When starting out as a spray foam contractor, you won’t have all the knowledge that comes with experience. For example, if you haven’t worked with concrete lifting foam often in the past, you may not be familiar with how it reacts during professional foamjacking. If you’ve ever wondered how thick your concrete lifting foam should be, here is a quick guide on polyurethane lifting foam and its properties.
What Type of Foam Concrete Lifters Use
Concrete lifting contractors use a special type of polyurethane foam for concrete lifting. This is one of the better alternatives to traditional concrete raising techniques such as mud jacking. Polyurethane foam is ideal for concrete lifting because it expands after application and is exceptionally long-lasting. With professional application, most foam concrete lifts will last for the lifetime of the home. This is far superior to other forms of concrete lifting, which usually last five to 10 years.
Foam Thickness for Concrete Lifting
The recommended thickness of your concrete lifting foam can vary with every project. Some concrete slabs are larger or heavier than average, requiring more lifting foam with a higher density. On average, most concrete lifts require 2-4 pounds of polyurethane lifting foam per cubic foot. Contractors pump the foam mixture into pre-drilled holes in the concrete. Foamjacking uses small holes that contractors place 3-5 feet apart, which helps spread the foam mixture evenly under the surface. Compare this to mudjacking, which requires larger holes to be as close as a foot apart. This process can leave a poor aesthetic impression and cause more damage to the concrete slab.
Foam Pliability and Other Properties
Concrete lifting polyurethane foam won’t fully cure immediately after you apply it. This keeps the foam pliable and allows the contractor to maneuver and edit slab placement for optimal concrete quality. Keep this in mind when pumping concrete foam and measuring the thickness, as it may take some time for the foam to expand and cure fully. This process usually takes about 15 minutes, but contractors should always warn their clients about curing times and when they can resume using their concrete installation.
These are some of the basics to know about concrete lifting foam procedures, including how thick your concrete lifting foam should be when applying it. If you’re a spray foam contractor looking for equipment for foamjacking, browse our selection of concrete slab lifting equipment here at Spray Foam Systems. We offer a wide selection of spray foam insulation and foamjacking equipment for contractors.
