Sealing a Sidewalk Joint

Time: 4 Hours

Skill Level: Beginner

Estimated Cost: $100

Brief Description

If you are having issues with weeds and vegetation growing in-between your sidewalk joints or lifting sidewalk slabs due to winter freeze/thaw cycles, look no further. Sika PRO Select has the products you need to do the job right!

Pro Select Products Used

Self-Leveling Sealant

Supplies & Tools

Sealant Spatula
Caulk Gun
Screwdriver
Gloves
Safety Glasses
Hammer
Chisel
Painter's Tape

Remove any loose or weak concrete. This can be done using a hammer and chisel. Also remove any dirt or contaminants from the application to have a clean and sound joint. Once you're done, sweep the area to remove any leftover dirt or dust which can be bond breakers. Preparing a clean joint is essential.

Once the joint is clean and free of any loose debris, you can begin to fill the joint.

Clean joint, ready to be filled with sealant

Sika 3/4″ Backer Rod and Sikaflex Self-Leveling Sealant. For sloped/pitched applications where Sikaflex Self-Leveling Sealant cannot be used, Sikaflex Concrete Fix is the perfect choice. Sikaflex Concrete Fix is a non-sag, polyurethane sealant which requires tooling. A sealant spatula is the best tool for the job. Sikaflex’s do not require the spatula to be wet, dry tooling is recommended so no contaminants are introduced to the surface of the sealant.

Tip: Use Sikaflex Concrete Fix for sloped or pitched applications

With 1/2″ wide joints, our Sika 3/4″ Backer Rod is the right size to use to have a nice and tight fit against the walls of the joint. This allows you to also control the application depth of the sealant – which is key to proper installation. Max application depth of Sikaflex Concrete Fix is 1/2″. That is the same limitation on the rest of the Sika PRO Select line. Backer rod stops 3 sided adhesion of sealants as well which will prolong the service life of the joint.

An easy way to have nice and clean lines when caulking is to use painter’s tape. Sometimes excess caulk can be placed in the joint which can make a mess when tooling. Any excess would now go on the tape and be removed from the equation. This makes project clean up a breeze.