Need opinions

[10baggio10]

I have this crack filler (not sure what its called). It is all the way around my garage floor where the concrete meets the walls. What should I do before I do epoxy etc. Should I try and grind/cut it out then fill it with crack sealer? Let me know if anyone else has had to deal with this or has a good idea. Thanks

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=688642&stc=1&d=1507253433

 

[Richard Cranium]

isn't that a expansion joint?

 

[Shea]

Yep, that's an expansion joint that is filled with fiberboard. You do not want you fill it with a crack repair product and try to epoxy over it. Expansion joints have too much movement for that to work.

However, what you can do to make it look nicer is remove about 1/4" or so of the top layer of the fiberboard. Coat your floor (not the fiberboard) and then fill the joint with a self-leveling sealer such as SikaFlex. It will give you a nice clean look to the joint.

 

[10baggio10]

Could i remove 1/4 and fill with the SikaFlex and then epoxy over it? The entire perimeter of the garage has this expansion joint and it seems like it will look like **** if I fill it with joint sealer after the epoxy or if I just leave the fiberboard.

 

[Shootinok]

A proper joint should have a 2:1 width to depth ratio - like an hourglass.
If you epoxy over it, the epoxy will fail at the joint. Most likely would not adhere to it anyway.
Sika is a good product. I like Sonoborn SL1 also. A self leveling sealant will give a clean professional look.

 

[Shea]

Could i remove 1/4 and fill with the SikaFlex and then epoxy over it? The entire perimeter of the garage has this expansion joint and it seems like it will look like **** if I fill it with joint sealer after the epoxy or if I just leave the fiberboard.

No, SikaFlex as well as other self-leveling expansion joint sealers are non-paintable. Plus, you do not coat over expansion joints since there is too much movement. Contraction joints can be filled with with the right kind of filler and coated over, but not expansion joints.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

Keep in mind, if you roll over Sika with a car tire it will stain terribly.

 

[Armorpoxy]

If you coat over a flexible/moving area like the fiberboard or Sikaflex, the hard/non flexible epoxy will crack, so hence why Shea is correct. Remove some of the fiberboard and then fill the perimeter with the Sikaflex.

If you go with a color other than gray, you can go to this company which makes 100 colors of caulk so you can 'color match' the floor if you desire. More expensive this way, but it will do what you want.

http://www.metzgermcguire.com/images/stories/colorfast/ColorFast Color Pack2014.pdf

 

[10baggio10]

Sika flex it is. No need to worry about rolling tires over the sikaflex as its only up against the walls of my garage. Thanks for your help everyone!