Replacing Rotten Wood Expansion Joints in a Driveway - Agile Remodeling Handyman - Kenmore, WA
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- Опубліковано 8 лют 2025
- I replaced old rotten wood expansion joints at concrete driveway and walkways. Typical 2x4 size. Cut to fit as needed. Coat cuts with liquid preservative treatment. Filled small gaps with sand.
This pressure-treated wood is rated for ground contact (not all P.T. wood is) and has a lifetime warranty from the manufacturer. It's the good stuff.
Cole Chesnut
Agile Remodeling Handyman LLC
Kenmore, WA 98028
Phone: 206-696-4626
Email: info@agileremodel.com
Website: agileremodel.com
Frequently asked questions and answers:
Q: What can I use under the wood to prevent it from contacting the dirt?
A: Usually I see concrete under the boards already and I'm not sure if it's necessary, but I guess you could use cement "sand mix". If you do that, you should do it immediately before you fill the gaps with wood, or else the cement will dry and might be in the way of the wood making it more difficult to install. If it's still wet, you will be able to push the wood into the cement a bit.
Q: The name of the wood and the manufacturer?
A: Don't buy it from Home Depot or Lowes, they sell low-grade stuff that will not last long. Buy from one of your local lumber yards and make sure the wood is "pressure-treated for ground contact". Pressure-treated wood comes from different suppliers in different regions. Here’s one of my local suppliers with some good advice: solutions.dunnlumber.com/projects/how-to-maintain-the-lifetime-warranty-of-pressure-treated-lumber
Q: What is it you brushed the cut wood with?
A: I use liquid “Copper-Green Brown Wood Preservative” which has the same chemical as the pressure-treated wood, and I apply it at least twice to make sure it soaks into the wood as far as possible.
Q: What did you brush with a broom after installing it in the ground and you then washed it with water?
A: Fill the gaps with sand. Fine sand such as “paver sand” is good. “Polymeric sand” is best for durability as it sticks together. I sweep it in, then wash it so it sinks down, then do it again so it fills the cracks to the top.
Q: The name of the tool you used to take out the rotten wood and is there any power tool that can do that?
A: I use a sawzall to cut wood and nails, and a 3 foot pry bar (sometimes 2 of them) to remove the wood.
Q: What is the size of the wood that I need to use?
A Whatever will fit, in my area these are typically 2x4s which actually measure 1.5"x3.5". Where they are loose, I jam plastic wedge shims in the gaps so the 2x4s won't move. Sometimes I also use a bit of heavy-duty exterior construction glue such as "Liquid Nails".
LOVE THIS.
Nicely done my man.
I'm getting ready to do the same thing to my new house I just bought.
Appreciate the video
This was the best video I found! I am starting this project for my driveway now. Thank you!
You made it look so easy I think I’ll add this to my list of projects for when I get home 🏡
Something came to mind @ 2:35 when you shaved some off the board. At first I thought maybe you were sawing a gap X inches deep and blade width wide so that the 2x4 would be able to pinch inward and you could mallet it down into the crevasse. Same concept as trimming the actual side, put probably more forgiving to saw a 75% gap down the length of the 2x4 so it can pinch inward.
Can you leave the wood in and add the sealant in between the wood and concrete?
Great video!!!!
Does the wood prevent water from displacing the sand/dirt underneath the slab and thus eventually causing the slab to crack or shift?
Looks good man
It’s so fun to watch you do such great work! I made a couple comments below.
I think you would really benefit from wearing nice sturdy kneepads like electricians or landscapers. 😊
Thanks!
Good point. Gotta take care of the body.
I bought some new kneepads with gel inside a few weeks ago. Just finished another one of these driveway jobs and it was nice with more cushion.
Nice work. What did you use to wedge the board to stay in place for the areas where the concrete joint expanded a bit?
nice. why do peple keep filling those with silicone nowadays?
Would be nice to know type wood you used, what you brushed on wood,( black liquid), and what you swept over when done.
Good question. Check my new pinned comment of FAQs and answers.
HOLY BATMAN! Now those are great expansion joints.
May I ask a question? If so, why is a driveway have concrete expansion joints instead of cut all the way through?
My drive way has 2 for a large pad for 2 cars. My driveway looks like a jigsaw puzzle with cracks and is 40 years old that I have filled.
What was the cost of that project?
How much would you charge to do about 20 boards that are all 16 feet long
Minus the material what was your labor charge thanks
Installing wood in the joints is actually very bad for the driveway. Driveways need water proofing in their joints. A sealant or gasket should be installed onces the wood is taken out. Nice job though.
