expansion joint in brick siding

[Michael Vasquez]

I have seen some expansion joints sealed with sealant and some filled with mortar. Which is the correct way to fill the joints.

Thanks

[Ted Menelly]

Foam rodding and caulking.

What would be the sense of taking a joint that is suppose to allow for movement and seal it up with solid concrete.

[Scott Patterson]

I have seen some expansion joints sealed with sealant and some filled with mortar. Which is the correct way to fill the joints.

Thanks

As Ted said, foam backer rod and flexible sealant like silicone. I have also seen the joint filled with butyl rubber compound.

Mortar will crack out and could actual cause the wall to crack in another location if movement occurs in the structure.

The key to any expansion joint is to have two sided adhesion and not three sides stuck together. So the backer rod prevents the sealant from sticking to the substrate/sheathing and only to the brick on each side of the joint.

[Michael Vasquez]

Thanks, I appreciate the response.

[Wayne Carlisle]

Here's a pdf document on an expansion joint.

http://www.wbdg.org/pdfs/edg/wall_2003_3446_stone_vexpjnt.pdf