concrete driveway tech

bowtieman55

bowtieman55

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 25, 2006
Location
Edenton, NC
how do I keep grass from growing in the expansion gaps/joints? The wood that was put in when the concrete was first poured is all but rotted away, and now I've got dirt and grass in the 1/2"-3/4" gaps.
 
I happen to work in the concrete industry. Mistake was using wood for an expansion joint. Not saying you did this or anything. There should have been a "cut" joint unless this is an addition to an existing driveway. If this was an addition, then there is no environmentally sound way to keep the grass from growing through.
 
The driveway isn't one solid piece of concrete. It's like 4 sections that were poured at the same time. The "gap" runs from one side of the drive to the other. I guess I'll just try to keep them cleaned out on a regular basis. Thanks Ray
 
bowtieman55 said:
The driveway isn't one solid piece of concrete. It's like 4 sections that were poured at the same time. The "gap" runs from one side of the drive to the other. I guess I'll just try to keep them cleaned out on a regular basis. Thanks Ray
Click to expand...
That's the way it's supposed to be. However, expansion joints, especially wooden ones, aren't necessary. The cut joints are to give the concrete a place to crack without destroying the whole slab. Problem is the wood.
 
so I need to clean them out really well and maybe that'll help slow it down?
 
bowtieman55 said:
so I need to clean them out really well and maybe that'll help slow it down?
Click to expand...
It's really too late since the concrete has hardened. If you remove the wood now, you'll have a gap big enough for a tree to start growing through, thereby destroying your whole driveway. Just keep spraying Round-up on the grass.
 
pour oil or gas or something like that in the crack. grass usually doesn't grow in that kind of stuff. Its not the most environmentally safe way to do it, but for the area and the amount you'll use, you'll be just fine. Or, you can douse it with a super strong dose of week killer. That normally lasts me about 1/2 a season and I normally just have to spo treat it just a little. Or, you can clean out the expansion joint material and fill the crack with some concrete "caulk"
 
clean it out real good, spray with some roundup, then buy yourself a pre-emergent herbicide, something in a spray bottle

If you spray the pre-emergent twice a year, once now, and once in about oct you will beat the germination process for the seeds, which equals no grass or weeds
 
Roundup%20GC%20140m%20LR.jpg


works for me!

be careful of overspray it WILL kill what plants it lands on...
 
The should have used a hand-jointer or a pole-jointer and put a proper joint in. Or at least went back with a saw and cut some joints. You could spray with weed killer or maybe try to seal patch some of it with paste/caulk to fill in cracks in concrete.
 
DRaider90 said:
The should have used a hand-jointer or a pole-jointer and put a proper joint in. Or at least went back with a saw and cut some joints. You could spray with weed killer or maybe try to seal patch some of it with paste/caulk to fill in cracks in concrete.
Click to expand...
X2, but don't try to fill the crack with more concrete, especially Sak-crete. Doesn't have the proper admixtures for outdoor use above groung, plus that small a space would separate anyway.
 
there is a type of crap that is suppose to be put in the crack after removing the wood,mabey ask at home depot it's poured in and sets up kinda like rubber to allow the concrete to expand and contract.it would not allow anything to grow.
 
Back
Top