I'm looking at getting a lot of concrete work done and am looking to educate myself past the minimal anecdotal information I posses so that I can have a better conversation with prospective contractors.
- Expansion joints, saw cut or hand troweled – is this just preference or is there a good reason to go for one over another? From an aesthetic perspective I like hand troweled but I've been told that the saw cut can leave the concrete stronger as you are interacting with the wet concrete less.
Google doesn't seem to provide much info by way of POV on this, just that there are options, so I look to the community here to see if there is a collective wisdom.
For perspective, this is for a standard 4" thick driveway, 6" thick apron, and garage floor.
Best Answer
Cut joints are smaller and straighter, generally speaking. I personally prefer them for that reason. They do require a return visit, however, and therefore may cost more. One possible downside is the sharp edges that are left, which can chip away and degrade appearance depending on the use case.
Tooled joints can be done at finishing time, and if done well don't degrade from the final appearance of the project. They are larger, though, and therefore can collect more debris. They do tend to be more durable due to the rounded corners.
A quick search does return quite a bit of discussion on this.