How to seal concrete control joints 

Did you know why you really want the foam rod to fill the void ? To have the caulk grab the 2 sides of the joint not the bottom, why ? For expansion and contraction, you want only the 2 sides moving to be where it stretches. Your first mistake, the caulk will pull away from the sides eventually as is almost always seen on most projects over time. A thin viscosity clear primer(that gets tacky in about 20 min) should be brushed on the sides of the joint. Its thin viscosity over just heavy poor penetrating caulk will reach deep into the concrete and be soft enough to blend into the caulk for the proper seal and grip to the concrete. The watertight seal in and around that joint will prevent water from working its way to where the caulk alone cannot seal properly. If you dont use this primer, the stretching back and forth of that joint will pull the caulk away. If you don't believe me, just look at application spec sheets on Polycoat,General polymers ,Vulcrom products. We do this on pool decks. This has always been a no brainer to take this step that most people leave out. Another thing. using so many tubes of caulk and then smoothing it out, get self-leveling caulk, pour it in, watch it level so smooth. Bring your tape in closer to the edge of the caulk so its below and not overlapping on top. To expect the caulk to penetrate into the top layer of cement is not correct. /water soaking into those top layers of cement over and under it , will eventually cause the caulk to detach. You want the caulk snug and below countersunk to be protected, as I said so 2 sides stretch back and forth only.

Been scouring for weeks. There are very few, like maybe this may be the only video, that covers filling a gap over 1”. Thanks.

12:07 that subtlety of the hand movement when you lifted and drew back a little to have the excess material fall back onto the surface without messing it up all over the place goes to show you're a smart smart person. great clean job.

You are the man for recording like this!! Thank you for such an excellent production for this video. Your skill and know-how help explain how to get the best results!!

Before you forget the raised edge you will create when pulling up tape first before any sand is applied, Pull the tape first, run something down like a thumb with a rubber glove on, and press down raised caulk. You won't have a big mess smearing down the raised edge because you protected the cement with tape. The transition edge of the caulk will flatten out before sand is broadcast into the wet urethane caulk. Self-leveling pour down urethane is much more leveling and penetrating into the concrete for proper adhesion, especially if you prime the cement voids 2 sides for the urethane to blend with and create a superior waterproof bond that won't separate from the cement as most applications on job sites do. This is nothing new, just industry standard by the book. Most people skip the priming of the joint, what do you think primers are for. This is done on roofing plywood deck joints as well.

You should check out using dymonic semi self levelling caulk for this. It doesn’t need and tooling. It can be applied on gentle slopes as apposed to their self leveling caulk which is only for dead level surfaces. Loved the sand trick

Can beach sand be used instead of playground sand?

Does the seal without backer rod hold up as well as those with backer rod? I heard its crucial to use backer rod to ensure the seal doesn't fail...

$299? That is very cheap the amount of material not worth it. I wouldn’t do it less than $1500-$1800

The Cake Boss would be proud of you! Just kidding, nice work! I need to do this around my driveway entrance gaps to sidewalk.

Hey. Good job brother. Dont mind the haters

Concrete is porous, filler is not. Therefore water gets between, especially above the crack. Get some latex paint to match the concrete and thin it until it drips out of a brush. Mask around the curve in the joint, and saturate everything beneath. Do not be stingy. The filler will stick to the paint-sealed concrete much better than raw. Water can not work itself between.

Ok. It’s been 2 years since you did the caulking job. How does it look in 2024?

Great job! Which Dowsil # are you using?

Fantastic job!! Come to Dallas you do my driveway and many others!

That looks damn good, brother. Nicely done. I'm about to seal new control joints on a freshly poured slab then after they cure, I'll seal the entire slab. Fortunately, the control joints are not as wide as the ones you did but a few are quite deep. I have some backer-rod to fill those deep spots before using a self-leveling control joint selant. Appreciate the video. Have a fine weekend. 👍🏽🤠 03/16/24

Awesome job. Have you tried the Sika self leveling product? If so do you prefer this product over the Sika self leveling product? Thanks

Probably your wife asked you what you cooking honey? You tell your wife I'm cooking the floor. 😂😆....

