October 1, 2026 · SureStep LLC

Polyurethane Foam vs. Mudjacking: What's the Difference?

Both methods lift sunken concrete. Only one of them is what we'd put under our own driveways. Here's the plain-English comparison we give every Milwaukee homeowner who asks.

How each method works

Mudjacking (also called slabjacking) drills 2.5-inch holes through your concrete and pumps in a slurry of cement, soil, and water. The heavy mixture hydraulically shoves the slab upward.

Polyurethane foam lifting — the method SureStep uses — drills holes about the width of a fingertip and injects high-density expanding foam. The foam fills voids, compacts loose soil, and lifts the slab with precision.

The differences that matter

• Hole size. Mudjacking: 2.5-inch holes across your driveway. Foam: holes about ⅝" wide, patched the same day until they're barely visible.
• Weight. Mudjacking slurry is heavy — sometimes 100+ pounds per cubic foot — sitting on soil that already failed once. Foam weighs about 4 pounds per cubic foot. It doesn't burden weak ground.
• Cure time. Foam cures in about 15 minutes; you drive on it the same day. Mudjacking slurry needs 24–72 hours before it can take weight.
• Precision. Foam expands in a controlled way, so we can fine-tune the lift to the sixteenth of an inch. Slurry is harder to meter.
• Water resistance. Cured polyurethane foam doesn't wash out. Cement slurry can erode again if water keeps moving underneath.

Why we chose foam

SureStep started as a concrete lifting company, and we work with foam every day because it solves the underlying problem — unstable soil — instead of just shoving the slab up. Smaller holes, same-day use, lighter on the ground, and backed by our 5-year warranty.*

Is mudjacking ever the right call?

For massive industrial voids on a tight budget, mudjacking still has a place. For homes, driveways, sidewalks, patios, and garage floors in Southeast Wisconsin, foam wins on every measure that matters to a homeowner.