Driveways have expansion joints to help prevent large cracks.
Builders place expansion joints into your driveway to prevent the slabs from cracking due to stress. The joints, put in place while pouring the concrete, split your driveway into a series of separately moving smaller concrete slabs. With the gaps caused by the joints, the concrete shifts naturally without breaking. The joints may sometimes develop cracks extending from the edges of the joints towards the slab's center or within the joint that cushions the adjoining slabs. Do the repair as early as possible to prevent the damage from growing and maintain the strength of your driveway slabs. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Clear any dirt or debris from the expansion joint using a mild liquid soap and scrub brush. Remove any caulking or joint sealer from the joint by cutting the material into small sections and prying it from the joint with the edge of a putty knife. Remove any material filling the joint with a screwdriver, pulling the cork or foam from the joint completely and then cleaning the crack out with a nylon brush.
2. Fill any cracks extending from the joint with joint repair compound. Press the compound firmly into the cracks with a putty knife and then scrape the surface of the repair with the edge of the knife to level it out. Wait overnight for the compound to set.
3. Fill the expansion joint with a strip of closed cell pipe insulation to serve as a cushion between the concrete slabs and prevent water from collecting. Push the insulation to the bottom of the joint with the putty knife. Leave about a 1/4-inch space at the top of the joint above the compound.
4. Place masking tape running the length of the expansion joint on top of each concrete slab along the edge of the joint.
5. Fill the joint over the insulation with joint sealer compound up to the level of the concrete slabs. Use the putty knife to spread the sealer flat, overlapping the masking tape slightly. Remove the masking tape along the edge of the joint to create a uniform line, and then wait for the sealer to set in the amount of time suggested by the sealer manufacturer.
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