Concrete cutting involves the precise sawing, drilling, and removal of concrete by knowledgeable workers utilizing saws with blades coated in a diamond. Modern concrete cutting leaves a smooth, appealing finish and makes no mess or dust, in contrast to the traditional dusty “jack hammer” method. Although there are many various ways to cut concrete, wall sawing, core drilling, and slab or flat sawing are the most popular.
Cutting gaps in concrete walls that are typically no thicker than 12 inches, but occasionally up to 24 inches thick, for things like doors or windows is a practice known as wall sawing. This is done by attaching a saw to a track on the wall that needs to be cut. This method makes use of a massive diamond blade with a diameter of 30″ or even larger, capable of completely cutting through 12″ or more of concrete from one side. The most talent is needed to complete this part of our business, which is difficult for the average “do-it-yourselfer” to complete. As previously mentioned, wall sawing can involve removing portions of concrete foundations, decreasing the elevation of a foundation, or sawing concrete retaining walls in half or in whole. It takes talent and experience to cut absolutely smooth, plumb, and level holes with almost little dust or mess, making this form of concrete cutting a pretty pricey service. The majority of concrete-cutting businesses bill a minimum of $425 only to bring their equipment to the job site and cut.
When adding a basement or cellar to an existing home, homeowners frequently discover that they need to dig through the concrete foundation to provide an entrance or passageway between the new and old basements. It is considerably simpler and, most of the time, less expensive to have this service provided while the construction is still underway rather than later.
Drilling precisely rounded holes through concrete walls and floors is a practice known as core drilling. The holes’ diameters range from 1″ to 12″ round, with most homeowner uses averaging 5″. Core holes in commercial applications can be anywhere up to 60″ round and beyond. Core holes are frequently used for venting furnaces or laundry dryers in addition to “utility penetrations” such as electrical, plumbing, and heating. Although not advised, advanced “do it yourselfers” can do core drilling, and the equipment required for core drilling is easily accessible at your neighbourhood tool rental and supply store. The majority of businesses charge a minimum of $250 to core a hole for you, yet it may only take a pro 10 minutes to unload, core, and reload his equipment. But I’ve also seen homeowners rent the tools, spend a whole weekend trying to core a single hole, and then hire a pro to finish the job. A skilled concrete cutter will present his work as being simple, just like in any other trade.
Floors, bridge decks, and pavement are examples of horizontal flat concrete surfaces that are cut using slab sawing, sometimes referred to as flat sawing. Diamond blades are mounted on a walk-behind slab saw, which only needs one operator to operate. Although they can cut up to 33 inches deep, most household applications simply call for 6 inches or less. Making penetrations or openings in concrete floors to reach and fix a broken water pipe requires the use of a slab saw. The concrete is removed in order to install new plumbing for the fixtures while remodelling a basement or cellar to construct a bathroom. In demolition work, a slab saw can be used to cut up and remove a damaged or unnecessary patio, driveway, or walkway. In order to change their landscaping, a homeowner may occasionally want just a portion of a concrete slab cut. The average “do it yourselfer” may find it highly time-consuming to attempt a slab saw the project, but it is still possible. I usually advise hiring a concrete cutting professional to save you some extra money while avoiding some really major risks and annoyances.
Whatever your project, don’t allow a little concrete to get in the way of it. If a homeowner is unaware that there are businesses out there that specialize in removing it swiftly and professionally, concrete can be the biggest impediment. I advise you to start with the yellow pages and always check them out with your local BBB or Department of Consumer Protection to identify a trustworthy concrete cutter. Simply search for “concrete cutting” and visit a few industry-specific websites to learn more about the field.
