DIY Repair Driveway Expansion Joints
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- Опубліковано 1 лют 2025
- Wonder what looks best and holds up? Watch as I review 5 ways of filling concrete expansion joints and my personal favorite.
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I have a new video on how to do this cheaper (less durable though). Check it out here • DIY Repair Sidewalk Ex...
I used the SIKA self leveling product (grey) with the backer foam as you have shown here. It worked like a champ and has survived 2 WINTERS in the Northeast. Now that I am in my retirement home in the mountains of North Carolina, I plan on repeating this process again. Many THANKS for your video ! It was a huge help !
Sika does not recommending sanding the top as this can affect performance.
@@Jonw775 I did this project in NY back in 2017, and is still looks like new according to the new owners. I am repeating the process here in NC and so far, so good.
@@CAMPFIRESKY Thank you. I'll give it a shot. In the midst of the painful old wood joint scrape out.
@@Jonw775 Jon you are absolutely right sanding the joints and using sand under the joints and not tight fitting backer rod all lead to premature failure
I followed your instructions to the letter myself this past weekend. I am VERY happy with the result. I did the expansion joint between the driveway & garage and another from the sidewalk meeting the steps. Excellent results. All materials were less than $60 at Lowe's. Thank you for the great and informative video!
This was absolutely genius. Putting sand down made the gaps look so much better. Thank you for posting this!
Great job on your driveway expansion refill video. You have a good teaching voice. I rarely watch any of these repair demos to the end. Usually too fast or an annoying voice. But in your video, before I knew it I had watched to the end.
Sir, you're definitely a talented speaker.
I live in Miami so I listen to the wierd weather people very often and those professionals don't come close to how you. Please consider News and Weather Broadcasting.
Oh..for Miami. 👍
I started using self-leveling filler and thought it look terrible, but whamo - you gave the solution pour sand over it for the final coat - BRILLIANT!
I appreciate this video. I've done two expansion joints now with good cosmetic results using your method. I used the Sika self leveling caulk covered in sand. Instead of backer rod I used some 1/4 in irrigation tubing so I could irrigate some pots and plantings in a driveway island. I expect the silicon will help keep the backer rod or tubing in my case, from bowing up and breaching the caulk over time, but these type of fixes should not be viewed as permanent. Be glad if you get 5 years out of it. I found the first joint I did I only sprinkled the sand over the wet caulk and found the wind had blown a lot of it off by the time it had cured. For the next one I put the sand on heavier and lightly tamped it down and rubbed gently to insure it was embedded completely over the surface. Much better results. I also point out if one uses the self leveling caulk one must dam up both ends of the joint before caulking or it will seep over the sides. I cut up one of those plastic reward cards and secured with hot glue for this. It was easy enough to remove when it was cured.
mugs132, could you give an update as to how your job looks now (over 3 years later). Thanks for the video. Great explanation on the details.
This is brilliant. don't know why I have never thought about this myself. I have put sand under and over caulking but never pushed it into the caulking and it really turned out nice, I hate caulking anything, it’s messy and never looks right, I did this yesterday on my sidewalk and it looks great, it blends right in with the sidewalk and I have other joints on the same walk with just plain urethane and it sticks out like a sore thumb, only thing I would add is that right after you put the caulking in is to rub it with your hand with and work it down into the silicone, don’t be afraid it will not hurt it, wanted to let you know and thanks for the video!!!
Use self leveling hs-1 deck-o-seal. Works great. Backerod to fill the depth so you have about .5" for depth or fill joint with sand and brush out so you have .5" depth. Apply hs-1 with sand on top and after about 1 hour use a leaf blower to remove excess sand. Been doing it on swimming pool decks for 20 years and works great.
Thanks for the video. Just took care of my driveway's old rotted out expansion joints and they look phenomenal thanks to you!
Thanks; now I'm not worried about my driveway and sidewalks shifting or cracking from rain washout. I pressure washed my driveway and sidewalks then all the felt like material the builder put in 7 years ago came out. Great video buddy.
I repair concrete quite often and I basically do it the way you did minus the silicone. I would also use a larger dia. Backer which would not require as much sealer plus no worries about the backer working its way up. Silicone does not adhere to concrete good at all over time. Thank you good job.
