Concrete Driveway Expansion Joints Replacement

So my Driveway's expansion joint/form boards have rotted out over the years. I really did not care until recently, not a lot of slope on a longer driveway, dirt and or bank sand is being wash up thru after heavy rains. Pressure washing gets real messy.
Looking for recommendations to refill the joints. In our area many have some sort of sealant poured in joints, seems to work ok but doesn't last super long and starts to crack, peel, and look bad in a few years.
I found a product on Amazon that wedges in place that looks like a better option but is $3.00 a foot. I could use 200-300 foot.
Any other suggestions?
https://slabgasket.com

 

You talking about that creosote soaked fiber board? Can you clean out the joint and wiggle new in?

 

Think in our area just regular wood, maybe treated wood used. Its usually a 1×4 for driveways & sidewalks.
cleaning out to replace could be a chore. Replace with like material possible but seems like s hard job, sure the slab ends aren't nice and smooth.

 

I seen some foam type stuff that fits in the cracks..let me find it

Never mind, that was for something else

 

I use Pecora NR201 aluminum stone self leveling. Its commercial grade. Seems to last me at least 5 years or so before i tear it out and replace.

 

how wide is your gap?
there are a few commercial products available.. most are expensive.
as you have noticed.. most of the pour in type products will fail due to expansion / contraction.

this is important.. even if it's just the budget friendly route of replacing with ground contact treated wood strips.
if left unattended the soils under the slab will continue to undermine.. then you will get hollow spots.
once the hollow spots get large enough your slab will crack & settle

 

Most of the gaps are 3/4"-7/8". I got the slab gasket sample pack, and those would be the sizes that would work best.
https://slabgasket.com

I thought about trying to drive some composite type deck boards between the slabs, not sure if any are the right thickness.

 

Issue with that is how much will they flex when the crete expands? Would that create and issue on the seam and cause cracks?

 

They could be if you had access to a planer

 

I have replaced expansion joints before with treated wood.. it's not that bad, the worst part is digging out the old.
run the new boards thru a table saw tipped at 15* angle & tap them in.

I like the clean look of slabgasket.

on a project that big... the lumber route is significantly less cost $200 vs $900

 

Don't put something solid in there. The reason for the expansion joint is that when it gets hot the concrete expands, so the joint has to be able to compress. Hence "expansion" joint.

I am a civil engineer working for a construction company. We do this all the time. We use Sika products. Use a foam rod in the bottom of the joint (to keep the sealant from flowing through and you end up using too much of it), then put a bead of Sika sealer in there. You will be good for several years. Of course make sure the surfaces are nice and clean before you start.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGGcCKrTFeo

 

This is similar to what I mentioned in my other post, I just couldn't remember wtf I had seen it done for.

 

I also have this problem and have considered the SlabGasket. My conclusion: Innovative, excellent result (maybe mostly aesthetic), too expensive for the amount of joint I have to seal.

I also have studied sealed joints in commercial construction and wondered how in the world average laborers could lay those big, wide sealant beads seemingly perfectly, and why the sealant wasn't also unaffordable, even WITH backer rod.

Thanks @Boerseun for a revealing video. The Sika still not cheap...30 ounce tube every 10'?

 

Thanks for sharing.

What is a reasonable life expectancy of this product? My problem with what I have seen (Products names unknown) is that in time it shrinks/peels/ and starts to look bad.

 

The product does not come with a warranty (other than 1 year warranty against manufacturing defects). The reason for that is the variety of applications, conditions etc. If it is not installed right, or not cleaned good before installation the life will be significantly reduced. We have to provide a 2-year warranty on all our work and I have never had to go back and fix this. There are projects that are more than 5 years old where I know it is still holding up. And that is in the Florida sun and heat. Difficult to say though with all the variables.

 

Sika flex avalible at home depot.... not cheap but super effective we use for sealing loops for gate operators. It is self leveling and will run to the lowest spot. Just be aware. We have used this product for 10+ years and works phenomenally well.

 

I asked our vendor and he also talked about the variables but in general he said life expectancy of the Sika products is 10 to 20 years.

 

It is very important to give maintenance to your pavements. Check whether it has small pores, oil spots, cracks or the rough surface. And if these are there in your pavement, then taking steps to repair it as early as possible. As the cracks in the pavements leads to the potholes which creates big problems. There are different techniques used to repair the bad conditions of the pavements. The blacktop companies Long Island provides the advance techniques and the best materials for seal-coating the parts or edges of the pavements. One of my friends told me about this company and its services.