Alchatek Blog

How Lift It Rite Expanded from Residential Slab Lifting to High-Value Commercial Soil Stabilization

The Challenge

Lift It Rite was primarily a residential contractor.
95% of their work was driveways, walkways, and steps.

Steady revenue. Proven process.
But growth was capped.

In Spring 2020, they were called to perform a routine $3,500 slab lift beneath a loading dock.

Before proceeding, they asked Alchatek to take a second look.

That decision changed everything.

What They Discovered

Using GPR and DCP testing, the real issue was uncovered:

• A failing 72" stormwater pipe 25 feet below grade
• Deflected joints
• Progressive soil failure
• Structural risk far beyond surface settlement

This wasn’t a slab lift.

It was a deep soil stabilization and infrastructure problem.

The Shift

Instead of selling foam, Lift It Rite presented an engineered solution:

• Chemical grout injection
• Deep stabilization with AP Fill 700
• Void fill and lift with AP Lift 475
• Facility remained operational

They competed against full pipe replacement.

They won.

The Impact

• Completed in ~1 month
• Equal to 6 months of normal residential revenue
• Comparable to their entire first year in business

More importantly:

They moved from residential slab lifting to commercial infrastructure stabilization.

What Changed

• Diagnosing root cause before prescribing solutions
• Positioning as risk-reduction specialists
• Gaining confidence to bid deeper commercial scopes

This wasn’t a bigger job.

It was a new revenue category.

The Takeaway

The difference between a $3,500 lift and a $377,000 commercial win isn’t luck.

It’s proper diagnostics, engineered solutions, and the right technical support behind you.

Break YOUR revenue ceiling. Consult with an Alchatek business growth expert.

Key Details

• May 21st

• 12 Noon Eastern

Win Bigger Jobs

For polyurethane infrastructure repair contractors, technical skill gets you in the game. Sales skill helps you win more high-quality work.

This upcoming webinar with Gene McNaughton focuses on the laws of influence and persuasion that help contractors communicate value, build trust, and guide better buying decisions.

Techniques for Communicating Value

Customers often choose the contractor who explains the problem, the solution, and the value most clearly.

Whether you work in soil stabilization, concrete repair, leak sealing, or other polyurethane repair applications, your ability to communicate value can directly affect the quality of work you win.

This session will show how stronger conversations can help reduce hesitation, overcome price pressure, and position your company more confidently.

Create Better Conversations to Win More Business

Winning more work is not only about chasing more leads. It is about making the most of the opportunities already in front of you.

Gene will share practical insights contractors can use to strengthen sales conversations, build customer confidence, and win more profitable work without sounding pushy or scripted.

This webinar is designed for contractors who want to grow their business, win better jobs, and communicate with more confidence.

Save Your Spot Today!

Water infiltrated beneath spillway slabs at a campground, eroding soil and creating voids that cracked concrete. Leaks surfaced through cracks, threatening structural integrity. SiteMix Pressure Grouting, LLC was called in to repair the damage.

Initial Assessment

Probing revealed extensive voids beneath spillway slabs where water removed supporting soil and destabilized the structure. Traditional tear-out and replacement demanded extended closure, heavy equipment access, and prohibitive costs for this operational facility.

Proposed Solution

AP Lift 440 proved the perfect solution, featuring an 18x expansion ratio, 11,520 psf compressive strength for slab stabilization, and hydrophobic properties to prevent water infiltration.

Procedures

1. Established 4-foot grid pattern at lowest spillway area.
2. Drilled injection points through slabs.
3. Injected AP Lift 440 systematically across grid.
4. Monitored foam spread between injection points.
5. Completed both spillway sides plus access ramps.

Results

Completed repair in two days with zero downtime.
Stabilized slabs and eliminated all water intrusion with visible concrete drying confirming effectiveness.
Achieved approximately 65% cost savings compared to traditional concrete replacement while avoiding weeks of disruptive demolition.

Want more information on polyurethane geotech products?

An interior elevator pit needed for ADA retrofit in a multi‑level building, inside an old stairwell beside a load‑bearing wall on sandy soils. Conventional shoring wasn’t feasible indoors with tight footprint and headroom limits.​ Stable Soils of Florida was called in to assess and remedy the situation.

Initial Assessment

• Sandy, below‑water‑table soils at a planned 7 ft pit depth.​

• Footing and slab at risk of undermining if excavated untreated.​

• No practical option for sheet piling, slurry wall, or trench box.​

Proposed Solution

Engineers designed a perimeter grout “box” using AP Soil 600, a low‑viscosity, single‑component permeation resin that bonds wet sands into a rock‑like, load‑bearing mass.

