How a Homeowner Avoided (Another) Demolition of Their Driveway

Tuesday, August 26th, 2025 by Jack Purdon

Challenge

The homeowner in Cincinnati had previously replaced their driveway due to settling and cracking. When the driveway began to sink and separate again, they faced the possibility of another expensive and disruptive repour. The stress of a potential demolition and the associated costs made them hesitant to take immediate action.

While researching solutions online, the homeowner’s daughter came across the PolyLevel method. She thought it might be a viable alternative to a full repour and encouraged her parents to request a professional estimate.

When our team explained how PolyLevel works—lifting and stabilizing concrete using a high-density polyurethane foam—and showed that it would be significantly cheaper and faster than a full replacement, the homeowner immediately saw the value in this approach and decided to move forward with us.

Solution

Instead of tearing out the driveway, the homeowner chose a faster, more cost-effective solution: concrete lifting and stabilization using PolyLevel. Our team injected high-strength expanding foam directly beneath the concrete slabs through pea-sized holes that were nearly invisible once sealed. For this project, we used approximately 400 pounds of PolyLevel—an impressive amount given how lightweight and powerful the material was. The foam raised and stabilized the slabs, restoring a level, safe surface without the need for demolition.

Once the driveway was fully stabilized, we sealed all cracks and joints with NexusPro sealant. To complete the finished look, the sealant was topped with color-matched sand that blended seamlessly with the existing concrete, leaving the driveway looking fresh, uniform, and visually appealing.

The results were clear and immediate:

Significant savings: The repair cost was roughly half of what a full tear-out and repour would have required.
Quick turnaround: The entire project was completed in a single day, avoiding the extended disruption of a full replacement.
Less mess: There was no loud demolition, dust, or heavy equipment damaging the yard.

This project had been more challenging than usual due to how uneven the slabs were, but with skill, patience, and the right products, we delivered a driveway that functioned perfectly, looked great, and will last for years—without repeating the stress and cost of a full repour.

This photo shows the driveway before we leveled and repaired it.

This photo shows the troubling hillside that this driveway was sinking into.

If you look at the edge of the driveway, you can see just how wonky all the slabs had became. The homeowner wasn't even sure if we'd be able to fix it with our foam methods before she had us send an inspector out.

If you look closely, beneath the door frame was a minor gap, but a tripping hazard nonetheless.

This photo shows the driveway after we leveled and repaired it.

This photo shows our Tech, David, injecting the foam underneath the slab. The tool connecting both of the slabs together is called our SlabJacker tool, which helps us manually steer the slabs back together as we're injecting the foam.

This photo shows both of our Techs putting the final touches on the project. David, to the left, is sealing any voids underneath the slab on the hillside. Keith, to the right, is matching the color of the sealant to the existing concrete.

This photo shows just how level the driveway was when we finished. It also shows the void we filled with our foam on the hillside. The void filling process makes sure critters can't burrow underneath the driveway, and it further contains the soil from washing away.

After we leveled the driveway out, we then sealed the cracks with our NexusPro sealant. This sealant is UV-resistant, can stretch, and will prevent water from entering beneath the concrete.

You can see the tripping hazard was eliminated after we raised the slab back up.

The homeowner was kind enough to show us their classic Mustang convertible sitting in their garage. No way you could risk driving this car over that mess of a driveway beforehand. What a beauty.