Tool question – Cutting paving slabs in situ

[TheFew]

Hi all,


My has house concrete slab paving that runs right up to the wall of the house. Sadly however, the paving no longer falls away from the house and water pools against the bricks in places (and in some parts of the house the walls seem damp).


As a temporary fix to get me through the winter, my plan was to cut a 6 inch channel in the paving around the affected areas and lay weed matting and gravel to allow the water to drain away, as opposed to sitting against the walls and then very slowly draining away in the gaps between the paving.


The question is this..


What tools would be best to cut the paving in situ? Clearly I will be working in close proximity to the wall of the house and I will need to cut the paving where it sits into inward facing right angles, where two walls meet (if that make sense). So access will be limited in places. Would a standard angle grinder be best or are there better tools out there (possibly to hire)?


Thanks in advance.

 

[Burnerman]

For general cutting, hire a stone cutting saw with a diamond blade - such as the Stihl. For awkward corners, remove what you can with a 115mm angle grinder and then get in there with a good cold chisel and large hammer.
John

 

[kjacko]

I used a large angle grinder with diamond blade to cut 2ft square slabs that from the sounds of it are placed in the same way that yours are (up to the wall). A 4" grinder for smaller areas too.

 

[TheFew]

Thanks for the advice. I already have a 4" grinder, so may buy a 9" with soft start and see how i get on. Thanks again.

 

[geraldthehamster]

How big are the slabs? can you not just remove one row of slabs alongside the house for now? It will save a lot of work, dust and mess. Plus angle grinders are dangerous, especially the big ones.

Cheers
Richard

 

[TheFew]

Richard, the slabs are 2ft square so not small. I don't relish the idea of cutting them with the grinder as it does seem a little risky, but i will give it a go on some loose slabs first and see how it goes and it i am confident enough to go for it.

 

[geraldthehamster]

Your call, but if it's a temporary fix, why make work and mess for yourself? Have you seen the amount of dust that a grinder chucks out when cutting concrete? Plus working 6 inches from a house wall with a 9" angle grinder doesn't give you much room for safe working.

 

[TheFew]

Well i am thinking temporary as in a year or two...

 

[geraldthehamster]

Another question is what are the slabs laid on?

 

[TheFew]

No idea currently!

 

[geraldthehamster]

Might be worth lifting one or two to check.

 

[TheFew]

You are probably correct. And it may be safer to remove, cut then and the replace. Which is what i will probably done once i see how scary the grinder is..

 

[TheFew]

Just to close this thread down.. i finally lifted a slab to see what was underneath. The slabs seem to be sat on a bed of soil and mixed hardcore.

So i decided to give cutting then in situ a go with the nine inch grinder and a cutting blade.

I must say it was a slightly scary task, but i managed to cut the 10m of slabs with no injury! I also managed a relatively straight line too.

Thanks

 

[geraldthehamster]

Congratulations on your survival