1. Mudjacking (slabjacking)
How it works: the crew drills holes roughly 2 inches wide through the settled slab, then pumps a cement-based slurry (sand, cement, water, sometimes additives) underneath at pressure. The slurry fills voids and its hydraulic pressure lifts the slab back toward level. Holes are patched afterward.
Strengths
- Cheapest lifting method. The material is basically concrete mix — inexpensive. You're paying for labor, equipment, and expertise.
- Good for large areas where precision matters less — long runs of sidewalk, big commercial slabs.
- Decades of track record. This is the oldest lifting method; experienced crews are predictable with it.
Weaknesses — especially in Florida
- It's heavy. Cured slurry weighs on the order of 100 lbs per cubic foot. On firm, stable soil that's fine. On Florida's soft, sandy, saturated soils, you're adding significant load to ground that's already struggling — which is one reason settlement recurs.
- It can wash out. Cement slurry is vulnerable to water before and even after curing in high-flow conditions. If storm water is actively moving under your slab, slurry is the wrong material.
- Longer cure, bigger holes. Expect a day or more before heavy use, and the 2" patch circles are visible (though they fade).
- Less precise. Harder to fine-tune than foam — fine for a driveway, less ideal where tolerances are tight.
Bottom line: mudjacking is the value pick on firm, stable soil with no active water problem. In much of the Treasure Coast — sandy soil, high water table, storm washout — its two weaknesses matter. Ask the bidder about your soil before you accept the lower price.
2. Polyurethane injection (foam jacking / polyjacking)
How it works: the crew drills penny-sized holes (about 5/8") and injects a two-part polyurethane resin that expands as foam beneath the slab. The expansion fills voids completely and lifts the slab with fine control. The foam cures in roughly 15 minutes — you can typically drive on it the same day.
Strengths
- Lightweight. Cured foam weighs roughly 2–4 lbs per cubic foot — about 2% of mudjacking slurry. On weak Florida soils, it lifts without adding load.
- Waterproof and washout-resistant. Once cured, the foam doesn't dissolve or wash out. This is the decisive advantage where storm water or irrigation caused the void in the first place.
- Precise. Injection can be metered in small bursts for fine leveling — better for driveways where appearance matters.
- Fast. 15-minute cure, minimal disruption, tiny holes that nearly disappear.
Weaknesses
- Costs more — typically a multiple of mudjacking for the same lift, because the resin is an engineered material. (See cost bands.)
- Overkill for simple jobs. If your soil is firm, the slab settled uniformly, and there's no water issue, foam's advantages don't earn its premium.
- Still doesn't fix the cause. Foam fills the void beautifully — but if the drainage problem that created the void is still active, even foam is buying time, not a cure.
Bottom line: in Florida conditions — sandy soil, washout voids, need-it-today timelines — polyurethane is usually the technically better lift. Whether it's worth the premium depends on your soil and your water situation, not on the sales pitch.
3. Resurfacing (concrete overlay)
How it works: after cleaning and prepping the existing slab, the crew applies a polymer-modified cement topping (typically 1/4" to 1/2" thick), which can be broomed, stamped, or stained for a like-new surface.
Strengths
- Cosmetic transformation at a fraction of replacement cost — stains, pitting, and minor surface wear disappear.
- Faster and cheaper than a re-pour.
Weaknesses
- It fixes the surface, not the structure. Resurfacing does not lift settled slabs. If your problem is settlement, an overlay is the wrong job entirely.
- It needs a sound slab underneath. Overlay bonds to the existing concrete — if that concrete is spalling, extensively cracked, or still moving, the overlay fails with it, often within a couple of years. Resurfacing a dying slab is throwing money at cosmetics.
Bottom line: resurfacing is a facelift, not a repair. Great for an ugly-but-sound driveway; a waste of money on a structurally failing one.
Head-to-head comparison
| Mudjacking | Polyurethane injection | Resurfacing | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixes settlement | Yes | Yes | No |
| Relative cost | $ (cheapest lift) | $$–$$$ (2–4x mudjacking typical) | $$ (per sq ft, cosmetic) |
| Added weight | High (~100 lbs/cu ft) | Negligible (~2–4 lbs/cu ft) | Minimal |
| Washout resistance | Poor–fair | Excellent | N/A |
| Precision | Moderate | High | N/A |
| Hole size | ~2 inches | ~5/8 inch | None |
| Use after repair | 24–48 hours typical | ~15 minutes | 24–48 hours typical |
| Florida fit | Firm, dry soil only | Sandy/wet soil, washout voids | Sound slabs, cosmetic needs |
Material weights and cure times are standard industry figures for these methods. Costs are relative — see the cost guide for reported Treasure Coast bands.
Which one does Florida actually need?
Honest answer: Florida's conditions favor polyurethane more often than the national average does. Sandy soils that consolidate, a high water table, and tropical-storm washout are exactly the conditions where foam's light weight and washout resistance earn their premium. That doesn't make mudjacking wrong — on firm, well-drained soil it's the smart value choice — but "cheapest quote wins" is a bad rule here. Match the method to your soil and your water, using the decision framework, then compare prices within the right method.
Note on who sells what: many lifting companies offer only one method. That's fine — specialization is good — but it means the recommendation is never neutral. If you've only talked to a mudjacker, talk to a foam company too (or vice versa), especially in the local specialist shortlist, which includes both approaches.