Expansion joint material missing

[Farm boy]

Hi all
Wife pointed out that where the black expansion stuff is between house brick and cement walkway
A lot has gone missing
Should I replace it or
Could I use this as a replacement

selleys brick and concrete sealant - Google Search

Thanks
Greg

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Considering that expansion joint foam - correctly installed - is laid in place and then the concrete poured/bricks laid, good luck in trying to retrofit it if using the same size! If you can, then the stuff was probably installed sloppily in the first place.

As it's between path and wall, it's fair to say that it's only there for expansion purposes and to stop dirt (& weeds) occupying the space. Not for water-proofing... and nor should it be, although some cowboys...

You can buy the foam in 1cm sq strips which'd be easy enough to slip into the gap... but it'd probably lift back out just as easily. I see no point in 'gluing it in' with a silicon.

The silicon product you linked would probably last longer, if installed correctly. ie. thoroughly clean out the gap and remove any excess dirt, etc. so it has clean surfaces to bond to. I wouldn't go to the extreme of using a pressure cleaner, as that can be too effective and actually start removing foundation materials. I'd use a bucket of water and an old paint brush for most cleaning, then a garden hose on an 'easy' pressure; just enough to provide a flow of water to flush out the debris.

Most importantly, ensure everything is properly dried before applying the silicon. ie. best done in a warm, dry period of weather.

Personally, I suspect that there are other silicons/caulks that would do the job just as well and also be cheaper. (But then again, I'm a tad paranoid and suspect that for many silicon products the only real difference is the label on the tube and the corresponding price tag. )

[Farm boy]

Thanks skew for that reply It explained the solutions brilliantly 👌
I will plan this for a spring weather job by the sounds of it
Wife likes the idea of foam strips over silicone 😱
But she may change her mind by the time spring comes around 😇

[Beardy]

There is no real need to do anything apart from for visual reasons.
If you do want to call it put foam backing rod in the gap approximately 10 mm below the surface and the preferred product as a filler is polyurethane (sika type) but you can also use silicone if you prefer

If you are happy with the way it looks now just leave it

[Farm boy]

Thanks beardy
The wife likes the idea of filing hole with foam backing and topping it with filler
Her house has to look nice 😉