Procedures

1. Lay out pit and grout‑box perimeter around the planned excavation.​

2. Drill and set probes to depths below the final pit grade.​

3. Inject AP Soil 600 while slowly extracting probes to form overlapping treated columns.​

4. Allow cure, then excavate the pit inside the treated zone.​

5. Grind exposed treated face flat and use it as the outer form for the concrete pit.​

Results

Stable excavation adjacent to the load‑bearing wall with no observed soil loss.​
Interior elevator pit completed without conventional shoring or large equipment.​
Enabled ADA‑compliant vertical access using permeation‑stabilized in‑place soils.

Want more information on stabilizing soil with polyurethane?

A below-grade warehouse loading ramp had water infiltration at the slab-to-wall cold joint. Hydrostatic pressure forced water and sandy soil through the joint during rainfall, clogging the French drain and requiring manual removal after each storm.

Initial Assessment

The cold joint leak allowed water and sediment infiltration. Soil erosion created voids beneath the slab. Traditional solutions proved impractical. Slab replacement entailed demolition at 5–6 times the cost. Exterior waterproofing required excavation below the water table. And interior drains merely treated symptoms, not root causes.

Proposed Solution

Spetec PUR HighFoamer was selected for its 50x expansion ratio and hydrophobic properties. This single-component polyurethane resin reacts with water to create a curtain grout while filling voids. Safe for potable water contact with NSF/ANSI 61-5 certification, it delivers a rapid 15-minute cure time.

Procedures

1. Drilled 3/8" injection holes at 2.5' spacing along the cold joint.
2. Installed threaded nylon packers with zerk fittings for controlled injection.
3. Initiated injection at the lowest elevation using a gas-powered hydraulic pump.
4. Injected foam progressively upward, monitoring emergence at adjacent ports.
5. Sealed ports after 15-minute cure.

Results

• Eliminated 100% of water infiltration and sediment transport. 
• Achieved 80% cost savings versus traditional slab replacement and 75% savings versus exterior membrane installation. 
• Completed in one day with zero operational downtime—the facility remained fully functional. 
• Eliminated recurring French drain maintenance.

Want more information on polyurethane leak seal products?

Key Details

• April 30th

• 12 Noon Eastern

• Admission is FREE

Attract Better Customers

For polyurethane geotechnical and leak seal contractors, not all jobs are created equal. The difference between staying busy and actually growing profitably comes down to the quality of work you attract. Many contractors get stuck chasing low-margin jobs, when the real opportunity lies in positioning your business to win higher-value projects. This upcoming webinar with Gene McNaughton—former contractor and founder of a multi-million dollar geotechnical company—dives into how to consistently attract better clients and more profitable opportunities.

Improve Your Close Rate and Win More Work

Landing better leads is only part of the equation—you also need to close them. In today’s market, contractors who refine their sales process outperform those who rely on estimates alone. This session breaks down proven strategies to improve your close rate, communicate value effectively, and stand out in competitive bids. Whether you’re focused on soil stabilization, concrete repair, or leak sealing, these insights are designed to help you convert more of the opportunities already in front of you.

Increase Project Size and Overall Profitability

Scaling a contracting business isn’t about doing more jobs—it’s about doing better ones. By identifying hidden potential in projects and expanding your scope, you can dramatically increase your average job size and overall profit. Gene will share real-world lessons from building and growing a successful geotechnical company, giving you a clear path to move beyond small jobs and into higher-margin work.

Save Your Spot Today!

A Sold-Out Training Experience

We recently wrapped up a sold-out Deep Lock® Training—two days packed with hands-on learning, live demos, and real-world application. Contractors got a front-row seat to both the technical process and the sales strategy behind winning more Deep Lock® work. Watch the embedded video to see highlights from the classroom, jobsite, and everything in between.

Learning from the Field—and the Experts

One of the biggest highlights was the addition of sales expert Gene McNaughton, who led sessions on how to identify opportunities, communicate value, and close more work. Combined with Alchatek’s technical training, contractors walked away with a clearer path to growing both their capabilities and their business. As you’ll hear in the video, even experienced contractors found new insights—from hands-on techniques to better ways to approach customers and projects.

If you missed this session, you won’t want to miss the next one.

Get Notified for Upcoming Trainings

If you’re interested in attending a future session, the best next step is to sign up for notifications. You’ll get early access to new training dates, locations, and registration before they’re publicly announced.

Spring 2026 Deep Lock Training Sold Out — Join the Waitlist for What’s Next 

We’re excited to share that our Spring 2026 Deep Lock Training is officially sold out.