Question regarding the manual gun vs. Makita gun. I have a full 2 car drive with 2 lanes and the joint in front and along side the garage along the service walk . You mentioned in the video the gun was turned up to highest setting. Would it be possible to do the drive I have and joints along the side of the garage and service walk and between the garage door and driveway slabs with the manual gun. I would like to try this product instead of the Sika this time but just can't find it within my budget to spend ~$350 for gun with battery. TIA

What brand of concrete caulking compound are you using? That would be nice to know. Readers - suggestions? Thanks.

I have search the web I’m trying to buy the same thing with that you were using. I can find similar dowsil Products but they are at least four dollars more than the price that you gave on your video ouch now I don’t know what to do

Great video Sir! I have nearly the exact larger gap half way up my driveway and all the wood in my expansion joints are long gone, since this home is a 100+ yr old home. The driveway isn't 100 yrs old, it was put in in roughly in the mid 80's.

Best video by far on how to create the smooth finish when you can’t use the self leveling product. Thank you.

Be sure to tell your wives and daughters to step over these joints when they're wearing their stiletto heels or you'll be patching it and possibly paying for x-rays and new fancy shoes.

You missed the calling as a cake maker, LOL. Those are some nasty expansion joints. Expand they did. Thanks for sharing the techniques.

This is so much work… just buy vinyl strip to fill between concrete gaps…

Great👌🏻… Tks for sharing, just subscribed 🙏🏻💪🏻🙏🏻

That is quality work, thanks for such a great how-to video.

Awesome content for many that want to do their own work that don't know how. Simple enough to make it happen on any home with willing people to do the work. Save money and DIY! 🤙

Great work! Excellent attention to detail.

Good video. You should have shown how you prep the sausage for the sausage gun. I remember the first time I did this type of caulking and I couldn’t figure out how to open it. I would cut the tip and the caulk would go everywhere. Then a more experienced fellow should me just to tap it hard on your steel toe twice and it pops right off. How do you guys do it? Thanks for the tips. I found the last part to be the most useful. Oh and I’d use general construction masking tape rather than duct tape. Less expensive and does the same job.

I have had success with Sika and regular sand. Should I fill the space between garage door and driveway. Thanks.

Hmm so my comment became a paragraph, deleted that and I'll skip all my nitpicking. I'll just point out 1 thing. Dump the duct tape and use blue painters tape. Duct tape isn't made to be removed, so it leaves "sticky" stuff and it costs more. Also painters tape comes in handy when doing in home caulking.

roughly how many of those sausages did it take to do the area in this video? thanks!

I live in Western NY, and the freeze and thaw of months of winter over the years has made a mess of the concrete slabs in our driveway. As much as I'd love to do this, the slabs are all uneven and trying this would look horrible. Funds make our awful driveway something we're stuck with, I feel.

Exelente video como se llama el producto que le puso bendiciones

I just had a new driveway put in and am looking into sealing and caulking myself. I like the idea of the tape for the expansion joint. Is it not necessary to use it for the control joints? Do I need any other forming tools beside the spatula? Also I plan on using ACT-ATS-22 for the sealer. Good video Thx

Brilliant idea thank you 👏👏👏🤙🏻🤙🏻🤙🏻

Freaking amazing work. I have pretty big expansion joints in my garage. I'm going to grind and acid stain the floor and plan to do exactly this with my control joints. Here's my question: should I do this BEFORE or AFTER staining? I'm not sure how the acid stain will react with the sealant and sand...

Excellent Brother Great video Thank's for Sharing Very much. God Bless.U.

Looks very expensive material 8$ spent on 10 foot

For erratic cracks that aren't in the control joints, I have used a grinding wheel called a 'crack chaser', it's a vee shaped diamond impregnated wheel 3/8ths or 1/2 inch wide if you prefer, cuts a groove as deep as you need .works great,cuts concrete like butta! It's around $100 for a good quality one. but take time taping to the EDGE as you have, caulk the cut FLAT,no slump, no self leveling caulk, then sand to a Flush finish.I have used play sand which is finer. Add that option into your quotes at $20 / ft ! time consuming but compared to replacing concrete pads,... customers will pay, at least in the East part of the USA ! 8 ft crack start to finish takes about an hour . ( just my 2cents)

This 'Dowsil sealant is now $35.00 per tube for that 20oz. sausage in April 2024 Very pricey. Quadrupled in price in 3+ years....unless you get a much lower price from wholesale supplier. Nice job though, the Dowsil sealant looks like a very good product and relatively easy to work with, it seems to have a long work time before it starts to set up. I live right near you in Riverton. Have a daughter in Draper.

