That foam backer rod mistake cost me a whole afternoon

Back in June I had a sidewalk job near Columbus where the joints were way deeper than I figured. I grabbed some cheap foam backer rod from a big box store, but it was too skinny for the gap. I wedged it in anyway and started pumping in the sealant, only to watch it slide right behind the rod and into the void. Spent two hours digging that mess out with a screwdriver and a shop vac. The sealant alone set me back about $60, and that doesn't count my time. Now I always measure the joint width twice and buy the next size up, even if it feels wasteful. Anyone else had this happen with undersized backer rod or am I the only one who learned that lesson the hard way?

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the_henry12d ago

Columbus made me measure twice too, now I always oversize it.