Is polymeric sand a good temporary fix for wide driveway joints?

Polymeric sand isn't going to hold up in gaps that wide, especially since those concrete slabs are constantly shifting with the weather and vehicle weight. That stuff is designed for narrow paver joints, not a one-inch expansion gap. If you sweep it in there, it’ll harden into a brittle crust that will crack and crumble the first time a tire rolls over it or the temperature drops. Plus, it’s a nightmare to clean out later when you’re ready for the proffesional fix becuase the polymers stick to the sides of the concrete. Since you’re planning a full replacement or leveling in about a year, just go buy a few bags of **mason sand** or all-purpose sand. It’s incredibly cheap and does exactly what you need to fix a trip hazard. You just pour it in, sweep it flat, and call it a day. It won't "harden," but it fills the void so you aren't catching your toe on the edge of a slab every time you get the mail. When the contractors come next year, they can just blow it out with a leaf blower or a power washer in a few minutes.

If you're worried about the sand washing away during heavy rain, you shoud shove some **foam backer rod** into the gaps first. Get the size that’s slightly wider than the gap so it stays wedged in there by tension. You can leave the backer rod as is, or put a thin layer of sand on top to hide it. It bridges the gap effectively and stays flexible as the concrete moves throughout the seasons.

I’d avoid the high-end self-leveling sealants for now. Those are great for permanent repairs, but they require a lot of prep work—you have to grind the joint walls perfectly clean for them to bond. For a one-year band-aid, stick to the simplest mineral filler you can find. It saves you money and keeps the mess to a minimum when the real construction starts.

I had a gap exactly like that and I just used a bag of blacktop cold patch. It’s like five bucks and takes two minutes to stomp into the crack. I did that three years ago as a 'temporary' fix and it’s still holding up fine. Sand just ends up in my garage or tracked into the house on my shoes, which drove my wife crazy. The cold patch stays put and handles the weight of my truck without cracking like that polymeric stuff whould.

I’ve seen plenty of guys try the fancy sands only to have it look like peanut brittle after one season. If you’re just killing time before the big job, go the old-school route and wedge some cedar lath or pressure-treated strips in those gaps. We used to do that back when concrete was concrete. It’s solid enought to stop a trip, cheap as dirt, and the wood actualy gives a bit when the slabs shift. Just tap ‘em in flush with a rubber mallet. Much cleaner than cold patch and won't track into the house like loose sand.

OMG I am so pumped to find this thread!! I've been staring at my cracked driveway for months and finally have a plan. I'm definitely going to try the sand and backer rod method since it sounds so easy. But hey, quick question since we're talking about fillers—has anyone ever tried using those colored glass beads or even glow-in-the-dark gravel in their joints? I think it woud look sick at night when I'm pulling in, but I'm worried they'd just pop right out when the tires hit them. Is that a thing people actually do??

While the suggestions regarding mineral sand are pragmatically sound for a short-term mitigation of trip hazards, one must specifically consider the thermal expansion coefficient of an eight-foot reinforced concrete slab, wich fluctuates significantly more than the minute pavers for which polymeric sand was originally engineered. Since your gaps exceed an inch, the sheer volumetric displacement during a standard freeze-thaw cycle will inevitably exceed the elastic limit of any rigid filler you attempt to introduce. I woud further caution against the aforementioned glow-in-the-dark gravel unless you utilize a high-viscosity UV-stable binder, as loose refractive media will simply aggregate in your tire treads and eventually migrate into your garage's floor drains.