New in the trade, but uh. You seem nervous. You pushed some off in the grass.

would it no be better off to make a tip out of pvc pipe to the size of joint you are fill so it has no air pockets.

Nice Video. Why dont you use self leveling sealant for the big one?

Why did you only use sand for the thin cracks but not on the expansion joints?

That sand is actually not a bad idea and I’m kinda surprised that certain big traffic flat work areas jobs don’t recommend it. I saw another guy do it and then started brushing the wet caulking and sand mix and making a mess. I worked decades on and off for about 5 or 6 different caulking companies which ranged pretty dramatically as far as standards But No One Ever Taped Anything. I’ve seen other guys little contractors tape and get the caulking All over the tape and then pull the tape and break the seal all the way down both sides. Pull the tape and break the seal. That’s a whole lot of back knifing and wasted caulking and that shit is expensive. I worked with guys who put the Exact amount in and knifed it. NO BACKKNIFING!! Caulkers I worked with Wasted NOTHING not like other trades with enormous waste. THOSE concrete joints are Way too big and that’s Way too much caulking. Those should have been simple 1/4 inch Sawcuts and No Caulking Caulking saw cut joints is Idiotic and unnecessary just like sidewalks caulking and other stuff. Those Flexy knives were never used by the top gun caulkers Almost always used Stiff blade ground round putty knives or something like that I’ve made a lot of knives over the years. You have to be aggressive with caulking and not scared of it

Great tutorial video! Too bad I didn't find your video last Saturday, August 07, 2021. Oh my God my forearms, my legs and and hands - every muscle in my body still aches today. I just did my first expansion joint between the garage door entrance and driveway using - I inserted forty feet-(40-ft) of backer rod folded in half to twenty feet-(20-ft), twisted and inserted into the joint, I applied five-(5) thirty ounce-(30 oz.) of the Sika Pro Select Sikaflex®+ Self-Leveling Sealant [Best Before December 2019]. I wish I had that power drill sausage gun adapter! Great idea with the duck tape, playground sand and burger flipper! I just wish our driveway wasn't in such bad shape - nearly 40 year old house.

You have some nice caulk!

That's not a gap, that's a canal.

I have a couple of questions that I haven’t found in other comments. There is so much advice and everyone has a different way of doing this. Are you using self-leveling sealant? I’m not familiar with all the names of things. And then, why or why not? My second question is, why did you choose the foam backer instead of spray foam? I guess I have a third question. 🙂 is it okay in your opinion to use soapy water and your finger to smooth the top? Again, I just see so many techniques, it’s hard to know what is best. Thank you!

with of a nickle is accpetable for joints and cracks, faulty grade or no expience in quality concrete placement 🤣🙂🙂🙃

My driveway joint is 1'’ wide, but only about 1.5 inch deep because there is a strip of cracked, broken, eroded concrete running along the joint, but covering only 1/2 - 3/4 of the joint bottom width. It is still very intact, not impossible, but very hard to chisel it off. 1- Can I leave it the way it is and cut a pipe insulation foam tube in half to fit? I am concerned about cutting because someone said, “Don't make a hole in it’’ when he showed how to insert the backer rod. 2- You said, ‘’ The sealant has to be ¼’’ thick". Is it measured from the deeper sides of the inserted pipe insulation “backer rod" or from its higher round, middle top? 3- At some spots, the joint edges don't have the same level, up to 1/4- 1/2’’ difference in height. Should I apply the caulk to the same height level of the lower edge or up to the top edge of the higher side? 4- Should I cut the nozzle tip small or big enough to cover the whole 1'’ joint width with sealant in 1 stroke? I have a 10 oz caulking gun. I am a senior but have not fixed anything before. With your help, maybe I have enough confidence to do the first project. Thanks in advance.

