In most construction projects, the driveway and garage floors are laid out on different dates. Typically, the foundation of your home’s garage was built first, and the driveway was later added.
The base material supporting the slabs can easily be undermined by water directed into the ground through a gap between your garage floor and driveway.
In colder regions, it may even freeze, causing fissures and more harm. What can you do to close this undesirable gap effectively, then? You might be asking. Both concrete and asphalt driveways may be impacted by the gap, which has the potential to grow over time.
Since there is a space between the driveway and garage, we have carefully investigated the best approach to fill it. To minimize water damage and to allow concrete to expand and contract as necessary to prevent cracks, the space should be filled with an expansion joint.
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Things To Consider Before Filling Gap Between Garage And Driveway
You won’t be as likely to trip in a hurried morning if there isn’t a space between the driveway and garage. The driveway may also appear much smoother, which would detract considerably less from the exterior design of your house.
Most significantly, filling the expansion joints on the driveway can keep them dry. Water gathering between the concrete will probably weaken the material’s general resilience and lead to chipping or cracking.
If the expansion joints weren’t filled beforehand, it would result in an even bigger task that might take longer and cost more money. Avoiding these gaps with stiff filler is recommended since expansion joints keep cracks from rising to the garage floor’s surface.
Epoxy is occasionally utilized because of its excellent durability, but various extra items would be needed to accept it. This is because epoxy is rigid, and your driveway’s smoothness is unlikely to last very long.
Steps To Fill Gaps Between Garage And Driveway
Clean The Driveway
Preparation is essential for most careers. Before filling and sealing, the space between the slabs must be clear of any organic matter or loose debris. Screwdrivers and wire brushes are some of the tools that can be used to scrape debris out of the joint.
Even improvised tools can be used in certain circumstances. It’s crucial to get rid of any loose debris, including any little bits of the concrete that may have cracked or flaked off. In certain instances, the original expansion joint’s deteriorated remnants are often formed of a fiber or foam material.
After completing your preparation, you might discover that the gap is wider or deeper than you anticipated or has more gaps than you initially thought.
Fill The Gaps
The cost of self-leveling sealant is high. It wouldn’t be very economical or dependable to use a lot of it to fill the entire joint. Instead, employing filler enables the use of significantly less sealant while aiding in the adequate support of the concrete.
Sand should first fill up deep voids, especially those extending beneath the concrete slab’s edge. Make sure to fill and compact the voids with enough sand to reach at least the slab’s bottom.
After the holes have been filled, the remaining space can be filled with foam backer rods. The self-leveling sealant will be put over this last filler layer before being removed.
Use Caulk Gun To Seal Joints
It’s time to begin sealing now that the filler material is in place. Apply the sealant into the seam uniformly with the caulking gun to completely enclose the backer rod and unite the adjacent concrete edges with a flat, level bead.
You may notice right away how runnier the sealant is than typical caulks or sealants. Go gently since it will rapidly settle into low regions and level itself. Once the first sealant coating has had time to cure, a second, thinner application may be necessary if the low spots are too numerous or large.
The structural integrity of the concrete is protected by a correctly sealed joint between slabs, substantially extending the life of the material. Every downpour and yearly freeze-thaw only makes an unsealed joint worse.
Remove Old Caulk Layer Before Adding The New One
Even though it is technically possible, applying a fresh coating of caulk on top of an old one is never a good idea. Already compromised caulk may be developing major issues, such as water damage. The fresh coating will lose its resilience considerably more quickly if you apply caulk over an old layer that has already aged.
Therefore, while delaying removing the old caulk would save you time in the short term, it will ultimately compromise the performance of all caulk in the future. The old caulk should, therefore, always be removed.
Depending on the type of existing caulk, this can be accomplished with mineral spirits or a commercially available caulk remover.
Conclusion
Even though the space between a driveway and a garage is frequently disregarded, it is always advantageous to seal it. However, for it to be effective in the long run, it must be done correctly. It is rather simple to close the gap yourself, even though the tools and materials required are very specialized.
The cost might also be low. It should be simpler to approach the issue gap and seal it successfully if you follow the preceding methods and use the supplies.
