Both methods work. The right one depends on your soil, your budget, and the quality of the work, in roughly that order.
We've been lifting concrete in Utah since 2010, and we offer both mudjacking and polyjacking (also called polyurethane foam injection or polyfoam). That puts us in an unusual position to write this comparison honestly. We don't have a method to sell you on. We have a job to do right.
Here's what we tell our customers, including the parts our competitors won't.
If you just want the bottom line:
The rest of this page explains how to think through those tradeoffs and how to tell the difference between good polyurethane foam work and the cheap version most contractors do.
For a typical residential driveway lift (three to four panels):
| Method | Typical cost range |
|---|---|
| Mudjacking | $1,000 to $2,500 |
| Quality polyurethane foam | 25 to 30% more than mudjacking |
| Tear out and replace (new pour) | $4,000 to $8,000 |
| Cheap polyurethane foam | Sometimes cheaper than mudjacking |
Ranges assume standard 8 foot by 8 foot panels and typical access. Larger pads, deeper voids, or difficult access can shift these numbers significantly. We provide a written, accurate estimate after assessment.
A few things worth pulling apart here.
Mudjacking vs replacement is 60 to 75% savings. That's why "lifting saves you thousands" is a real claim, not marketing. Replacement isn't just expensive, it's slow (you can't park on a new pour for days), messy (a tear-out is a construction zone), and risky (the new slab settles into the same bad soil that broke the old one if the underlying cause isn't fixed first).
Quality polyurethane foam costs 25 to 30% more than mudjacking. The reason is materials and equipment. Done right, polyfoam requires a heated reactor that mixes two chemical components in a precise 1:1 ratio, and the foam itself costs more per pound than mudjacking slurry. A reputable polyfoam contractor is paying for these inputs whether the homeowner sees them or not.
Cheap polyurethane foam exists and it's a trap. If a polyfoam quote is lower than mudjacking for the same job, something is wrong. Either the foam being installed is low-density (2 lb instead of 3 lb or higher), the reactor isn't holding ratio (so the foam cures off-spec and compresses under load), or the contractor isn't filling the full void under the slab. Cheap foam can fail in three to five years. Good foam doesn't.
Most articles you'll find on this topic will give you confident-sounding lifespan numbers. "Mudjacking lasts 10 years." "Polyfoam lasts 30 years." These numbers are mostly marketing.
The honest answer is that the lifespan of either method depends on the soil under the concrete, not the lifting material itself.
For polyurethane foam: The only thing that breaks down quality polyfoam is UV exposure. Since polyfoam goes under your concrete and never sees sunlight, it doesn't degrade chemically. If the slab settles again after polyfoam, it's because the soil moved, not because the foam failed.
For mudjacking: Our slurry uses a proper binding agent and cures into a hard, supportive base that doesn't degrade once set. If the slab settles, it's because the soil moved, not because the slurry failed. Watch out for competitors who pump organic-laden dirt (which decomposes over time) or who skip the binding agent (so the mixture never properly cures).
The soil is the variable. In Salt Lake and Tooele Counties, the soil is mostly clay, loam, and silt. Clay swells and shrinks with moisture, and silt compacts under load. Fill around culverts, garage approaches, or new construction keeps settling for years. Without addressing the soil, the slab will settle again, no matter what method you use.
This is why we test soil before quoting any significant lift. A dynamic cone penetrometer (DCP) test takes about an hour and tells us whether the soil supports the load we're about to put back on it. If it doesn't, we have an honest conversation about soil stabilization (DeepLock injection), foundation underpinning (helical piers), or sometimes replacement, before we lift anything.
If your contractor isn't asking about your soil, they're guessing.
We've said we prefer polyurethane foam for most jobs. There are real situations where mudjacking is the better choice:
1. The soil already has good support. This is the determining factor. If your concrete has settled due to one-time fill consolidation and the surrounding soil is solid, mudjacking does the job for less money. There's no need to pay for premium foam when basic slurry will perform identically.
2. The concrete is hidden. Mudjacking requires larger injection holes than polyfoam. On a back patio, under a porch, or anywhere the holes won't be visible to anyone except you, the cosmetic difference doesn't matter.
3. Budget is the hard constraint. If you're choosing between mudjacking now and waiting two years to afford polyfoam, mudjacking now is the right answer. A lift today protects against further damage that compounds the longer you wait.
