Cement cracks must be filled with a product that will flex. The extra movement will initiate cracks, leave trip hazards and increase damage to the driveway. Our recommended crack filler is aerosol foam.
Seal between the drive and the house to deter water from flowing down the basement wall. Water seeping next to the house can cause a damp basement; and/or undermine the slab of concrete causing it to crack. Moisture in the ground will expand with this winter’s frost causing the concrete to move more than if it were dry.
If you fill cracks with a masonry product it will force the slabs apart or cause stress cracks because flags of concrete will move season to season.
The aerosol foam comes in 12 oz. cans and dispenses through a five-inch straw. It is similar in application to using aerosol whipped cream: if you dispense too much or too fast it will fly all over. Take your time filling voids so the wet foam is about 1/2-inch below the surface. Most foam sealant is triple expanding so take care not to overfill the cracks. Fill the crack too much and it will expand forming large mutant ‘tongues’ out of the cracks.
We stock three types of aerosol foam; a triple expanding, a minimal expanding and a black landscaper foam. The black landscaper foam does not have to be
coated to be protected from the sun.
When the foam dries, trim it flush with a zip knife. Then to protect the foam (most foam will rot in sunlight), cover it with a caulk or crack filler. Self-leveling gray urethane caulk is the best but it is also the most expensive.
When applying the foam use a cardboard box to put the can in as you go from crack to crack. If the foam gets on anything, it sticks there for good. Wet spray foam cleans up with a special foam cleaner or acetone. Once it is dry, remove it with a wire brush or let the sun rot it away.
You will think this is the messiest stuff you have ever used if any foam gets on you. So go slow, keep it neat, and do not touch the foam when it is still wet.