Saturday, May 10, 2014

The Art of Correctly Placing Driveway Joints

Correctly placing driveway joints is one of the most important yet least considered aspects of constructing a concrete driveway.  Control joints act as expansion joints in concrete pavements controlling the location and spread of cracks as the concrete deteriorates over time. In order to help the driveway from random cracking, control joints should be placed at a maximum spacing of 10 feet for a 4-inch-thick driveway slab.

It’s acceptable that a crack appears here and it usually doesn’t become a persistent problem. But if the jointing hasn’t been performed correctly over time non-standard cracking can ruin the overall appearance of the driveway. The joint patterns should never be cut into are rectangular or triangular sections.  They shouldn’t be less than one inch for a four inch thick slab. If you have a driveway that is 12 feet wide or more it might require a joint down the center. Another important detail is that an isolation joint to be installed in the location where the driveway meets the sidewalk the entrance of the garage.


In addition to control joints, an isolation joint should be installed where the driveway meets a sidewalk, garage floor slab, and other existing pavements. Concrete contractors should provide a jointing plan as part of the written proposal providing the homeowner or building owner with the assurances that everything will go according to plan.