Do you make sure sealant all the way to surface? I would image yes, but what if your 2 slabs are not level? Thanks. ( And great idea with the duct tape)

Tell me you don't know how to caulk without telling me you can't caulk

So glad to find this! I tried to twist 3 3/4 pieces to fill 2x5 inch joint gap replacing the rotten wood. All your suggestions would have avoided my install fail. Self leveling sika in 85 degree weather just made the back rod float making a mess. Any tips on an aggregate driveway which makes leveling choppy? Thank you!

Very helpful, and the sand is a brilliant functional & appearance....added touch. Thanks ... If using conventional hand mixed cement crack filling, the sand added at the end might also help with blending the old & with the new concrete too.

I would have that shit everywhere 😂

What materials did you use?

Great work. I didn't know about the sand, do you recommend it in the windows/doors/garage door? And is there just that color of sand?

Beautiful job! We have 222 lineal feet of control joints in a new driveway to seal and it sounds like it isn't cheap to have this done so this video will help me tackle it myself. Thanks!

Gorgeous. ❤

Thank you.

Magnificent work.

THAT SAUSAGE IS BIG

It'll just continue to open up over time

This is great! Do you use playground sand on new concrete or is there a lighter silica type sand you'd recommend? I know eventually the concrete with oxidize and weather, but with penetrating sealers and such it could take some time and I am curious how the play sand would look on that light grey/white surface of new concrete? Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

Nice work.

How much do you charge per foot to do the wide joints vs the narrower joints?

The price of that Dowsil in Seattle is $16 bucks for the 20oz sausage and not available in state. I wonder if Dowsil’s replacing that one for Dowsil Weatherproof Sealant? I am going to call them. Up here the pros message is to prime and use a poly blend for the hardest cure. I will just test it out and give the customer a warranty :-)

Great job! I have done this type of work before, but never thought of using tape or sand. Thanks for sharing!

Perfect.

good job man

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

What is the shrinkage rate of the product you are using? All caulking shrinks. Love the sand trick.

I can’t figure out where to buy the rod or that sealer. I’m in Utah too

Dang, there was about a whole tube of caulk in that waste box. Question, is this merhod preferable to using Polymeric sand? Tx

How is last?

I've got a spec calling for Dowsil 790.. Is that what you happen to be using in this video...??

I know this is an old video, I have a question. Could I put this over 1/2" pvc and when done drill holes in it to give me drainage around a pool? The plastic drain channels are broken and a hazard to our feet. Jist wondering...

I do not have a problem with joints but the cracks have crab grass growing out of them. I will use Flex Seal to seal the cracks.

Hi Scott, would you recommend pushing the backer rod to the ground and adding enough to fill the gap until how you have it in the vid? I was worried about a gap under the backer rod if I didn’t fill the expansion joint.

How much do you charge a linear foot for that repair?

Nice job and a nice presentation 👍🏽

Nive job!

11:45 Scott: introduces caulking spatula Me: rolls eyes (c’mon, that’s what thumbs are for 🙄) 12:45 Scott: completes perfectly tooled bead in 1 minute, with no mess Me: selects expedited shipping on 1 set of caulking spatulas

K. Buen. Trabajoooo !!!👍

Great demo and info, however, my concrete to painted - can this product be painted and sealed after?

Nice work, nice video. Thanks!

DO you guys always use Dow products? Do you usually waste that much? why not washed and kiln dried silica sand?

Your tool work nice. But why would you use ccs instead of horizontal sealant? Why not 888 or something traffic grade or made more specificity for s.o.g application?

Thank you so much for your video.🤗👍

very nice. can we use polymering sand instead of dowseal and just use water to harden. thank you. no mess. thx

Mate ... very nice. Clever too.

nice

Looks real nice 👍

Great job! That pavement in that drive way is really loose as if that house is actually sinking. On another note , I can see the foundation to that house needing repair from excessive rain water They need to just sell that house

Good grief! Just use Skippy peanut butter.

great job!