Last updated:
New Orleans Concrete Leveling connects homeowners with independent local contractors who lift sinking garage and carport floors back to grade by injecting material under the slab. With mudjacking, garage floor leveling in New Orleans typically costs $1,400–$3,200 for a full 360-square-foot floor and $500–$1,100 for a partial floor, according to HomeGuide's mudjacking cost data — usually 30–50% less than breaking out and repouring a slab you have to empty the garage for. Polyurethane foam runs $8–$25 per square foot, or about $2,880–$9,000 for a full floor. Polyurethane foam runs $8–$25 per square foot, or about $2,880–$9,000 for a full floor.
Garage floors usually fail at the edges first. The slab drops at the door where water blows in and the driveway meets it, or along the side wall where the ground next to the foundation settles. A crack opens across the floor, one side drops, and the car rocks as it pulls in.
What happens on the first visit
A garage estimate has one extra job: separating a sinking slab from a foundation problem. Expect the contractor to check:
- The drop at the door, the walls and each crack, measured with a level or laser.
- Whether the walls have moved. Cracks in the walls or a door frame out of square point to the foundation, not just the floor.
- Voids under the slab, often near the door and downspouts.
- What's stored on the floor, since heavy shelving and equipment may need to move for the drill pattern.
- Method and a written price, including the driveway joint if it has dropped too.
Sinking floor or foundation problem?
In most New Orleans garages the floor is a separate slab, poured inside a perimeter of walls or footings. The floor can sink while the walls stay put — that's a leveling job. Signs it's just the floor: the crack runs across the slab but the walls are straight, the door opens and closes normally, and there's a gap between the floor and the base of the wall.
Signs it's more: stair-step cracks in block walls, a garage door that binds or has gaps that change, doors into the house sticking, or cracks running from the floor up the wall. Those need a foundation contractor or structural engineer first. The sinking slab or foundation problem guide lists the signs in detail. On a raised house with a carport underneath, the slab and the house structure are completely separate — the slab is almost always a straightforward leveling job.
Why garage slabs in the metro drop at the door
The door edge takes the most water. Rain blows under the door, runs off the driveway into the joint, and soaks the soil right where the slab edge carries the weight of every car. On soft ground — and much of the south shore is drained marsh that the City of New Orleans says is still settling, about 0.2 inches a year on average — that edge goes first.
The driveway usually drops with it or away from it, leaving a step at the threshold. Lifting both in one visit is common and cheaper than two separate jobs; see driveway leveling.
Foam or slurry under a garage floor
Garage floors carry vehicles, so how soon you can park matters. Polyurethane foam cures in about 15 minutes, so you can usually park the same day, and its small holes are easy to hide on a finished or coated floor. Mudjacking costs less per square foot and works well where a large void has formed at the door, but HomeGuide advises two to three days before full vehicle use.
If your floor has an epoxy or polished finish, ask how the patches will be matched. The foam vs mudjacking guide compares the two in depth.
Pricing, insurance and permits
With mudjacking, a full two-car floor typically runs $1,400–$3,200 and a partial floor $500–$1,100. Foam at $8–$25 per square foot works out to roughly $2,880–$9,000 for a full floor. Most contractors have a $300–$700 minimum. Try the cost estimator for your floor size.
Standard homeowners policies generally exclude settling; see does insurance cover concrete leveling?. Leveling a garage floor on your own property doesn't normally need a City permit. If the foundation turns out to be involved, the repair may cross Louisiana's contractor licensing thresholds — see the licensing guide.
What a proper garage floor leveling job includes
- Drop measured at the door, walls and cracks
- Walls and door frame checked for foundation signs
- Void check along the door edge
- Written price and method before work starts
- Drill pattern planned around cracks and storage
- Lift monitored with a level or laser
- Holes patched and cracks sealed
- Door-edge joint sealed against wind-driven rain
DIY patch vs cheapest operator vs proper garage floor leveling
| Factor | DIY patch or topping | Cheapest operator | Proper leveling job |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixes the void under the slab | No | Sometimes | Yes |
| Actually raises the slab | No | Yes | Yes |
| Drop measured at every joint first | No | No | Yes |
| Method chosen for your soil | n/a | Whatever rig they own | Yes |
| Written price before drilling | n/a | Rarely | Yes |
| Holes patched, joints sealed | n/a | Holes only | Yes |
| Drainage cause addressed | No | No | Yes |
| Carries liability insurance | n/a | Ask | Ask — and verify |
| Typical life | Cracks as the slab keeps moving | Short if the cause isn’t fixed | 5–10+ years (mudjacking) |
| Typical cost, 150 sq ft patio | Materials only | Lowest bid | $600–$1,400 slurry · ~$1,200–$3,750 foam |
Proper-job cost and life from HomeGuide's mudjacking cost data; foam range calculated at HomeGuide's $8–$25/sq ft. Resurfacers and self-leveling toppings cover the surface; they don't lift the slab.