Foundation services
Mudjacking: how slurry lifts concrete
Mudjacking, also called mud jacking or slabjacking, pumps a cement-based slurry under a sunken slab through drilled holes until it rises.
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Written by HyreFoundation Research Desk Primary-source research and fact checking
The short answer
Mudjacking, also called mud jacking or slabjacking, pumps a cement-based slurry under a sunken slab through drilled holes until it rises. It fills large voids well. The slurry is heavy and the holes are larger than for foam, so it fits some slabs better than others.
Key takeaways
and becomes solid under the slab.
Soft or loose soil can settle again under the added weight.
, so patches show more.
by contractor. Ask what is in it.
How does mudjacking work?
Larger holes through the slab at points across it.
Cement, soil or sand and water pumped in until the slab rises.
The crew lifts in stages to avoid cracking.
Holes are filled; the slurry needs time to set.
What moves the price
Void size and slab count drive the job. We publish no price figures until we hold enough sourced, dated quotes; see what drives foundation costs.
| Factor | Why it changes the number |
|---|---|
| Void volume | More void, more slurry. |
| Sections | Each slab lifted separately. |
| Access | Pump hose reach and setup. |
HyreFoundation publishes no national average price for this work. Depth to bearing, soil, access and method vary enough between two houses on the same street that a single figure would mislead.
When is mudjacking a good fit?
Large voids under outdoor slabs on reasonably firm soil, where hole size does not matter much. Compare it with polyurethane lifting.
What to ask before you sign
The full checklist is on choosing a foundation contractor.
What to have ready
Where this goes wrong
The slurry can wash out too.
The extra weight can cause more settlement.
Holes will show.
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A straight answer first. A person reads it and replies by email, free and with no obligation. Matching is not live yet, so this is not a quote. If a wall is moving or a door frame has racked out of square this week, call a structural engineer first.
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Questions
Is mudjacking a permanent fix?
Mudjacking or polyjacking?
Can mudjacking fix a house foundation?
How long before I can use the slab?
Why did my slab sink in the first place?
Written and audited by
HyreFoundation Research Desk
Primary-source research and fact checking
We read the model building code, the federal soil and moisture guidance and the insurer position ourselves, and we publish each figure with the document it came from and the date we retrieved it.
Where a number cannot be traced to a primary source, we say so instead of printing it. HyreFoundation does not inspect, engineer or repair foundations. Authorship is organizational: this desk, not a named persona.
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How this desk works
- Primary sources only. Code statements come from the International Residential Code, Chapter 4, as the model code. Soil statements come from USDA and USGS. Insurance statements come from the policy language and the Insurance Information Institute. We open the source rather than cite a blog that cites it.
- The code is a model, and adoption is local. Your jurisdiction adopts an edition and amends it, and foundation chapters are amended more than most because frost depth and soil are local facts. Every code figure says so.
- We hold no job data. We have no dataset of bids, pier counts or invoices, so no page claims an average from one. Calculators show the arithmetic and the inputs they assumed, and label the result as an estimate.
- We do not diagnose your house. A crack guide can tell you which pattern to measure and when to call a structural engineer. It cannot tell you whether your foundation is failing. An engineer on site does that work.
- We do not repair foundations, and we take no payment for placement, ranking or a favorable mention. Nobody buys a position on this site.
Authorship on this site is organizational: the analysis belongs to the desk rather than to a named individual, and we do not publish credentials we do not hold. Our editorial policy sets out how we source, date and correct what we publish.
Sources & retrieval dates
Information on this page is general and varies with soil, climate, foundation type, building code, insurance policy and circumstance.
It is not engineering, insurance or legal advice, and no page can tell you whether your house has a structural problem: that needs a licensed professional on site.
HyreFoundation is an independent foundation resource, not a repair contractor or an engineering firm, and does not perform, supervise or warrant foundation work.