Don’t Make These Errors! Sealing Small Concrete Cracks Correctly 

All The Products Used (Sealant and Tools) - amzn.to/3WlnT8S DISCLAIMER: This video and description contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission.

Good video. I do have some cracks in my concrete that I should fix but never really knew how to. This video helps. Thank you.

Well thought out and explained! Thanks! I'll be looking out for more videos from you.

A little hand grease works magic on those weeks in the stones just behind you 🙂. Thanks for the video!

Have used the sika product, it works well.

Great intro and explanation of how to do this Scott. I did this on a number of client concrete patio / walkway / driveways in the early 2000's through 20-teens. The first ones from 20 years ago are still holding up! Like other forms of sealing - painting or other forms of calking, it is 80% prep. The most important thing is to follow the directions on whatever product you use! I think the second or possibly most important part of this procedure is to know WHY the crack formed. Many times there is poor drainage so there is soil erosion and frost cycles.. Is this crack going to continue or new ones going to form? Easy to solve when there is a downspout next to / near the concrete - get that water further away, re-route the downspouts, install a french drain if needed to help lower the after-rain water table. Where I have done this the crack stopped widening, and the sealant has held up for in upwards of 20 years!

Tremco 45ssl is amazing. I can attest.

I've repaired cracks like this myself. I enlarge tiny cracks, blow out loose material, blast the crack with water hose or pump sprayer, let it dry using blower, fill crack with dry mortor,level it, then wet it with a pump sprayer, tool the surface to compact it. Works every time.

Scott thank you so much for sharing your insights and knowledge. You do such a great job at explaining to a novice like me. Look forward to further videos!

I love the sand trick to make it blend much better 😊🛠️🛠️

I had the same issues, and your video would have made mine look better when I tried to repair it a few years back. I finally broke down and just replaced my concrete. You did a nice job with what you got!

Scott. Thanks for the videos. I have a Concrete backyard in New Orleans La, I have repaired several cracks with the Sika product,, Gray Formula. The Concrete was stained a mid to light green and has faded where the area closet to my house was covered by an aluminum cover. The rest of the concrete, whir a majority of the cracks were fixed, was exposed to weather for the last 15 plus years. I have repainted the house with a light tan paint and have beechwood brown roof and am contemplating restraining the concrete with some shade of blight brown or tan. First, I want to make the area where the cracks were respired less visible before possibly applying some form of covering paint across the entire concrete area before appoint any brown stain or paint. Can you provide any ideas?tips on making the entire area uniform in appearance before the final steps of my project? Thanks, Greg W

Scott, could this method be used for a crack in a basement concrete floor?

Your videos are very informative and at the cheapest way to fix it. I love it. Please upload any video on concrete wall leaks in basement and how to fix it. Thanks

Terrific video! This is so helpful. Thank you! 👍🏼

Outstanding video and presentation

Is this repair viable for cold winter climates? You carved out the crack and only put the backer rod in 1/4". Wouldn't it be possible to get water behind the backer rod, freeze and blow out the crack making a larger repair?

I usually run a grinder wheel the length of the crack. followed by a wire reel. to make sure the sealant can get into it, and then I covered with sand for two reasons. the first is the blend in the second is the the sand provides protection for the polymer sealant

would you recommend running your finger over the bead so it can get flattened out...great video. Thanks

I'm going to give you all a tip on product use. The Quikcrete product in the bottle will dry, hard and will pull away from even properly prepped concrete, when it moves seasonally. The other products do about the same and I've had failures at one or two years with all but the product I'm about to tell you about. Don't laugh though. Clean and prep your concrete , you can even carefully use a wire brush, or pressure wash the cracked area a couple days before the repair, make sure it's dry. Backer rod when used properly, needs to be down in the crack, not just below the surface, remember the concrete is cracked ALL the way through the thickness, so get some product in there to stabilize the crack, not just a dribble at the top. My secret concrete crack filler product is... Grey Flex Seal ! Yep, the stuff from T.V. I have used a large hobby syringe to draw the liquid Flex Seal from the Pint, or Quart can and just let it flow into the crack. It will self level very well. The difference with using Flex Seal is, it is Liquid Rubber, so when the crack joint moves, and it will, the Flex Seal will flex, and not pull away like the other products do. Flex Seal sticks to the clean Concrete really well. And it Stays Flexible for years. I repaired my first driveway that was full of cracks about 9 years ago, and it is still as good today as the day I finished. You can sprinkle some sand in the Flex Seal right when you put it in the crack, to help blend it in if you want too. I installed a new sidewalk at our new home last year, and used the Flex Seal on the Sidewalk Expansion cuts, to keep water out, and it looks beautiful. No, my name isn't Phil Swift, and I do not work for the Flex Seal Company in any way ...