4. Deep voids or very heavy loads. Mudjacking slurry handles concentrated loads (commercial driveways, heavy vehicle traffic, deep voids under thick slabs) well. Polyfoam can also handle these, but only at high densities, which gets expensive.
For most residential applications, polyfoam wins on three things:
1. Smaller holes. Polyurethane foam injection holes are typically 5/8 inch industry-wide. We use 3/8 inch holes, which leave nearly invisible patches. Mudjacking holes are much larger (about 1.5 inches) and remain visible for years. On a front driveway or visible walkway, this matters.
2. Faster cure. You can drive on polyurethane foam within 15 to 30 minutes. Mudjacking patches need about 4 hours before they're ready for vehicle weight, because the patches themselves are larger and need to set.
3. Less weight added to the slab. A 3 lb polyfoam adds dramatically less weight than mudjacking slurry. On soil that's already showing signs of weakness, this can be the difference between a lift that holds and a lift that re-settles.
We install 3 lb minimum density foam as standard. For jobs with heavier loads (commercial work, heavy vehicle traffic, sport courts), we move up to 4 to 7 lb. Lighter 2 lb foam exists and is sometimes used because it costs less and expands further per gallon. It also compresses under load over time, which can cause re-settlement. Off-ratio foam fails the same way at any density: if the reactor isn't holding a precise 1:1 mix, the foam cures soft and compresses under load. Done with the right density and ratio, polyfoam works for decades.
If you're getting multiple bids, ask each contractor these specific questions:
1. What density foam do you install?
The right answer is 3 lb or higher. Anything under 3 lb is residential-light material that compresses over time. If the contractor doesn't know the density of their own foam, that itself is a red flag.
2. What reactor do you use, and what ratio precision does it hold?
Polyurethane foam is a two-component product (Component A and Component B) that must be mixed at a precise 1:1 ratio. A heated reactor maintains this ratio in real time as the material is injected. Our reactor holds 1:1 within 1% precision. Off-ratio foam cures soft and compresses. Contractors who don't have or maintain a reactor are mixing on the fly, which means their foam quality varies job to job.
3. How many holes will you drill, and where?
This one is counterintuitive. Most homeowners assume fewer holes means a tidier job. In reality, fewer holes often means the contractor isn't fully filling the void under the slab. They lift the visible part of the slab from the edges, leave hollow space underneath, and call it done. The slab settles again within a year or two because there's nothing supporting it from below, or worse, it breaks and needs to be replaced. A real fill requires enough holes to confirm full void coverage with no hollow zones.
4. What's the warranty, and what does it actually cover?
Look for warranties that cover the lift itself (material performance and workmanship) and that clearly state what's covered and for how long. See the warranty section below for how we structure ours and why the right warranty depends on the work being done.
5. What manufacturer certifications do you hold?
Manufacturer certifications (we hold Alchatek and PierTech) require the contractor to be trained on installation methods and to install only that manufacturer's approved materials. Uncertified contractors can use whatever they buy on the cheap. Certified contractors are accountable to a brand that monitors quality.
Any honest lifting contractor's warranty has a soil-movement exclusion, and that exclusion is appropriate. The contractor can warranty their lift, but they cannot warranty against soil movement they didn't address. If your soil continues to settle beneath the slab, no material between the slab and the soil can stop the soil from moving. Pretending otherwise is dishonest.
What matters is what level of work the warranty covers, and whether the contractor offers a way to actually address the soil if the soil is the underlying issue.
Our warranties are structured to reflect this:
| Service | Warranty period |
|---|---|
| Mudjacking | 2 years |
| Polyurethane foam lifting | 5 years |
| DeepLock soil stabilization | 10 years |
The escalation isn't arbitrary. Mudjacking slurry and polyurethane foam, regardless of their differences, both sit between the slab and the soil. We warranty their material performance and the workmanship of the lift. The polyfoam warranty is longer because high-density foam has superior long-term durability under load compared to mudjacking slurry.
DeepLock is different. DeepLock injection stabilizes the soil itself beneath the slab. When we warranty DeepLock for 10 years, we're standing behind the long-term stability of the soil foundation, not just our lift. This is the warranty that addresses the actual cause of most settlement, and it's why DeepLock costs more upfront. You're paying for a fix to the root problem, with a warranty that reflects that.
When you're comparing bids, ask each contractor what their warranty covers, what's excluded, and whether they offer a soil-stabilization option. A polyfoam-only contractor with a 5-year warranty is fine for stable soil. For unstable soil, you want someone who can stabilize the soil and warranty that work for the long haul.
