DIY Repair Sidewalk Expansion Joints

[@garyK.45ACP]

Backer rod can be combined to fill the gap. A 3/4 and a 1/2" inserted and "rolled in" together will make a tight fit and save you $$$ on the sealant.

[@joshuamcnew1200]

As a business man that owns a caulking company; HOMEOWNERS call the pros please. Anytime you go with a professional company you always get a warranty. Not only does that tar need to come off but the whole joint need ground out for fresh adhesion. And never use sand as a foundational barrier; use backer rod as sand will leave dust behind on the inside walls of the joint which therfore causes the caulking to separate once cured. This happens because the caulking could not adhere to dust. And if you are a home owner repairing your driveway please go to the nearest caulking distributor that specializes in "industrial grade" caulking. Not to mention these local distributors should have backer rod all the way up to 4 inches in width. Let this dry no less than 24 hours. Do not caulk if moisture is in the subgrade as it will evaporate and cause bubbles in the caulking. Same goes for a very hot and humid day. Best temperature is anywhere from 60 to 80 degrees. This joint here that was performed on this video should have been a half inch depth considering how wide the joint was. Never go more than a half inch depth on any sized joint otherwise it will fail.

[@joshuamcnew1200]

@No Compromise we always do, just keep the backer rod side by side of each other when doubling it up so you don't risk it popping up through the caulk (nice tight fit)

[@flying99271]

JM's Caulking LLC JM...I just purchased tremco brand polyurethane caulk. The expansion joint I’m trying to fill is 12’ long and 1.5” thick. Upon reading the fine print, it advised not to use when the gap is .75” thick (or something close to that). What do you recommend using...or should I go ahead and use this stuff? Thx

[@joshuamcnew1200]

@@flying99271 dow corning ccs silicone or pecora 301 silicone

[@flying99271]

@@joshuamcnew1200 ... Thank you very much! I'm going to try and find this stuff locally.

[@joshuamcnew1200]

@@flying99271 great stuff, we use pecora 301 silicone in our company and we even give it a 5 year warranty. It is pretty pricey, about 57 dollars a gallon but, best stuff on the market. People pay up to $1600 a typical 3 car driveway for this product to be installed around here so that should explain alot.

[@bobd.]

A suggestion to anyone applying this. You may want to cover the joint after you apply the sealant because it stays sticky for a few hours. If there is even the slightest breeze then debris will be blown into your joint and mess it up. So cover with something that will not touch the surface of the sealant. You might try cutting some strips of cardboard and bend them into a V shape that you place inverted over the joint. And of course you want to keep any traffic off the joint for as long as you can but a minimum of 24 hours.

[@Fucknuts4u]

More trouble than it's worth.

[@genecarden780]

I have been a professional caulker for over 45 years. This is good advice. Because we always tool the joint so it is slightly concave and slightly below the surface of the concrete we tape masonite strips to over it.

[@JasonJayJJ1]

I've used the same product for my driveway expansion cracks and I found that paver base or finely crushed stone works better than sand to strengthen the adhesion of the caulk to the concrete surface. If the crack is deep enough I put pebble size landscape rock from my yard inside the crack so you get adhesion from all around the rocks and concrete sides of the crack. To damn up the sides, if you don't have a paint stick, I used a large piece of a cedar chip mulch from my flower beds or find a large flat stone laying around. The shallower the crack the longer the sealer will last. Preferable no more than a 1/4" in depth is the longest lasting adhesion.

[@genecarden780]

You do not understand how this works . Using stones or sand is a VERY bad idea. Backer rod MUST be used to get the proper profile and for depth control,or the sealant WILL fail prematurely. It is not like concrete. Aggregate does not strengthen the sealant. It severely compromises its ability to stretch and compress Besides these are expansion joints that expand and contract. Putting anything in the joint that does not compress makes zero sense. The sealant needs to be 1/2 as deep as it is wide but not less than 1/4 “ or deeper than 1/2”. I have a installed sealants professionally for over 40 years. If this material is installed correctly it will last 25 years or more in 3/4” wide joints. I have installed miles of this type of sealant in high traffic areas( shopping malls,schools parking structures) that is still in good condition after 25 years or more. This is what a proper installation looks like hammerandhand.com/best-practices/manual/2-sealant-joints/2-1-sealant-joint-design/

[@genecarden780]

This 100% wrong. NO AGGREGATE STRENGTHENS THE BOND. Adding aggregate to sealant us plain stupid It dies nothing but compromise the sealant You have zero clue what you are talking about

[@Captleemo]

That stuff looks great when you first install it but give it a few years and see what the UV rays do to it. I did my driveway and sidewalk with that stuff to the tune of about 200 bucks for sealant and it is all shriveled up and cracked now. Maybe pouring sand over it before it dries out will protect it from the UV rays.

