Expert Concrete Lifting & Foundation Repair

On-line registration is now open for the 4th annual EPT Golf Outing, once again hosted by Cyprian Keyes in Boylston, MA. The 18-hole event will take place on Friday, June 10, 2011 (rain date: Saturday 6/11/11). Please spread the word to your friends, family, co-workers, and business contacts to help make this year's event the biggest and best by far. This event has doubled in size each year; with your help, EPT golfers will have complete and total control of Cyprian Keyes next spring!

On 6/10/11, the outing will begin with player sign-ins from 12:00PM to 12:45PM, followed by a shotgun start at 1:00 PM (using the Scramble format). Teams of four are welcome, as are singles/pairs. Registration is $140 per player and includes driving range, 18 holes of golf, cart, buffet dinner, and cash bar. The day will include several contests, including "longest drive", "closest to the pin", and "closest to the line". With the help and generosity of our sponsors and friends, we also anticipate the return of a silent auction featuring many great items.

You are encouraged to register online at EPT Golf Outing

Can't golf? Allergic to gorgeous landscapes and recreation? Your stupid jerk of a boss won't let you out early on Friday? No worries - you can also support the cause by joining us for dinner. The golfers will return to the clubhouse after 6:00PM hungry and thirsty, and would be happy to share their stories with you... Simply make the appropriate selection from the drop-down menu below and we'll see you at the 19th hole!

Over the past three years, The EPT golf event has donated more than $12,700 to the Arthritis Foundation and Shriners' Hospital. If you aren't a golfer but still wish to help the cause, you can make a secure, online donation by clicking the PayPal link below. Thanks in advance!

Problems with Sunken Concrete: Sunken concrete slabs create problems for building owners. Not only are they expensive to replace, sunken slabs can also interrupt the functionality of a commercial space. Warehouse floors are especially impacted by sunken concrete surfaces.

Expanding polymer foams are now replacing cement grout for raising concrete. Not only are they super-lightweight, urethane foams harden within minutes, allowing the concrete to be immediately used by forklifts and other heavy traffic.

Some of the notable qualities of closed-cell polyurethane foam include:

• Lightweight: With densities ranging between 2 to 10 lbs/cubic foot, polyurethane foam is much lighter than traditional cement grouts, which can weight between 100 to 150 lbs/cubic foot. This lightweight characteristic will minimally overburden the soils below, greatly limiting future settlement potential.
• Fast-Settling: Polyurethane foam generally hardens within 15 minutes. This benefit is greatly realized for lifting concrete highways, where traffic impact is a major factor in construction considerations.
• Smaller Injection Holes: 5/8" holes as opposed to 1-1/2" for traditional slabjacking. The holes are also spaced much further apart for polyurethane injections, resulting in much less concrete drilling.
• Less Impact: The work is generally much cleaner than traditional concrete raising. Once the polyurethane injections are complete, the crew can simply pack up and prepare to demobilize. There is no equipment cleaning necessary with polyurethane work. Foam Insulation: Polyurethane foam provides thermal insulation to the concrete slabs. This benefit is especially realized concrete settles within a heated area.
• Moisture Barrier: Closed-cell polyurethane provides a moisture barrier as well, helping reduce water migration through concrete floors. EFT is highly experienced with polymer foam technologies. Contact us to see how we can help with your project.

John Kelley of Advantage Construction in Quincy, Mass. was facing a dilemma; curling concrete floor slabs were slowing down his client's busy 150,000 square-foot warehouse. The phenomenon is typically referred to as "slab curling" – the distortion of a slab into a curled shape by distortion at the edges. If left untreated, the floors could deteriorate further, causing safety problems and the need for an invasive repair.

POLYURETHANE FOAM STABILIZES CURLED FLOOR SLABS

Traditional repair methods would not be employed to resolve the curled floors, as the existing business could not sustain a loss of floor space during construction. It was imperative to both repair the curling slabs and maintain the existing business operations without interruption.

Kelley contacted Engineered Foundation Technologies (EFT) of Nashua, N.H. a firm that specializes in a repair process knows as "slabjacking". It involves injecting a specialty grout through small holes in the concrete, stabilizing the concrete by completely filling in cavities below the curled slab. If required, the grout can also hydraulically lift the concrete from below when pressurized. This technology is routinely used to lift a wide variety of sunken concrete slabs, including those for pool patios, concrete walkways, warehouse floors, and even concrete highways.

With that said, traditional slabjacking was still not ideal, as a cleaning crew would be required to maintain the sensitive work area. Cleanliness was a major consideration in the selection process.

Fortunately, EFT offered an even better solution: a cutting-edge method of slabjacking called Polyjacking. This technique, now widely used by engineers in western states, had been developed and implemented by EFT at several New England sites, with great results in each case.

Polyjacking involves injecting a two part liquid polyurethane resin through the concrete. This high tech material penetrates underneath the concrete, expanding into a rigid structural foam. This polyurethane foam also fully hardens within 15 minutes, providing quick access to the repair areas. Furthermore, polyurethane injections also provide very easy clean-up, making it a clear choice. "It was the perfect solution", said Richard Porter, P.E., of Engineered Foundation Technologies, LLC.

Kelley is glad he chose to contract EFT for the slab repair."(Polyjacking) was by far the least disruptive method," Kelley said. "Another method would have taken too long for my client. It's also a cleaner and better technology."

Polyurethane slabjacking offers multiple advantages over traditional slabjacking methods, and for Kelley's project, it was the obvious choice. "Polyjacking was by far the best technology for stabilizing that concrete slab, and we completed the job without disrupting the warehouse operations at all," Porter said. "For many applications, this technology will save businesses significant time, money, and hassle from traditional concrete repairs."

Engineered Foundation Technologies provides these specialty slabjacking services to all of New England, routinely lifting concrete slabs for both the public and private sectors. More information about EFT and its slabjacking services can be found at www.slabjacking.com.

Contact us to see how we can help with your project.