After 16 years, we've heard most of these multiple times a week. Each is at least partly wrong:
"Polyfoam shrinks and fails after a few years."
Quality polyurethane foam doesn't shrink. Off-ratio or low-density foam compresses under load, which looks like shrinkage but is actually crushing. Real polyfoam, installed properly, doesn't break down.
"Mudjacking is outdated."
It's older, but old doesn't mean wrong. Mudjacking has worked for decades and continues to work. The slurry technology has improved but the fundamentals are the same. Some jobs are still best done with mudjacking.
"Lifting won't last as long as replacement."
Both lifting and replacement put concrete back on the same soil. If the soil is the problem, replacement won't last either. If the soil is stable, both lifting and replacement last decades. The difference is that replacement costs two to five times more.
"The injection holes will be visible forever."
With polyfoam, the patches are nearly invisible. With mudjacking, they're visible but fade significantly over the first year as the patches weather. We use color-matched patches whenever possible. On a busy driveway, no one will notice them after the first month.
"You'll have to redo it every few years."
Quality lifts on stable soil don't need redoing. If a contractor is suggesting you should expect to redo the work, that's a sign the underlying soil issue wasn't addressed in the original quote.
If our diagnosis shows the soil isn't supporting the load, lifting alone won't solve the problem. The slab will settle again. In those situations, we use different methods depending on what the soil is doing:
DeepLock soil stabilization. Our deep-injection process stabilizes weak soils below the slab. We confirm results with DCP testing before and after. This is often the right answer for sport courts, driveways, RV pads, patios, garage floors, approaches over bad fill, and slabs over expansive clay.
Helical piers (underpinning). For foundations or heavy structures where the soil can't support the load even after stabilization, helical piers transfer the weight down to load-bearing strata. PierTech certified.
Combination methods. Many jobs need two methods. DeepLock to stabilize the soil, then polyfoam to lift the slab back to grade. This is more expensive than a simple lift but cheaper than tear-out and replacement, and it actually addresses both problems.
Sometimes replacement is the right answer. If the slab is broken into pieces, crumbling, or so far out of grade that lifting it back would compromise structural integrity, we'll tell you replacement is the better path. We'd rather lose the job than do work that won't last.
Q: Will the holes be visible?
With polyurethane foam, our holes are about 3/8 inch and the patches are nearly invisible. With mudjacking, holes are larger (about 1.5 inches) and the patches are visible for the first year before they weather and blend.
Q: How long until I can drive on it?
Polyurethane foam: 15 to 30 minutes after the lift is complete. Mudjacking: about 4 hours before vehicle weight, because the larger patches need time to fully set.
Q: Will the lift fail in winter?
Quality lifts don't fail in winter. The freeze-thaw cycle can move concrete: water in the soil or under the slab freezes, expands, and heaves the slab up (frost heaving). When it thaws, the slab can settle back down. We address this two ways: by stabilizing soils that are prone to seasonal movement, and by sealing joints and cracks after the lift to keep water from getting under the slab in the first place. Properly stabilized soil and high-density polyfoam handle the cycle for decades.
Q: Is one method better for sloped driveways?
Both work. The bigger concern on slopes is drainage. Water moving under the slab is what causes settlement in the first place. We address drainage as part of the assessment.
Q: How long does the work take?
Most residential driveways are completed in a single visit, typically 2 to 4 hours including setup, testing, lift, and cleanup. Larger commercial jobs may take a full day or longer.
Q: Do I need to be home?
No, but it helps for the initial assessment and walkthrough. The lift itself can be done while you're at work.
Q: What about warranty?
Our warranty terms are tiered by service: 2 years on mudjacking, 5 years on polyurethane foam, and 10 years on DeepLock soil stabilization. See the warranty section above for the reasoning behind the structure. Manufacturer-backed where applicable (Alchatek for polyfoam, PierTech for foundation work).
Every project starts the same way:
Want it right? We do it right. That's not a slogan, it's how we run jobs.
We service Salt Lake and Tooele Counties, with offices in West Jordan and Grantsville. We'll diagnose the cause before we recommend a method.
Call (435) 850-6363Lift Right Concrete LLC is family-owned and operated, in business since 2010. We are PierTech Certified and Alchatek Certified. We hold appropriate licensing and insurance for residential and commercial concrete work in Utah.