Driveway
From Homeowners Wiki!
Fixing expansion joints
- Level of difficulty: Moderate
- Estimated time taken: 1-2 hours
- Tools required:
- Self leveling caulk
- Waterproof silicon caulk
- Half inch backer rod
- Wire brush
- Putty knife or something firm
- Matching sand/gravel
Step 1: Remove any excess material in the joint
- Scrape and brush away everything in there
- Get it as clean as possible for better application
Step 2: Lay backer rod
- Lay the backer rod in the expansion joint and cut to length
- Caulk down the backer rod with the regular silicon caulk
Step 3: Self leveling caulk
- Apply self leveling caulk heavily across the entire joint to give it a nice seal
- Cover the backer rod entirely
Step 4: Pour sand
- Sprinkle sand over the caulking while it is still wet
- Pour plenty of extra sand to ensure good coverage
- Let sit for 2 days then sweep away
Example Video:
Filling driveway cracks
- Level of difficulty: Moderate
- Estimated time taken: 1 hour
- Tools required:
- Asphalt repair sealant
- Wire brush
- Putty knife or something firm
- Matching sand/gravel (optional)
- Pressure washer
Step 1: Clean the crack
- Using a pressure washer, pressure wash the crack to ensure all lose material is out of the crack
- Use a wire brush or something similar to ensure the crack is clean
- Let dry
Step 2: Seal the crack
- Make sure your bottle of sealant is at least at room temperature
- Prepare your bottle and get it ready for application
- Apply a small bead of sealant into the crack, filling the crack to the top
- Ensure you do not apply too much sealant as it will be harder to disguise
- If you do not care about disguising the sealant and crack, use a putty knife or flat headed screw driver to slightly spread the sealant to the edges of the crack for a better seal
Step 3: Disguise the crack
- You can easily hide the crack with a few basic steps that usually don't require buying anything additional
- Look around your driveway for rocks and sand that have come loose and collect them
- With the sealant still wet, strategically place rocks along the sealant.
- This will strengthen the sealant and make it harder to see
- After you have placed rocks, sprinkle sand over the sealant
- This will completely cover the crack and make it nearly invisible. It also prevents tracking if someone happens to step on it before it's dry.
Example Video: