Sunken stamped, colored or exposed-aggregate concrete can usually be lifted without ruining the finish, and it's worth it: new decorative concrete rarely matches the old. We set the 5/8-inch injection holes in grout lines and texture where they're hardest to see, lift the slab as one piece with polyurethane foam, and patch with grout tinted to blend.
By Rob Diederich, owner · Updated
Holes
5/8 in, in grout lines
Patches
Tinted to blend
Use it
Same day
Warranty
Written warranty
Why lift decorative concrete instead of replacing it
Stamped, colored and exposed-aggregate concrete is the most expensive concrete around a house to pour and the hardest to match. Stamp patterns, color, release agents and sealers change from installer to installer and pour to pour, so a replaced section almost always looks like a patch. Lifting keeps the original slab, pattern and color.
Decorative concrete leveling at a glance
Works on
Stamped, stained, colored, exposed-aggregate and sealed concrete: patios, walks, pool surrounds and driveways
Holes
5/8 inch, placed in grout lines, joints and darker texture where they're hardest to see
Patches
Cement grout tinted to blend with the surface
What goes under it
Polyurethane foam at about 2–5 lb per cubic foot, not a heavy slurry pumped across a finished surface
The slab
Lifted as one piece, so the pattern itself isn't disturbed
Use it
Same day
Then seal
Joints and cracks, with sealant set low in the joint so it doesn't stand out
Foam weight from manufacturer data sheets (AP Lift 435).
Signs your stamped or decorative concrete needs lifting
✓A crack running through the pattern, with one side lower than the other.
✓A section that rocks or sounds hollow when you walk on it.
✓An edge pulling away from the steps, the house or a pool coping.
✓Water standing where it used to drain off.
✓A lip at a joint or pattern line that used to be flush.
Why decorative concrete sinks
The same way plain concrete does: the soil under it moves. A decorative finish doesn't change what's underneath, and patios and pool surrounds often sit right on foundation backfill or soil that stays wet.
Water washout
Roof and downspout water runs into open joints and carries fine soil out from under the slab. The slab drops into the hollow.
Fix: We seal the joints, and point out downspouts that need extending.
Freeze-thaw
Clay-heavy Green Bay soil holds water. Every winter it freezes, swells and thaws softer, loosening the base a little more each year.
Fix: Sealed joints keep water out of the base, which is what freezes.
Settling backfill
The soil pushed back against a new foundation is rarely compacted well. Anything sitting on it settles for years after the house is built.
Fix: Foam fills the voids and stiffens the zone under the slab without adding weight.
Thin or loose base
Some slabs were poured on a thin or poorly compacted base. Gaps under the slab let it settle at joints and corners.
Fix: Foam fills the gaps and supports the slab across its whole footprint.
How we lift it without hurting the finish
Hole placement and patching are what matter most on a decorative slab. Before drilling, we map the pattern and put each hole in a grout line, a joint or the darkest part of the texture. After the lift, the holes are packed with grout tinted to the surface, so they read as part of the pattern rather than as dots.
1Measure and set the lineWe set a string line or laser off the concrete that didn't move and measure how far each low spot has to come up.
2Drill 5/8″ holesPenny-sized holes go through the slab a few feet apart, kept off the edges and corners where concrete is weakest.
3Inject and lift to the lineTwo liquids mix at the gun and go under the slab. The foam expands in seconds and fills the empty space first. Once the void is full, each short shot raises the slab a little. We move between holes so it rises evenly and stop at the line.
4Patch and sealHoles are filled with cement grout and joints get a flexible sealant, so water can't wash the soil out again.
Illustrations, not to scale. Most residential jobs take a few hours, and you can walk on the slab when we pack up.
Why lift instead of replacing stamped concrete?
Replacing a stamped section means breaking out concrete you paid extra for, re-stamping a pattern that won't quite line up, and waiting about a week for it to cure. Lifting is one visit, and the surface you chose stays.
Fraction
of what tearing out and pouring new concrete costs
Same day
Walk on it when we pack up, not days later.
No demo
No jackhammers, no dumpster, no torn-up lawn or landscaping.
5/8″ holes
Penny-sized and patched flush. No new slab that won't match.
Stays up
Foam adds almost no weight and doesn't wash out like soil.
Warranty
Written, and spelled out in your quote before you approve it.
Replace
tear out + pour
Demo
Base
Pour
Keep off
Still curing: full strength in about 4 weeks
Lift
foam, one visit
Done in a few hours. Walk on it right away.
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
Replacement timing is typical; a contractor's schedule and the weather can stretch it. New-concrete cure times from Concrete Network.
What it costs
Decorative slabs are priced the same way as plain ones, by the section and the drop, with a little extra time for mapping holes into the pattern and tinting the patches. See the leveling cost guide.
Your price, without a sales visit
Send three photos and a tape-measure shot. You'll get a firm price by text within 24 hours.
After the lift: what you'll see, and how to keep it there
Level stamped concrete, sealed joints, and a few penny-sized gray patches where the foam went in. The patches are close to concrete color and fade into older slabs within a season. We text you before-and-after photos before we leave.
Keeping it level means keeping water out from under it. Three things do most of the work: keep the joints and cracks sealed, backfill soil against any slab edge the lift left exposed, and keep downspouts discharging away from the concrete. Sealing is its own line on your quote; the rest is in what to do after your concrete is lifted.
Can stamped concrete be leveled without damaging the pattern?
Yes, in most cases. The slab is lifted as one piece, so the pattern itself isn't disturbed. The only marks are the 5/8-inch holes, which we place in grout lines and texture and patch with grout tinted to the surface.
Will the hole patches match my colored concrete?
Close, not perfect. We tint the patch grout to the surface and put the holes where the pattern hides them, but on weathered or sealed color a patch can read slightly different at first. Most people stop noticing them within a season.
Can you lift sealed or stained concrete?
Yes. Sealers and stains don't affect the lift; the drill goes through the sealer, and a sealed surface can be touched up over the patches afterward.
Why not just replace a sunken stamped patio?
Because a replaced section rarely matches. Stamp patterns, color and sealer change from pour to pour, so new decorative concrete next to old usually looks like a patch, and stamped concrete costs more to pour than plain. Lifting keeps the original surface.
