replaced than lifted.

Can I mudjack or foam-lift concrete myself?

No. Both need a truck-mounted pump or a two-component foam rig and experience reading the lift as it happens; pumping too fast cracks the slab. DIY products exist only for filling small voids, not for raising a slab evenly.

Mudjacking vs Polyjacking (Foam Lifting): Cost & Which Lasts

Mudjacking costs $4–9 per square foot and polyjacking (polyurethane foam lifting) costs $8–25 per square foot, installed, with a job minimum of about $300–700 for either. Mudjacking is the cheaper, older method and fills large voids well. Polyjacking costs more but the foam is roughly 25–50 times lighter, waterproof, and ready for traffic in about 15 minutes. Both only work on a slab that is still in one piece. Price your own slab both ways, next to the cost of replacing it, with the concrete lifting cost calculator.

Mudjacking vs Polyjacking at a Glance

Factor	Mudjacking	Polyjacking (foam)	Replacement
Cost per sq ft	$4–9	$8–25	about $7.50–17 incl. removal (driveway, US median)
Material	Cement, sand, and soil slurry	Two-part expanding polyurethane	New concrete
Material weight	~100 lb per cu ft	~2–4 lb per cu ft	n/a
Injection holes	1.5–2 inch	about 5/8 inch	n/a
Ready for traffic	about 24 hours	about 15 minutes	7 days to drive on
Typical lifespan	5–10+ years	10+ years	20–30 years
Max practical drop	about 4 inches	about 4 inches	any
Best soil	Stable, one-time compaction	Weak, wet, or erosion-prone	Any, and the base gets rebuilt

Lifting prices are 2026 averages from HomeGuide's mudjacking and polyjacking price tables. The replacement row uses the SlabCalc Concrete Cost Index US median for a new driveway ($5.56–11.06 per sq ft) plus $2–6 per sq ft for removal.

Why Concrete Sinks in the First Place

The method matters less than the cause. If the cause is still active, any lift is temporary.

Poorly compacted fill: the soil under the slab was never compacted and has slowly compressed. This is the most common cause, and it usually stops once the soil has consolidated, so it is a good candidate for a one-time lift.
Water washout: downspouts, bad grading, or a leaking pipe wash soil out from under the slab. It keeps happening until the water is redirected.
Expansive clay: clay soils swell when wet and shrink in drought, so slabs rise and fall with the seasons. Dallas (76/100) and San Antonio (77/100) score high in the SlabCalc Soil Risk Index for exactly this reason.
Rotting organic material: a slab poured over topsoil, stumps, or roots settles as the material decays.

The concrete settling guide covers how to tell these apart. Settlement cracks look different from shrinkage cracks; the settlement cracking guide shows the patterns.

How Mudjacking Works

The crew drills 1.5–2 inch holes through the slab in a grid.
A slurry of water, sand, cement, and often topsoil or limestone is pumped under the slab.
The slurry fills the voids first, then hydraulic pressure lifts the slab.
The holes are patched with cement grout.
The slab is usable after about 24 hours.

Where it wins: it is the cheapest lift, it has decades of track record, and the dense slurry fills large cavities completely. On stable soil a mudjacked slab can last as long as the concrete itself. More detail in the mudjacking guide.

Where it loses: the slurry weighs about 100 lb per cubic foot, which adds load to soil that already failed once, and it can erode if water keeps running under the slab. The patched holes stay visible.

How Polyjacking Works

The crew drills holes about 5/8 inch wide.
A two-part liquid polyurethane is injected; it reacts and expands to many times its liquid volume.
The foam fills voids and lifts the slab while the operator watches a laser level.
The foam reaches most of its strength in about 15 minutes.
The small holes are patched.

Where it wins: it barely loads the soil, it is closed-cell and waterproof, the holes are small, and the slab is back in use the same hour. More detail in the polyjacking guide.

Where it loses: the price, and it cannot be reworked once cured. Very large voids take a lot of foam, which is where the per-foot price climbs toward the top of the range.

When to Replace Instead

Lifting is the wrong fix when:

The slab is broken into loose pieces or crumbling. Lift pressure moves each piece separately and the surface will not come back flat.
It sank more than about 4 inches. That usually means a large void or active washout.
The cause cannot be fixed. An active leak or a tree root system will undo the lift.
The math does not work. On small slabs the $300–700 job minimum can exceed half the cost of a new one. In the Texas metros, where new flatwork is cheapest, mudjacking a 200 sq ft driveway section already costs about 63% of replacing it.
The slab was wrong to begin with: too thin, no base, or sloped toward the house. Replacement lets you build it right; see driveway thickness.

Decision Checklist

Is the slab in one piece? No: replace. Yes: continue.
Is the cause fixed? No: fix drainage or the leak first. Yes: continue.
How far did it sink? More than about 4 inches: get a replacement quote. Less: continue.
What is the soil like? Stable: mudjacking. Wet, weak, or expansive: polyjacking.
Does lifting cost more than about 60% of replacing? Yes: get both quotes. No: lift.

For settlement under a house foundation or basement wall, get a structural engineer or foundation specialist to look first; slab lifting is for flatwork.

Key Takeaways

Mudjacking: $4–9 per sq ft, heavy slurry, 24-hour cure, best on stable soil
Polyjacking: $8–25 per sq ft, light waterproof foam, 15-minute cure, best on weak or wet soil
Both carry a $300–700 job minimum, so bundle every sunken slab into one visit
Replace when the slab is broken, sank more than about 4 inches, or lifting passes about 60% of replacement cost
Fix the water problem first, or either method will fail

Mudjacking vs Polyjacking: Cost, Lifespan, and When to Replace Instead