Traditional foundation underpinning methods are tried and true; piers are reliable, proven, and effective. In contrast, foundation piers are also labor intensive, demand equipment, can be disruptive during installation, and potentially cost prohibitive for some customers. Additionally, the market is competitive, and with more and more contractors entering the market every year, profit margins are getting even tighter. How can foundation repair contractors gain a competitive edge? Adding polyurethane injection to your tool belt could expand your existing services, increase your profit, and provide lasting results. Continue reading to learn why foundation repair contractors should consider adding polyurethane into their services!

What Can Polyurethane Injection Offer Foundation Repair Contractors?

Perspective is everything: viewing polyurethane injection as an additional tool rather than a replacement to your regular services allows you to expand your capabilities without sacrificing the services your customers already trust. Polyurethane can offer:

• High profit margins, often between 45% and 60%
• Lower labor requirements, often 2-3 workers for smaller projects
• Fast completion of projects
• Requires less equipment
• The ability to complete more projects

By recognizing these advantages, contractors can position polyurethane injection as an essential add-on service that enhances their overall foundation repair solutions.

Polyurethane Injection as an Add-on Service with Foundation Repair

Polyurethane injection isn't just another service for you and your team to offer. It complements foundation underpinning services and can help extend the effectiveness of your foundation repair services by addressing soil issues quickly, efficiently, and with minimal disruption. By working alongside traditional methods, polyurethane injection allows contractors to deliver more versatile solutions while maintaining the reliability their customers expect. Here is how foundation repair contractors can add polyurethane injection to their existing services:

• Reestablish soil connectivity: During underpinning, the home’s footer is excavated to install foundation piers. This process can leave behind voids or loose, uncompacted soils even after backfilling. Polyurethane injection consolidates those soils, reestablishing connectivity and locking them in place, making it an easy add-on service for customers who want extra reinforcement.
• Interior floor lifting and leveling: Foundation piers are excellent at supporting the footers around the perimeter of the home. Polyurethane injection complements that stability by addressing interior floors directly, providing a complete solution for homeowners if they choose to add it alongside pier installation.
• Soil and foundation stabilization: For some homeowners, the price of foundation piers can be out of reach. Polyurethane injection provides a more affordable option, allowing you to secure the job while still delivering effective soil stabilization and protection against settlement. By offering this service, you give homeowners a practical solution who may not otherwise be able to move forward with repairs. 

New Tools in Your Belt: Services Made Possible with Polyurethane Injection

Polyurethane injection works seamlessly as a complementary service to foundation underpinning, but it doesn’t stop there. It can also stand on its own as a service that expands your offerings as a contractor. By adding polyurethane to your arsenal, you open the door to entirely new services, such as:

• Concrete leveling: Concrete leveling can expand your services in both the residential and commercial markets. Many concrete structures can be leveled using this method including sidewalks, driveways, pool decks, patios, porches, parking lots, interior floors and more.

• Infrastructure rehabilitation: Adding infrastructure rehabilitation to your services can create valuable new revenue streams. Across the United States, aging infrastructure is in need of repair, and polyurethane provides proven solutions for stabilizing roadways, stopping water infiltration, and sealing leaks in critical structures.

• Seawall repair: Seawalls are critical for protecting waterfront properties, both residential and commercial. Over time, they can deteriorate and become vulnerable to soil erosion from behind the wall. Polyurethane injection stops this erosion, seals voids, and extends the service life of the structure, making it a dependable method of seawall repair.

• Void Filling and Cavity Filling: Voids can form beneath slabs, roadways, or other structures due to erosion, soil settlement, or poor compaction. Left untreated, these gaps can lead to cracking, sinking, or structural failure. Polyurethane injection fills and stabilizes these empty spaces, restoring strength and preventing further damage.

Overcoming Barriers to Entry

Contractors sometimes hesitate to add polyurethane injection due to questions about training, reliability, longevity, or cost. NCFI Geotechnical offers hands on training led by experts twice a year to ensure contractors feel confident in the field. While polyurethane isn’t concrete or steel, it’s not meant to be. It’s designed to strengthen and stabilize soils, complementing pier systems rather than replacing them. When applied correctly, polyurethane is environmentally inert, durable, and designed to last a lifetime. Far from cannibalizing pier work, it expands what you can offer on existing jobs. And while the initial investment can feel high, financing programs are available to make the start up more manageable.

Adding polyurethane injection isn’t just about offering another service, it’s about giving your customers more solutions and giving your business more ways to grow. With the right training and support, it’s a step that can set your company apart. Contact NCFI to see how you can bring polyurethane injection into your services.