Where did you get the knee pads? I like them. I like the mini table saw too. Nice video, it came out looking great! I'm getting ready to do some myself with ground contact treated boards.
Looks nice. I have nails in the joints from one slab to the other every 4 feet or so. And my joints are very narrow in some places. I’m looking for excuses not to do it...
Most of the nails were rusted in this one. I knocked a few out with an old chisel.
I’m not sure if I showed this clearly in the video. I jammed plastic shims in the gaps about every 2 feet (or so) to wedge the new boards in place. I think if you don’t do something to hold the boards down, they will bow and stick up in some places after a few seasons.
How much wouls you charge me to fix my driveway got pics
Do you think there would be any problems using 1" x 2" if my joints are smaller? Do I really need to go 4" down?
My gaps are only about 1 inch also.
I will only try to go about 2 inches down unless I see it is deeper than that.
I plan to paint it with a clear stain to help resist weather etc. also.
My husband wants to take out the rotten wood and fill it with more concrete. Can we do that?
I think it will work, but it depends. After a while it might crack and some bits might fall apart, especially if you live in an area where it freezes.
@@AgileRemodelingHandyman thank you 😁
You can fill with backer rod then flexible sealant as you want it to be able to expand and contract. Hard concrete would crack if temp varies in the year.
@@Trust_but_Verify I’m in the Seattle area and the gaps from the rotted 2 x 4 were filled in with concrete many years ago. It’s worked just fine except some weeds come up even in the places with the tightest fit. There are a couple other spots where the gap has widened for some reason, like 1/2 inch.
Would that Trex decking material be a good idea for someone who is just replacing rotted wood?
Would it be a good idea to put sand or small gravel under the replacement 2x4s?
Very lucky to not have rebar about every 3 feet peircing each board.. makes for whole lot more work! Such a bad idea to design driveways this way.. just gap the sections and leave out the soon to be rotted wood
What are you brushing onto the wood with the paint brush?
Wood preservative called “Copper-Green”. The same stuff that the wood was treated with at the factory. Instructions and warranty say to put it on all the cuts.
I was thinking about doing this for my driveway. Would it be worth it to try to seal the pressure treated boards before I put them in? I watched some videos on the repairs using the sealant with foam backer, and for looks I want to do wood. Also, my joints are much narrower, about 1"-1.25", should I dig them out to put in 1x4s?
I thought about putting a clear coat on the boards first but didn’t do it. Not sure if it would be worthwhile.
I made sure that my PT boards are rated for “ground contact” because I’ve seen some PT that specifically says “not for ground contact” and I figured that was important.
You can probably get 5/4” PT material that might be a good fit for you, but I don’t think I’ve seen that rated for ground contact. Not sure how long it would last.
I’ve done the foam backer rod and sealant in smaller gaps. It works well, but I suppose it would be more expensive material in bigger gaps.
2x4 expansion joints, or they just left the form in place? 😂
Would there be any detrimental effects if these were left out?
Expansion joints are meant to break large concrete slabs into smaller sections, which helps reduce cracking. It doesn’t necessarily need wood in the gaps.
If the wood is rotten, it’s probably OK to leave it in the gap. I don’t think it will hurt anything, just a matter of looks.
There are other ways to fill those expansion joint gaps too, such as foam backer rod and gray caulk.
These days I don’t usually see wood expansion joints going in new construction like they used to. It’s kind of an old-school way.
Silly to use wood. It’ll eventually just rot again even using pressure treated lumber. Much easier to fill with asphalt patch, and it’ll last forever.
If it were my house, I’d probably pack the gaps with foam backer rod and top it off with Sika joint sealant, like on a commercial project. But some residential customers really want wood so there we go.
Wood swells, so it’s not a very good choice for an expansion joint. It’s actually a terrible choice. I’m surprised builders are still doing it.
@@AgileRemodelingHandymanI did the silka route and it was 2 weeks until I finally just put a screwdriver thur the half inch of silka that didn’t dry, what I’ve learned is that cutting it out wide enough for some good matching driveway bricks, since you got a perfect portion for a drain pipe I laid down some driveway drains and hooked it up to main diverter.
I tried to contact you to have this done to my driveway. No response.
I replied. Check your spam folder.
Spare us the noise (music).
สักวันจะไปทำงานด้วยผมกำลังตกงาน
👌🙂
God bless.
Horrible music :-) Helpful video!!