I was just looking at your previous video because it was on my home page and I hadn't seen it before, despite full notifications ("All"). I scrolled back in my notifications to everything between "11 days ago" and "13 days ago", and it was missing. Clicked your channel, saw this video! No notification either... dammit RU-vid!

I used the Quickcrete product. It worked OK but I didn't do the amount of prep in the video. It poured out OK but it was a bit slow which is probably best.

Good things first. Silkaflex is a great product, don’t use on any slopes. I have not used the Tremco, nice to know it will do a slight slope. Bad part. The plastic bottle I have tried to use. The issues I had were, shaking it does nothing. There’s a lot that settles in the bottom that will never loosen with shaking. I have tried a spade drill with the point and corners ground off. This works well however there always seems to be lumps in it. It does not come out of the bottle very well when squeezing. Good information on the video 👍

Visually, and this could be the video, I think your other repairs have blended much better. Will this product become more mottled, and thus blend better, over time? I wonder what additional methods the sealant could accept. It's funny, the larger cracks seem easier to address. Your pool noodle trick was excellent by the way. Found yourself the super sized backer rod!

I enjoy your content. Also going back to prior installs and modifications and upgrades and fixes. Really good stuff!

I’ve used this method on my driveway. Asphalt. After a few years the cracks start to expand more and they open up.. leaving you with another crack next to your sealant. I believe one step id recommend to prevent this is to bind the sealant to each side of the crack, so smooth it out with a putty knife for example, so it isn’t just sitting in the crack but also is able to bind to each side. If you don’t then you’ll end up with my issue..

I have a pool deck. I'd like to do this to. my question is, am i able to paint this to blend in with the patio so it's u seen?

Hi Scott. detailed steps as usual. Will this work for small cracks in a poured concrete floor (2016 basement floor).? Thanks for your videos

I wonder, you showed that really wide crack which you filled with Tremco 45 two years ago.... What was the reason to fill it with Tremco, and not with concrete? I totally get it, filling a thin crack with concrete can be challenging, but a gap that wide should not be difficult?

would like to see a similar vid going over vertical cracks.

What you want to do (and he is doing it) is get the correct "shape factor." If you go too deep the adhesive capacity of the sealant can't hold on to the sides. It’s sort of like a rubber band if the shape is deep and narrow there is a lot of stress on the edges, while if its shallow and wide there is less adhesive adhesion stress. I just watched it fast to see if he would give the explanation of why you do this prep.

My 12 yr old drive has some kind of 1/2” solid composite backer strips - what is this stuff? It’s been lifting over the last few years in several places to the point where its causing issues with my snowblower (hitting the lifting edges). I’ve used a Japanese counter top saw to cut-level it where its lifting. I live in Michigan where snow and ice are common each winter. What should I do?😊

Is there a different method for much thinner cracks? I prefer not to grind them wider if possible. Thank you.

Butyl Rubber Caulk works good

The cracks on mine are all different depths and size, there's no way I could use backer rod of all one size, I'd be cutting every few inches. Would it be okay to use some kind of expanding foam first, then use a utility knife to cut it down. Then add the sealant after?

I use silicon grout. Comes in a tube. Add a little sand on top & becomes almost invisible

Make sure you use plenty of KY jelly.... When you're putting your backer rod in the crack

I have many cracks like this where the sidewalks or driveway meet. There is partial black material that appears to be used to fill the gap but is old and doesn’t completely seal the crack. Can I use this method in place of that old black material?

Does this work on asphalt for driveway?

come on now whip out your pressure washer - turbo tip and surface washer and clean the driveway before doing the crack repair

Would a wire ylon hand brush not be better as it could get deeper into the crack 🤔

Go little bug 🐞 go!!

Use paving flags simple or block drive

popper pep work

I remember that old job you did and the one year mark looks terrible. It's totally sunken in and not leveled.

2:38 Run! Roly Poly!!!

I’d really like to to see this particular sealing job after it dries. It seems like you’re way too full in the cracks, creating a raised hump that will be a problem or look unsightly.

I have never had the concrete sealer work very well..I found that the sealing that's similar to caulking last much better

Can I use it on my garage concrete ? It’s says post tension etc..

The older repair, why isn't it flush ? Looks like it shrunk quite a bit.

Why is the patch you did in the older job so much lower than the original cement? Why, if intentional? Did things move around? Aesthetically, doesn't look good or complete. Do you like the look?

Clay Sand? Sooo many kinds of sand out there...Can Quikrete Medium Grade Sand be used? Or Play Sand? thank you!

It cracked there because the expansion joint didn’t. You should cut through the expansion joint and make it deeper and a little wider

He said, "Measure your crack"😂 3:31

Just fill it with hydraulic grout. It's not going to shrink.

Why not pack sand into the crack, instead of using backer rod?

My method might be overkill but I would grab a bag of Cemetall (very inexpensive) and put it into the crack - just the dry powder, no water. Fill the crack with it but leave about an inch from the top of the crack. Then, mix a batch of Cementall with water to make a watery slurry. Pour that into the crack above the dry powder but again, don't fill the crack all the way. Leave yourself about 1/2" to 1/4" from the top of the crack. Let that dry for 24-48hrs. Finally, use the Sika or Tremco to finish it off.

I like to leave original as it is. It's less obvious

So if you have a large crack you need a big tube ? Good to know dude 😂😂🤣🤣👍👍👍👍

Why not fill the crack with sand first?

For those of us without all those tools, could we just wait til the crack is 1/2 inch wide?

You are an excellent instructor! You explain everything so well and in depth. Providing a link to products used is a bonus. Even if one doesn't buy from Amazon or use the exact brand it is so helpful to know.

Such cracks are a clear sign of bad prepared underground!

Still need to remove that tree and plant something with smaller root system (bushes, blackberries on a trellis)

@2:37 Little guy there dodged a bullet!

He said measure your crack before you fill your crack.

Shouldn't you be asking yourself why this particular part of the concrete cracked?looks to me like the foundation between the part of the sidewalk and all that area where the rocks and the tree are,has already got the foundation sinking......I've dumped the 1st stuff you showed down into the expansion joints that cracked where they were supposed to in my driveway and as another poster said it shrinks over time and in my case just disintegrated away...I might have to try the final stuff you used and see how long that holds up.

You forgot to do one step: push it into the crack with a spoon or similar tool. Then add a little sand.

As a professional pressure washer and also offering this service as well.. it was hard for me to watch seeing the condition of the concrete cleanliness and lines left from a surface cleaner not used right....

If rebars were used on the original pour, no need to do this. Worst case would be hairline cracks no more than 1 or 2 mm and won't widen any farther.

Quickrete is garbage. Cracked everywhere I used it. Sika works well. Has lasted years with almost no cracking

What would you use for bluestone

For that very large crack 2 years ago I don't know why you didn't just use concrete or mortar to fill it, would have looked better I think

yeah and that giant bead sticking out above level looks like you laid some rope down. looks sloppy at the end.

Nylon brush to clean out the crack, leaf blower to blow the stuff right back into the crack....perfect!

Backer rod is only a filling material and doesn't offer any adhesive or strengthened abilities at all

Pity you can still see the crack

I follow KISS. Not worth it to me. I’ll take the re-work.

I'm not a fan of this type repair because it really doesn't blend the crack in enough and leaves a " the concrete broke " patch.

Looks like the sealant is sitting a little proud maybe once it cures you can take a razor blade scraper to it

A lot of crack

Looks like too much material, it protrudes above the existing concrete. The old fix looks like it's low, not flush.

Just use sand, it never looks good with sealant

I can't stop staring at that dandelion in the grass behind you.

Hate to say so but this is not a very good looking job. Especially the previous larger one shown. Much better ways of finishing to have a better blend in job.

You just need $2000 in tools to fill this crack, no problem

The error is watching the jack of all trades master of none showing you how to do something. Gives bad electrical advice, plumbing advise and even how to plug a tire! Next he will be showing you how to sew on a button (the wrong way)

Shave your head dude

From one bald guy to another... Just shave it off. You'll look great

Looks like shit though

8:30 minutes too long. Ain't got time for this. Thumbs down. Do Better!

🥢 Chopsticks work too

Sikaflex lasted for about 3 years