Homeowners often resort to completely replacing something that has been broken in their home. Sometimes, replacing something can be a lot more inconvenient and costly than repairing it. Such is often the case with concrete settling. When concrete steps settle, many homeowners rush to find contractors who can demolish and then rebuild the steps instead of repairing them with concrete lifting solutions.
Choosing to replace it instead of repairing it is more likely to happen when the steps are cracked. However, even broken steps can be repaired with polyurethane foam. It all comes down to observing the damage and determining the severity. Of course, if you are unsure whether repairs are possible, you can always contact an expert to inspect the steps.
When to Repair
Figuring out when you should repair concrete steps is relatively easy. Visually, you’ll notice that the stairs are uneven in some way. Sometimes, this will mean that the steps are tilting either left or right. Other times, they will settle at the first step, raising the top step higher. Or, the reverse will happen, and the back part of the steps will settle and lift the beginning of the base.
Regardless of which way they go when they settle, they can be lifted with polyurethane foam. Even when they settle so much that they become detached from the rest of the structure. What’s important is that they get lifted by something that can support them. Cracked steps can also be repaired, but this depends heavily on the severity of the crack and how the steps were made. Steps that were built with reinforced concrete (concrete with rebar in them) can be repaired a lot easier than precast steps.
When Not to Repair
Precast concrete steps are a lot harder to repair when severely cracked. This is because they are made of pure concrete, so when they break in half, they’re a lot harder to put back together. Concrete steps that have multiple cracks and severe structural damage cannot be repaired. This is because the polyurethane foam cannot be used to lift multiple chunks of the concrete. Remember, it is only supposed to be used to fill the gap between the concrete and the soil; it cannot glue the steps back together.
Steps made with reinforced concrete are a lot easier to lift. That said, an effective way to tell if the steps are too far gone is if you can see the rebar. It’s important that you contact an expert from the moment you notice that the steps are settling because the more time passes the more they will settle. Advanced settling eventually causes certain structural problems that require the entire step to be replaced.