[@goofydog2]

Why did you elect not to apply sand to the top of this repair as you did with your driveway expansion joint repair video?

[@genecarden780]

Adding sand to the top of the bottom of the joint significantly diminishes the life expectancy of sealant. It ud a stupid idea

[@jeffwaller7069]

Is the sand compressible? If not, how does it expand if needed? Backer rod would be in order…

[@genecarden780]

You are exactly right using sand ud plain stupid

[@RichardFallstich]

The joint was indeed wide for the available sizes of backer rod. However, I have seen backer rod as large as 4 inch. I found some 2" which is what would have been required in this instance, but is was about a $1/foot (in 2016). Sika recommends: "Where the depth will not permit the use of a backer rod a polyethylene bondbreaker tape may be used." It's best that the sealant bonds only to the 2 sides of the joint and not the bottom to prevent failure from extended flexion and/or aging.

[@genecarden780]

Yeah sand is a very bad idea. It will fail prematurely. He should have bought the right size backer rod. Stuff like this is why homeowners sealants have to be redone so often often. I have installed miles of sealant n this type situation and it should last about 20 years thi will not

[@AF-we1zc]

How long would you need to wait before you started parking your cars back in your driveway you think?

[@katherinecan]

What’s the make of the caulking gun?

[@angiemeyers8170]

I have a cement patio and I have a gap between the house and slab, can I do this same approach up against the foundation or would you do something different?

[@bobd.]

I did on mine almost 4 years ago and it still looks good. No deterioration at all.

[@Jordanwoodworking]

Would this be a good product if you was filling a gap between wood and concrete

[@Sonny2344]

Can I use a 4.5 gallon bucket of black tar instead ??? I have a 2 inch spread by 80 feet total between cement slabs. Thanks 👍🏼

[@genecarden780]

Using tar is a bad idea

[@Sonny2344]

@@genecarden780 Why

[@genecarden780]

@@Sonny2344 because if it’s an expansion joint it is moving so you have to use something that is flexible. The “ tar” at home centers are basically 2 types ,hardening and non hardening. The ones that harden will crack and the ones that don’t will get tracked everywhere.And neither one can withstand the the amount of movement.

[@Sonny2344]

@@genecarden780 Thank you 👍🏼

[@genecarden780]

@@Sonny2344 sorry my original reply was so blunt. I actually edited it now. I often have to deal with KZbin know it all’s that think they know better than industry ( I have been in the caulking and waterproofing industry for over 45 years) and sometimes forget that often it’s just an ordinary homeowner trying to get information 🙏. And my actual purpose on KZbin is to try to give homeowners correct information and dispelling all of the KZbin “ experts” misinformation. Again sorry for my original harshness it was uncalled for

[@IvanSchlachter]

I just used this technique for many of my joints.... Some I added baker rod if it was wide and deep enough. My question is, how many years should I expect this to last before it needs to be redone?

[@genecarden780]

If you did it right. ( that includes backer rod and proper application) it should last 20 years or more. But since you said “ some I used backer rod” it is a safe bet it was not properly installed.

[@michaelhinchey]

How is this holding up?

[@mugs132]

Michael Hinchey very well.

[@michaelhinchey]

mugs132 I put some backer rod between the joints. However some of it decided to raise to the top as the caulk ran below it. ugh

[@ACoustaDC]

You don't mention the product??

[@thomasholmes7070]

Great job!

[@hobohacker258]

Never use the gun's seal poker. You just get the stuff on your hands as you use the gun.

[@Ronbo765]

Sorry, looks ugly. What if you sprinkled sand over it for texture?

[@mugs132]

See my other video for the sand technique. It looks nicer, for sure.

[@genecarden780]

Using sand is a very bad idea it severely diminishes the sealants life expectancy Don’t do it

[@genecarden780]

Using sand us a very bad idea. It will fail prematurely. Backer rod is essential. It provides depth control,prevents a 3 sided bond and most importantly provides the proper profile for the sealant to work. A 1 3/4” wide joint has to be 1/2” deep. There is science to the depth ratios you can’t just make them up. Also if there is asphalt on the concrete it has to be mechanically abraded( ground) to pristine concrete