How can a tilted sidewalk be corrected?
+5
I have a concrete sidewalk (from street to front door) that has settled in the ground unevenly. There are two cracks that's divided it into thirds. The whole thing is lower on the left. I would love to find out how I can level it. (I painted it, but it's simply regular concrete.)
There are companies that can dig underneath and pump concrete under the side walk to even it and level providing the walk has reinforced wire or rebar .
the process above is called mud jacking...it does work. usually there are 'expansion" cuts made to allow for earth movement when a walkway is installed. if it can't be jacked try grinding down the edges of the cracked pieces. once ground down so no one trips....fill the crack with a " crack" filler comes in a cartridge like caulk, but it's runny and will self level. hum...scrape out the grass/ weeds b/4 fill the crack.
It's not worth it to have your concrete pumped when it's a sidewalk. You need to have a contractor remove and replace it. It all starts with a solid base of type 5, or 3/4 clean rock well tamped. Concrete sidewalks need to be 4" thick, with 1/2" rebar for reinforcement. Make sure the contractor puts joints every 4' for controlled cracking. A sidewalk is allowed 2% or less cross-sloping for it to adhere to the ADA standard that is a national requirement. Always get several bids for contractor's and make sure you get to see some of their work. Check that they are licensed and insured, and warranty their work. It's really up to you if you want to replace it. If it's not to bad or a tripping hazard you could leave it alone. It just depends on how much it bothers you.
OK I'm cheep, and don't want to have to hiring someone, So why not just level it up with a thin layer of concrete or tile mortar depending how much out of wack it is and lay outdoor tile on top of that. Would look awesome and you can have fun with the pattern. Check out your Habitat for Humanities store or Craigslist for Cheep tile and supplies sometimes you can even get them for free... I like free!
Good luck & have fun.
Thanks!
We had this problem, except on a smaller scale. My suggestion is this: Cut wood wedges from a 4x4 with one end cut at a 45 degree angle, using a sledge hammer ,place angle part of the wood wedge, slightly under the sidewalk , pound the piece under the sidewalk until level. Then fill under the sidewalk with soil. It works well and saves $$$$. Leave the wood wedge in place.