How to fill gap between concrete and brick work?

Hey folks, my concrete driveway runs all the way down to the front wall of my house (besser block.) Where they meet, there's a 20mm gap:

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It looks like the gap used to be filled with some kind of grout or mortar, which has now deteriorated and just crumbles away if you give it a poke.

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Our block is below street level, so when it rains the water drains straight down the driveway towards the front of the house. There's a small lip just in front of the house that redirects the water around the side but it's very shallow so it overflows easily. We'll need to replace that with a proper drain and grate at some stage to minimise the chance of water hitting the house.

But in the mean time, how should I be filling this gap? I'm concerned that if it keeps filling with water we might end up with mould issues (or worse) under and around the slab.

I'm guessing some kind of grout, and then applying a sealant on top? Gap is 20mm wide and about 30mm deep.

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Thanks in advance!

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Comments

JacobZ

Hi @throckmorton,

Thank you for your question about filling a gap between your driveway and your home's foundation slab.

I'd also like to extend a warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community; it is fantastic to have you with us.

You should start by thoroughly cleaning the crack to remove the old filler and any leaves, sticks or loose material in the join.

Once clean, you can stuff Abelflex of a suitable size into the gap. This is a foam product used in concrete expansion joins. It is used in conjunction with a sealant such as Sikaflex Pro+ Polyurethane Sealant which will create a good weatherproof seal while allowing enough flexibility to prevent cracking in the concrete.

You might like to have a watch of this handy video from Sika for some guidance on this process: Application sealing floor joints.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob

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