I have some old disintegrating expansion joints. How to replace them? I thought that a silicone caulk type product would stick to the edges and also stop weeds. Cracks? What to do?
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Look here for SIKA products.
I have used them and they work.
http://www.sikaconstruction.com/con/con-dealer/con-dealer-sealing.htm
"Poor is not the person who has too little, but the person who craves more."...Seneca
In addition to dovetails link you can also use Sonneborn SL-1 polyurethane, which you can find at the big box stores. Be sure to get some backer rod and use it to fill in the joint after you clean out the old material. You only want the new sealant to adhere to the two side edges of the joint, not the bottom. Any sealant will last much longer when installed the correct way. They are formulated to stretch in one plane only. When the bottom (vertical) plane is adhered, the caulking will split and fail.
I like the SL-1 product for cost, ease of use, and finished joint longevity. It self-levels, and with a little masonary sand dusted on it while it is still tacky, makes a nice looking joint.
BTW, I think BASF now owns Sonneborn.
Dave
Further, caulk that is applied too thick will not adhere as well, even if it doesn't contact the bottom. The thicker (deeper in the joint) it is, the less it can stretch.
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
Thanks guys, good looking products. My 30 year old joints look very bad and grow weeds each year.http://www.etherhuffer.typepad.com