How to Start a Concrete Lifting Business with ArmorThane
What it really takes to start lifting concrete for a living: the rig, the foam, the training, the first customers and the mistakes worth avoiding — from the company that makes the foam and builds the rigs.
Key takeaways
- A lifting business needs four things: a reliable rig, the right foam, real training and a steady way to find jobs.
- ArmorThane supplies the rig, ArmorFoam Lift 200 and 300, and training — with no franchise fees or territory license to buy.
- Many successful lifting companies start as an add-on to concrete, foundation repair, spray foam or coatings work.
- Price by the job and by the pound of foam, photograph everything, and fix the water problem along with the slab.
Concrete lifting is one of those trades that looks simple from the curb. A truck pulls up, a hose goes across the lawn, a slab floats back up, and the crew is gone by lunch. Behind that is a fair amount of chemistry, equipment and judgment — and a business model that suits a small, well-run operation very nicely.
Here’s what it actually takes to start, and how ArmorThane fits in.
Why concrete lifting works as a business
- The market is everywhere. Every neighborhood has sunken driveways, walks, patios and steps. Every city has trip hazards. Every warehouse has a joint that clunks.
- The jobs are short. Most residential lifts take a few hours for one or two people. That means several jobs in a day on a good route.
- The customer’s alternative is expensive. You’re competing with demolition and replacement, not with a cheaper version of yourself.
- It pairs with other trades. Concrete contractors, foundation repair companies, spray foam insulators and coatings applicators already talk to the same customers.
The four things you need
1. A rig you can rely on
A lifting rig is a mobile foam plant. At its heart is a heated plural-component proportioner that keeps both foam components at the right temperature and pressure and meters them at the right ratio. Around it you need heated hose long enough to reach back yards, an injection gun with lifting adapters, a generator and air compressor sized to run it all, transfer pumps, and a trailer or box truck to carry it — ideally insulated and climate-controlled so your material stays in its temperature range. Our rig buyer’s guide goes through each component.
ArmorThane builds complete custom rigs and can spec one to your market and budget.
2. The right foam
Foam is your main consumable and the heart of your quality. ArmorThane makes two:
Both are two-component, closed-cell, water-blown rigid foams that can be injected into cold, damp or wet ground and cure to an inert polymer.
3. Training
The foam does the lifting; the operator decides where, how much and when to stop. Good training covers reading a slab and diagnosing why it sank, drilling patterns, injection technique, lift monitoring with lasers and dial indicators, patching and joint sealing, and rig operation and maintenance. It should also cover the jobs to walk away from — shattered slabs, heaved slabs, active leaks — because the fastest way to hurt a young lifting company is a failed lift on a job it shouldn’t have taken.
4. A way to find jobs
Lifting sells on photos. Before-and-afters, a clean website, a Google Business Profile with real reviews, and relationships with the people who see sunken concrete all day: realtors, home inspectors, property managers, HOA boards and city sidewalk programs. ArmorThane applicators also get access to the applicator portal’s marketing materials and design tools.
What ArmorThane brings — and doesn’t charge for
ArmorThane has manufactured polyurethane and polyurea systems in Springfield, Missouri since 1989. It formulates the foam, builds the equipment and trains the people who use them. What it doesn’t do is sell franchises. There’s no franchise fee, no royalty on your revenue and no territory license to buy — you buy materials and equipment and you own your business.
- Lifting rigs built to your spec, trailer or truck
- ArmorFoam Lift 200 and Lift 300
- Hands-on training and manufacturer technical support
- Equipment financing options through ArmorThane’s finance partners
Pricing your work
Most lifting companies price by the job, built up from three things: the pounds of foam the job will take (driven by the void and the area), the time on site, and a minimum charge that covers mobilization. Commercial and municipal work is often bid per pound installed or per location. Whatever you charge, quote the finish work — joint sealing, crack repair, color-matched patches — as part of the job. It protects your lift and your reputation.
Mistakes new lifting companies make
- Lifting the slab, ignoring the water. If the downspout still dumps beside the slab, you’ll be back under warranty.
- Lifting too fast. Short shots and constant monitoring. Over-lifting a slab is much harder to fix than under-lifting it.
- Taking every job. Some slabs should be replaced. Say so.
- Skipping photos. Every job is marketing. Shoot the before, the setup and the after.
- Neglecting the rig. Clean the gun, watch your temperatures and ratios, and keep spare parts. A rig that’s down is a crew that’s not earning.
Next step
If you’re weighing a lifting business — on its own or as an add-on to what you already do — get the startup package. Answer three quick questions and ArmorThane will follow up with rig options, foam pricing and training dates for your market.
About the Lift Report
The Lift Report is the Poly Concrete Lifting guide to polyurethane slab lifting, written with input from the ArmorThane team that manufactures ArmorFoam Lift and the rigs that pump it. Got a correction or a job worth writing up? Tell us.
