DIY Repair Driveway Expansion Joints

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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[cogman]

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!

[CAMPFIRESKY]

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 !

[SBmitch]

This was absolutely genius. Putting sand down made the gaps look so much better. Thank you for posting this!

[MYTOYMAKERZ]

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.

[graphguy]

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!

[cessavage]

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.

[timolvey]

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.

[joshuamcnew]

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.

[kenmitchell]

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.

[twodoselegend]

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!!!

[cvice]

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.

[fsorbello]

Thanks for the video. Just took care of my driveway's old rotted out expansion joints and they look phenomenal thanks to you!

[shaneownbey]

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.

[jamesf]

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

[wmligon]

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!

[jdhitshine]

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.

[johnjames]

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.

[ramroad]

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.

[demitriosvekkf.z.]

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!

[ThriftyGarage]

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.