The larger diameter backer rod makes sense. Does this method work in cold climates down to zero degrees?
Gerald Iwan
I’m not toy but from reading his post I think he is implying that the larger diameter backing rod is held in place with friction and doesn’t need anything extra
I have been filling my driveway and sidewalk joints and cracks for 3 years. I also came up with the original idea of using sand not only to make the joints look nicer but to also protect the caulking from the effects of the sun.
Thanks for this vid, doing this is a bit expensive but worth it, don't try to take the cheep way . I did some of my driveway 2 years ago and it still looks as good as when I did it. this spring im going to do more by my front porch and I'm doing it the same way. again thanks for the video
did the same last year, looking nice, let's wait and see
hello mugs132, I see it has been over 3 years since you have done this fantastic job, is there any way you could please, please, give an update on how it's holding up. Great Vid, and thanks so much!
I agree.... can you do an update please?
Willy Mac yes I agree too
I guarantee that it fell apart in less than a year and is total garbage now.
update?
Agreed! Mac! Holler back!
No need for the silicone as stated by others. The backer rod is supposed to be wider than the gap. Some bags tell you how wide of a gap it's designed for.
nice - I'm trying to figure out how to fill in the areas that are going to be in between each brick Belgian style mold for laying out a patio and this is giving me some ideas. I'm just not sure how I'm going to do it, but I know for sure I do not want anything to be growing up between the spaces. So thank you for the idea!
I did this about 1 1/2 ago and its great. thank you for the VID. ....
Sure, 1 1/2 hours is one thing but how wil it look in a week?
I would be remiss not to tell you how happy I was with the trim a slab product. Cuts like butter and molded perfectly to the rises and bends in my driveway expansion gap. Also I had areas that were 3/8 of an inch that increased to about 3/4 of an inch. But the 1/2 trim a slab fit perfectly whether it was narrow or a little bit wider it just molds to it. I did another area with the technique of leveling caulk and backer rod and I must say I am just thinking it’s worth the money for the trim-a- slab, because invariably that Caulk is going to wear down and start peeling back and looking like garbage. The only thing is the trim a slab is prohibitively expensive, you will be happy and disappointed at the same time. Not sure why they charge so much.
Great video. Thanks for saving me trial and error time and money
Nice job on this video ... I live in a colder climate (Spokane WA) where it can occasionally get down to zero degrees in the winter, then sometimes up to 100 degrees in the summer. What's you take on how well these materials will hold up given the wide temperature swings I have to deal with? Thanks!
Super awesome quick and painless video great information thank you for the info
Looks sweet! I'm looking to do something similar on my driveway. The previous owner installed 1x's as expansion joints and most have rotted and settled. Now the cracks just collect leaves and it's a pain to keep clean.
Question: why additionally use silicone, if already using self leveling caulk as final layer? What purpose does silicone serve here?
Thank you!
To glue the sand to
MAC Alloy
That doesn’t make sense. Silicone was added first, and then covered by the white self-leveling DAP 3.0
Sand was added last, so sits on top of DAP 3.0
Silicone wouldn’t touch the sand.
I think it was just to hold the backer rod in place. He used too small a diameter for the rod. It should be slightly larger than the gap, so that you will need to press it into the gap, not just lay it in there. Then the compression will hold it there. No need for the silicone caulk.
Does the silicone caulk need to cure before applying the DAP concrete caulk? Thanks for sharing.
We have been successful without letting it cure first. It's very tacky and holds down the foam well. By keeping the foam down with silicone, there is less chance of settling after the job is done.
Great how to, I recently bought my first house and our driveway has this problem, thanks for the vid! Going to do it this weekend
I saw that you commented on this a year ago. How is this method holding up?
Great video! I'm thinking about doing this on my driveway but I have a couple of questions first.
How has the sand held up since you made the video? Seems as though the vehicle traffic would wear it thin.
Also, all my joints are very small (about the size of your vertical ones). Do they still need to be sealed?
Just a tip for people that want to do this. Buy the biggest backer rod you can. You should have to sjouke it in the gap. The idea is that it fills in the space. You don't need caulk to hold it down.
ramroad2008 is there a sjouke tool for this process?
