Concrete leveling
Mudjacking in Rockford, IL
Updated October 1, 2026
Mudjacking is the method most people mean when they first ask about this trade, even if they end up quoted on foam instead. It is also called slabjacking or concrete jacking, same process, different name depending on who you ask.
Cause
Why This One Settles
This page is about the method itself, not one slab type: mudjacking can be the right call on a driveway, a sidewalk or a patio, and the thing that decides it is the soil underneath, not which surface is on top.
- The slurry is sand, soil and cement mixed on site and pumped through holes about an inch to an inch and a half across, larger than foam needs because slurry will not move through a smaller port.
- It is heavy. That is also its main limitation: adding weight to ground that already failed to carry what was on it is how some mudjacked slabs settle a second time.
- It has been the standard method for decades, which is why plenty of crews around Rockford still run it well, and why it is the one homeowners' parents already know the name of.
- On stable, well-drained soil where the settling was a one-time event rather than ongoing washout, the weight is not a problem and the lower cost is a real advantage.
The underlying reason any of it moves here is the frost line. Rockford requires footings at 42 inches because the ground freezes that deep, and flatwork is poured well above it. Full explanation on why concrete sinks in Rockford.
The work
How This Job Runs
- Step 1
Walk the slab and mark every panel that has moved, the same survey as any leveling job.
- Step 2
Drill holes roughly an inch to an inch and a half across, spaced across the settled area.
- Step 3
Pump the slurry in stages, watching the slab rise with a level rather than filling to a fixed volume.
- Step 4
Patch the holes with grout once the slab is back at grade. The patches are more visible than foam's penny-sized ones.
When lifting is the wrong call
Where This Does Not Work
Where a void was caused by water that is still moving under the slab, mudjacking is the wrong call: the slurry can wash out the same way the original soil did, and you pay for the job twice. Foam resists washout better. A crew that mudjacks a washout void without saying so is selling you the cheaper fix for the wrong problem.
Cost
What It Runs
Mudjacking runs $3 to $8 per square foot in the Rockford area, roughly half what polyurethane foam costs, with most residential jobs landing in the same $500 to $3,000 total range once the lower per-square-foot rate is weighed against the larger hole sizes.
Full per-square-foot breakdown and the comparison against replacement is on the pricing page, and the method choice is covered on mudjacking versus foam.
By town
Mudjacking Near You
What the concrete is like varies more across this metro than people expect.
Need mudjacking in the Rockford area?
Send a photo of the slab and roughly how far it has dropped. You get a fixed quote back.