DIY Repair Driveway Expansion Joints 

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!

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 !

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

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!

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

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

That turned out really nice. I like the sand idea.

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

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.

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.

Great option! Thanks for sharing.

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.

Super awesome quick and painless video great information thank you for the info

I did this about 1 1/2 ago and its great. thank you for the VID. ....

Thanks for the info. Can I also do this repair on exterior stucco wall ?

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.

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.

Fantastic! I learned so much from you today!

Love the sand on top. Excellent tip.

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!

Excellent job - many thanks for posting!

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?

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.

Great video! Quick and to the point.

Saved my drive way thanks for the post

Great video. Thanks for saving me trial and error time and money

Great idea, thanks for sharing.

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.

Thank you so very much mugs!!! Very helpful video indeed!!

I got it! Thank you for making this video. Big help!

Hey....thanks for this video. Showed different options and results. Great!

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

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.

Looks good!

Sounds like a winner. I tried wooden joints but they do not stay in place.

Nice Hack!! Gonna really help with my job!

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.

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.

Great job! Thank you!

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!

That's a great idea for those over sized cross joints... a sand topping! Thanks

A really good idea using the sand to disguise the caulk.

That was very helpful

How did you smooth it out or did you need to. Look great!

I'm gonna do this at my house. Thanks dude!

nice tips thank you.

Any suggestions on what to use to replace 1 3/4 inch redwood seams on a old cement patio?

what are the best options to repair cracks in my driveway and what best products to use

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.

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.

Excellent job 👏👏👏👏👏👏

nice, I got a project for this in mind !

very nice! thank you

It's been a few years. How has it held up?

PS Nice work! Its great when you can find an acceptable solution and do it yourself.

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.

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.

Nice one cheers.

Good video. Is there an update on the repair?

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 is it about 5 years later?

Curious as to how your expansion joint repair is holding up? have you had to recaulk ?

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?

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

How long has it been since you did this? I am curious how it will look after several seasons.

Mugs, how is it holding up? How long did this method last?

Do u have any one in Chennai who is selling them, the area it covers and its cost. This should be help full.

It’s been 10 years since this video how’s it holding up?

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.

NICE!

how did this hold up after a few years?

cool thanks

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.

What happens to it next time you pressure wash your driveway?

I’m going to do this. Glad I came across this video

Does the silicone caulk need to cure before applying the DAP concrete caulk? Thanks for sharing.

Backer rod should be larger diameter to wedge into the gap.

How does it look after six years can we get an update

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

Great Vid... gonna do this tomorrow while I'm ... ahem.... Teleworking..

did this repair last long?

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.

Question: why additionally use silicone, if already using self leveling caulk as final layer? What purpose does silicone serve here? Thank you!

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.

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.

this can be used in water retaining structure

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?

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.

You should let the sealant dry before adding the sand. The sand embedded into the sealant will prevent it from contracting in cold weather, as sand is uncompressible.

Thanks for the video, is the Sand optional or required?

did you use open cell or closed cell backer rod?

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.

Will it damage the concrete to leave the gap empty? Is this necessary maintenance?

how it is weathering now