Learn why building up soil levels around your concrete is important, and how to go about doing it.
While it may not seem that important on the surface, properly building up soil levels around concrete is a crucial maintenance practice.
Adding soil to create a proper slope away from these areas will help ensure that water is directed away, preventing erosion, settling, and potential water damage to your property.
In fact, this simple maintenance task is so important to keeping concrete in the right position that many of our nationwide locations require it to be done regularly for our concrete leveling warranty to be valid.
In this article, we’re breaking down why adding soil and maintaining a proper grade away from your concrete is so important and how to go about doing it.
Why Should You Add Soil Around Concrete?
Promoting proper drainage away from your home and concrete surfaces is vital. Soil helps direct water away with gravity, preventing it from pooling and causing erosion.
Imagine spilling a glass of water on a table; it falls over the sides, and “sticking” to the surface, it runs underneath before dripping to the floor from the bottom of the table.
The same can happen with concrete if the soil is not high enough to wick water away, and this can cause the soil underneath to erode and settle.
Proper soil levels allow water to spread out and run off, reducing the risk of damage.
How To Build Up Soil Levels Around Concrete
Building up soil levels around concrete involves adding enough soil to create a slope away from the slab. Here’s how to do it:
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Add Soil to the Edges of the Slab
The goal should be to get the soil level even with the top of the concrete slab and slope it down and away.
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Add More Soil Than Necessary
When adding soil, account for future compaction or settling. Add more soil than needed and compact it down to achieve the desired level.
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Compact the Soil
To help delay the inevitable settling and erosion of the soil, compact it down and apply it in layers.
How Much Grade Is Necessary?
There isn't a specific grade required on the sides of a slab as long as the water can run off and wick away from the concrete. But keep in mind, the steeper the slope the faster water can flow, which can lead to future erosion
Also, if there is a specific spot where water tends to run toward the concrete, you may need to install additional drainage solutions or be prepared to replace the eroded soil regularly.
Where To Buy Soil for Grading Around Concrete
Depending on your personal preferences and the amount of soil you need to add to your concrete, you can get soil from these places:
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Hardware Store
For smaller jobs and routine maintenance, you can simply purchase bags of topsoil from a garden center or big-box home store.
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Landscape Yard Delivery
You can order a small truckload of soil from a landscape yard and move it yourself after it’s delivered to your property. This can be very convenient if you have a lot of grading to do.
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Landscaping Services
A landscaper can also deliver and apply the soil where necessary. This option is less physically demanding and ensures proper placement, especially if you have a lot of ground to cover.
Alternatives to Using Soil
Soil is usually the best option for grading around concrete slabs, but depending on the circumstances, you may want to consider options like these:
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Rock or Gravel
While rock is often a popular choice for landscape beds near homes or around concrete, keep in mind that it could allow water to run through and towards the foundation or slab rather than run down or be wicked away.
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Mulch
Mulch can also be used in the same way as soil, but it’s important to note that adding mulch year after year can cause the level to build up higher than the surface of your concrete, potentially changing runoff patterns and even leading to pooling water.
Building Up Soil Levels Around Concrete vs. Grading Away From Foundations
Just like adding soil around your concrete to direct water away from your concrete, it’s important to do the same for your foundation so water does not run toward it and into your basement.
Adding soil around your concrete and grading the land around your foundation both share the same ultimate goal: to direct water away from big investments.
Proper Slope
While the overall concept is the same, the way to go about grading around your foundation usually requires more precision and planning. For example, you generally need to ensure there is a slope of 6 inches per 10 feet away from the house.
Water Diversion
When grading away from your foundation, you also need to ensure that the water doesn't run under sidewalks, driveways, or other nearby concrete surfaces. This may require additional drainage solutions, like a French drain or catchbasin.
Should You Add Soil Around Your Concrete?
Water is the main enemy of concrete – it causes erosion, settling, cracks, voids, surface damage, and other pesky problems that cause your concrete to break down prematurely.
Effective water management is the overarching theme of concrete maintenance, and building up the soil levels around your concrete is one of the most important ways to manage that water and help prevent damage.
However, there are other important concrete maintenance tasks to keep up with, too. Check out our guide on how to maintain concrete to learn more.
Here at A-1 Concrete Leveling, we have been in the business of concrete care for over 30 years, and we’ve used this experience to create an extensive library of resources to help people like you make the right repair and maintenance decisions. Check out Concrete Academy to learn more.
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