How did you smooth it out or did you need to. Look great!
How long has it been since you did this? I am curious how it will look after several seasons.
The picture at the end is our sidewalk after 1yr. The video is the first driveway joint. We will see how it holds up to cars driving on it. We only had one sidewalk section that came out strange...seemed to bleach white, not sure if old caulk or sunburnt or different brand.
thanks, that was helpful. I followed your steps, minus the Silicon and sand (my driveway is almost grey) . Turned out great. Will monitor to see how long this lasts. Overall looks clean.
Any update?
how did this hold up after a few years?
Curious as to how your expansion joint repair is holding up? have you had to recaulk ?
THANK YOU! My problem is solved. I found the 1/2" fiber board that matches other areas of my driveway but they used 3/4" regular wood between the drive and sidewalk---looks terrible. This will look great and allow me to run my low voltage landscape wire under it too. Thanks.
That turned out really nice. I like the sand idea.
Good video. Is there an update on the repair?
I recently expended driveway with borders and control joints are blocked by the new borders. So I have to waterproof previous control joints so water will not lodged in them during freezing. I also read your recent comment that it is not a waterproof. What kind of solution do you suggest. Thank-you for sharing your experience.
It’s been 10 years since this video how’s it holding up?
Yeah, how's it holding up? Please provide an update
I'm gonna do this at my house. Thanks dude!
Thanks for the info. Can I also do this repair on exterior stucco wall ?
A really good idea using the sand to disguise the caulk.
does it still allow the concrete to expand and contract because here in the UK regular self levelling caulk dries hard and is quite brittle so it would just crack now i dont know if in america regular caulk is silicone caulk
How do you think very small pebbles would look over the top of the
caulking instead of sand? I've been experimenting in my driveway with
pebbles and mud/sand mixture. The downside is the rain eventually washes
out places in the gaps but I really like the look of the pebbles. The upside is
I seem to have an unlimited supply of small pebbles that collect at the
end of my driveway so I'm not so concerned about the add'l cost.
How is it about 5 years later?
Looks like a great idea; however, I'm dealing with two large patio slabs that have shifted so that they are just over 1/2" apart, and additionally one has dropped about an inch. The drop is right in the middle of the patio now, and is a tripping hazard. I can't afford new slabs or mud-jacking, so wonder if the technique you describe would work. Would it be feasible to fill it as described, then slant/slope the fill between the higher and lower slab so as not to have such a sharp ledge?? Thanks
Granny K caulk won’t fix your problem. It’s a sealant, and shouldn’t be used for leveling a surface.
Hi Granny, I have the exact same problem on my drive way - about 1/2'' horizontal gap and 1/2'' vertical gap between 2 slabs. How did you resolved the issue? Thanks.
did this repair last long?
Hey....thanks for this video. Showed different options and results. Great!
Great video! Quick and to the point.
Fantastic! I learned so much from you today!
thanks mugs 134. I think I will do that. they didn't have half inch at home Depot so I had to order it off of Amazon. I'm still waiting for it.
looks great, though i would expect the silicone caulk to pull away from one side of the joint walls after a couple seasons. not sure how much the concrete caulk will stretch. rubber caulk is also available that may be good.
Sounds like a winner.
I tried wooden joints but they do not stay in place.
Excellent job - many thanks for posting!
Love the sand on top. Excellent tip.
Any suggestions on what to use to replace 1 3/4 inch redwood seams on a old cement patio?
Will it damage the concrete to leave the gap empty? Is this necessary maintenance?
No it will not damage the concrete but dirt will eventually fill it which attracts weeds so do this now prevents more work later.
Any guidance for places where weeds have grown in the gaps. New home to me the weeds are already there.
M Foreman depending on the amount of weeds you can pull them by hand or spray with distilled vinegar which should kill them over time.
The real issue in sealing these expansion joints is preventing water intrusion. Over time, water intrusion will cause your slab, driveway, or whatever, to sink and crack. If you can keep the water out, you'll prevent, or at least slow the settling and cracking.
do you have to do the smaller lines as well? that big one is an expansion joint but do you have to do the little ones as well or is that for drainage?