The response this season has been incredible—and it reinforces what we’re seeing across the industry: contractors are actively looking to expand their capabilities, take on more complex projects, and unlock new revenue streams.

For those who secured a spot, you’re in for an intensive, hands-on experience focused on real-world application and expert sales guidance. We’re looking forward to working alongside you.

Didn’t Get a Spot? You’re Not Alone

Due to high demand, we filled every seat faster than expected. If you missed this session, don’t worry—this is just the beginning.

We’re already planning future training events, and we want to make sure you’re first in line when registration opens.

Get Notified for Upcoming Trainings

If you’re interested in attending a future session, the best next step is to sign up for notifications. You’ll get early access to new training dates, locations, and registration before they’re publicly announced.

In Cape Canaveral, Florida, a heavily loaded slap stand structure was planned for construction along a transfer aisle in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). This slap stand would be critical in servicing the proposed Space Launch System vehicle (SLS). However, the project faced a significant challenge when it was discovered that the near-surface subsoils consisted of loose fill materials susceptible to further densification and volume loss due to vibrations and water infiltration. With the slap stand tentatively designed to bear directly upon the ground-level floor slab of the VAB, the degree of subsoil support beneath the floor slab section became a critical concern.

Powerful Polymers

To address this issue, the geotechnical engineer of record recommended a ground improvement solution using permeation grout. Helicon, a leading soil stabilization contractor, worked alongside the geotechnical design team to develop a permeation grout program that would meet the building code load criteria. AP Soil 600, a high-strength, hydro-insensitive structural polyurethane foam, was selected as the ideal product for this project due to its exceptional ability to support heavy structures.

Painless Procedure

Helicon’s technicians installed permeation grout injection pipes on a center-to-center spacing of approximately 2 feet across each of the slap stand areas. The injection points were driven to a depth of at least 5 feet below the floor slab grade. Grout was injected at a relatively low pressure (less than 50 psi), and grout needles were slowly withdrawn during pumping to ensure a uniform distribution of grout to about 3 feet below the bottom of the slab level. The amount of grout used was carefully controlled, with less than 15 gallons per foot per injection point.

Rapid Result

The permeation grout project was a resounding success, effectively improving the load-bearing capacity of the existing soils at the site. The precise application of AP Soil 600 ensured that the slap stand structure would have a stable and reliable foundation, allowing for the safe and efficient servicing of the Space Launch System vehicle. Thanks to Helicon’s expertise and the power AP Soil 600, this piece of critical infrastructure in Cape Canaveral was reinforced and readied for countless future space exploration missions.

Want more information on stabilizing soil with polyurethane?

Developers working on a new CVS Pharmacy in Orlando, Florida, encountered critical soil stability issues during the construction process. The project managers faced a significant challenge when geotechnical testing revealed unsuitable soil conditions between 5 and 10 feet below the surface, posing a threat to the structural integrity of the planned parking lot. This issue was discovered after site preparation had already begun, adding urgency to finding an effective solution that would allow construction to proceed on schedule.

Initial Assessment

A geotechnical analysis revealed that although the upper soil layers had been replaced, a layer of muck remained at depth, posing significant risks of settlement and potential structural failure in the parking lot. The site required comprehensive soil stabilization to proceed with construction. Traditional methods of excavation and replacement were deemed too time-consuming and costly, necessitating an alternative approach.

Proposed Solution

A comprehensive soil stabilization plan utilizing AP Lift 475, a two-component polyurethane foam, was proposed. This solution was chosen for its ability to:

• Consolidate soil throughout the parking lot area.
• Provide a stable foundation for the structure.
• Avoid extensive excavation and soil replacement.

AP Lift 475 was selected for its high strength and excellent expansion properties, which would allow it to effectively fill voids and stabilize the muck layer without adding significant weight to the unstable soil.

Procedures

1. Establish a 5-foot grid pattern across the entire parking lot area.
2. At each grid point, inject 25 pounds of AP Lift 475 at a depth of 10 feet.
3. Inject an additional 25 pounds at a depth of 5 feet at each point.
4. Monitor soil consolidation and adjust injection amounts as needed.
5. Perform post-injection testing to confirm soil stability.

Results

The polyurethane injection solution proved highly effective, successfully stabilizing the soil without the need for extensive excavation. This approach allowed the construction schedule to be maintained, avoiding costly delays that would have been incurred with traditional soil replacement methods. Post-injection testing confirmed that the treated area passed all required stability tests, demonstrating the effectiveness of polyurethane injection for large-scale soil stabilization projects in commercial construction.

Want more information on stabilizing soil with polyurethane?