Will Replacing My Driveway Concrete or Soil Fix Settling?

When faced with an uneven driveway, a homeowner’s first thought is that there’s something wrong with their concrete. Most of the time, however, the concrete is not the problem. Settling is caused by the soil under the concrete slab, so replacing the slab is completely unnecessary. 

• What Needs to Be Fixed  

When wanting to fix uneven concrete, the focus shouldn’t be on the slab itself just because it’s the most apparent part of the problem. Replacing your driveway’s concrete is a much more expensive option than calling a contractor that can use polyurethane injections. You would have to wait for the concrete to fully harden once it’s poured in, and the whole thing can take a few days. 

New layers of soil will have to be placed down anyway, so it’s more sensible to simply fill the gap caused by soil shrinkage. If you still think that the concrete is too broken and cracked, call a contractor about it to get an expert opinion. There’s still a chance the original concrete can be saved without having to spend an arm and a leg getting a new slab. 

• Replacing the Soil Won’t Work Either  

Hearing that the clay soil is the true culprit of concrete settling, you might be wondering if you should also replace the soil before lifting the concrete. However, North Carolina’s state soil is one of the best foundation soils used in construction, called Cecil soil. The reason it’s so good is that it has brown-colored loam topsoil, which has very little clay content but is still firm and perfect for foundation use. Underneath the loam is red-colored clay soil that condenses well and offers great support. 

Even Cecil soil will shrink over the course of a few years. Besides, replacing the soil located where the driveway settled doesn’t change the fact that the rest of the driveway will eventually sink. To fully replace the soil, you would have to alter the entire driveway. This is a much more invasive process than polyurethane injections.