It's been a few years. How has it held up?
Saved my drive way thanks for the post
Excellent job 👏👏👏👏👏👏
Hmmm. I have a few slabs in my backyard where the wood expansion joints are coming up due to sloping. I'm not sure if the self leveling gel would work.
Some companies make self-leveling joint sealer that isn't as runny for sloped areas. One company (I think Sika) makes SL1 for level areas and SL2 for sloped areas.
K self leveling is just that. A self leveler. You cannot use self leveling in this case. I know you meant to say that the same companies make caulk for those types of situations but reading how you worded it could potentially lead a person down the wrong path. Just want to make that clear.
Yes, you can use a self-leveling sealant on a slope, because several companies manufacture self-leveling, slope grade sealants. That is even how they are advertised. Also, I recently used Sikaflex self leveling sealant on my visibly sloped driveway without issue. I never said any specific product would work in this application. I only said some companies make self leveling, slope grade sealant, because they do. You cannot say that a self leveling sealant cannot be used in this case unless you somehow know the specifics of ricecowboy's backyard slab.
Oh OK. I read your post wrong. Sorry. I should have said "you shouldn't use self leveling because it tends to goto the lowest part of the crack and do what it is supposed to do." There is a tool and product for everything and having the right tool and product is half the battle. The other half is getting out and doing it"
I got it! Thank you for making this video. Big help!
what are the best options to repair cracks in my driveway and what best products to use
Thanks for the video. While it looks good, it is also expensive when you have a normal length driveway with a dozen 15' wide expansion joints.
Guys guys guys... dont use a silicone designed for windows, doors and siding for concrete. 🤦♂️ Please go to the nearest caulking distributor in your local town ( not home depot or lowes ). This is all backwards, the joint needs ground out. The caulking is only going to last as long as that tar is going to last because he caulked over the tar. The caulking he laid down has no adhesion to the concrete obviously if he left the tar in the joint. Use a ( high performance polyurethane OR a concrete specific silicone ). Dont use DAP for these applications. Search for BASF, DOW Corning and or Pecora products. Lastly; USE backer rod larger than the joint. If the joint is a half inch wide then use a 5/8s backer rod. Always go larger than the joint. Use a depth of 1/4 to half inch caulking depending on width of the joint.
The DAP he's using is a concrete specific high performance polyurethane made to the same spec's as the other manufacturers. Good info though.
Sika sells exactly this product for concrete from home depot
Great option! Thanks for sharing.
So the DAP 3.0 allows the slabs to expand and contract? I suppose that's why we couldn't just fill the crack with concrete.
Dap 3.0 I used for the gap along the side of my house. $7.56 a tube was racking up some dollars every 2 or 3 yards. I eventually went to the Re-store and got some of that donated silicone they sell for $1.50 a tube. Best color is brown. Then I went over the top with the 3.0.
Thank you so very much mugs!!! Very helpful video indeed!!
I used your steps and this works great. Thank you for sharing. I found a self-leveling product made by Sika at The Home Depot that is slightly less expensive and has worked great.
Did you use sand on top of the Sika and did you have any problem?
Mugs, how is it holding up? How long did this method last?
This is a fantastic process. Don't skip the silicone step, it seals both sides of the backer rod--if you don't do this step the self-leveling filler will leak all around the backer rod and be uneven.
Thanks for the video, is the Sand optional or required?
Sand makes it look more uniform. The caulk gels quickly so it may not level because of that. The sand hides imperfections and blends well with concrete.
Backer rod should be larger diameter to wedge into the gap.
did you use open cell or closed cell backer rod?
The backer rod was a solid tube, no splits.
The only trouble I had with this was between the driveway and garage cement, at one end it's 3 inches deep and at the other end it was almost 9 inches. I doubled and tripled up on the backing rod in the low spots, cauling each layer with the adhesive caulk, but the end result was still unlevel. I should have used more sealant to bring it even with the concrete. (I also used a landsacpe sealant based on the cmmts) I could've used 5 ot 6 of the self leveling caulks vs 3. I'm wondering if I could just lay more caulk over the sand that has dried and then do another layer of sand? it seems to adhere well....just curious if anyone had this same problem. Its right over a gutter that stays clogged, so it will get a lot of rain/downpour pressure.
u should put tight backer rod size before application...over time the backer rod shrinks a 3/4 of an inch backing or 1 inch would have been great
Nice Hack!! Gonna really help with my job!
The backer rod is supposed to be bigger than the gap. Should have bought a larger size. Skip the silicone and buy the correct size backer rod.
I know rite? I haven't been able to sleep for weeks because when I go to bed all I can think about is the ugly expansion joint in my driveway. It's so unsightly! I hope this helps me sleep.
That's a great idea for those over sized cross joints... a sand topping! Thanks
How does it look after six years can we get an update
Do u have any one in Chennai who is selling them, the area it covers and its cost. This should be help full.
how it is weathering now
Ranjodh Aulakh Yes please update on how it has held up after a year. Thank you.
Ranjodh Aulakh - earth calling who posted this video. Looks like people would like an update
Great Vid... gonna do this tomorrow while I'm ... ahem.... Teleworking..
Great idea, thanks for sharing.
What happens to it next time you pressure wash your driveway?
1. Your backer rod was too small for the size of the joint, if your rod is too small it doesn't work to prevent three sided adhesion.
2. You don't normally sand the top of an expansion joint, because they are supposed to be easily noticeable and you need to be able to see if they need repair. Only crack repairs get sand over the top to blend them.
3. I didn't see you sand under the backer rod, or check if it needed any.
Why the extra step? why not just do the whole thing with self leveling calk? What is the advantage of the silicon?
Not all self leveling caulk is actually self leveling. He shows you the end results when he used it. With bumps in it. Maybe the sand on top might hide this for you
Where can I buy sand like that? In that same color.
Home Depot bud
This is an ok example of mechancis however the recommendation to use silicone on concrete is a bad spec.
silicone is used for dense surfaces like glass ceramic aluminum etc. for pouruse surfaces like concrete and block and brick polyurethane is the better choice.
I thought neutral curing silicone, as opposed silicon that gives off acid during curing, adhered fine to cement?
Actually that would be the case if silicone is used to adhere something or repair something but what we are doing here is filling up a space to prevent water seepage to the underneath. I would appreciate others thought on this. Or even if this a good method to maintain an expansion joint.
I agree polyurethane is the choice
As a professional with over 40 years in the trades and extensive experience with sealants. Standard silicones should never be used with highly porous surfaces. Silicone 2 would have been an acceptable choice, but as others mentioned, polyurethane is the best choice.
@@tonyconrad9357 - Can you get the polyurethane in a tube like the caulking?
Looks good!
PS Nice work! Its great when you can find an acceptable solution and do it yourself.
nice, I got a project for this in mind !
I’m going to do this. Glad I came across this video
Can I watch???
I'm a clear silicone junkie. This process appears very complete and esthetic. My joint cracks are much smaller, so might just rely on clear silicone to keep water from penetrating the gaps, without bringing the level of the silicone to the top of the seam. Might consider very narrow foam insert to lessen quantity of silicone required.
Did you try this?
I just bought a house here in the city and I would like to know if anyone can repair and patch concrete surfaces on my driveway?
noob question here: what's wrong with using plain old concrete to fill it in?
You want something that is flexible and will somewhat move and shift with your sidewalk or driveway. concrete will just crack over time and you will have the same problem again.
thank you, lesson learned
That was very helpful
I'm replacing mine after six years... it failed after two years. My BIG mistake, natural due to the FAILURE of mfg's and retailers to explain the one crucial thing:
* The reason for backer rod is only partly to fill some of the gap.
* The PRIMARY reason: you DO NOT want sealant sticking to the bottom of the gap! If it does, it will stick to bottom and one side... and the other side will fail. BLEAH.
* If no room for backer rod, use "Bond Breaker Tape" -- which is not available in our area...
* ...so... I am attempting to use electrical tape as a substitute. We'll see how that goes.
Your idea here for silicone seal is very interesting... only problem is that will take time to dry :(
Silicone based caulk will come off in winter.