I have to cut some slabs in order to reduce the size of a patio area: basically I need to remove a 4" strip from the edge of four paving stones.
They seem to be quite secure, so I wondered about cutting them where they are rather than lifting them, though I wonder if in either case my 4" angle grinder would be quite up to the job. They're approximately 2" thick.
Is there a recommended technique (and tool) for such a job?
Many thanks.
I used my wet tile cutter. Slow - but produced a beautifully polished edge. ;-)
Congratulations! You have an excuse to buy a 9" angle grinder.
But please consider refreshing your memory on safety tips. Eg
IMHO as a lifetime coward the scariness of angle grinders is proportionate to the fifth power of their diameter :(
+1
Used them but IME they aere scary!
Malcolm
Are they bedded with a blob of cement under each corner and one in the centre, as is often the case, you might see the staining pattern on them?
If so, cutting 4" off might give you a problem needing them lifting and re-setting anyway.
Wrongly, as I recall pavingexpert claiming ...
Diamond disk for your angle grinder + facemask/eyeprotection. The more you pay, the faster it cuts. (More diamonds?)
Unfortunately (in your case) tapping the opposite side from the cut with a hammer gives the most consistent result.
Thanks for all the speedy answers. I don't think I shall be acquiring a 9" angle grinder: my mini-model is quite alarming enough, thank you.
I didn't know that partially cutting and then bashing with a hammer could work on paving slabs. I suspect that it depends on how they're bedded down.
And as Andy said if it's on five blobs of cement, that could cause a problem anyway. I'll check for the tell-tale staining.
Dunno but the muck and dust of doing this could be quite considerable. Time for a lot of breathing and eye protection and making sure all the neighbours are out somewhere! Brian
Thanks for the new replies. Interesting that for best results the bash part of the cut-and-bash technique should be applied from the underneath; perhaps I should lift the slabs after all, especially given that completely relaying the entire area is on the cards for the future.
Your grinder will probably not even cut 1.5" deep and may not be rated for that sort of work-out, plus the success of using a bolster to finish the job depends on how the slab is supported and whether you've upset any gods recently. I will soon be tackling the same job because some previous occupier numpty laid slabs up against the house wall, above the DPC - I've probably got about 30 slabs to chop 6" off to create a french drain. I plan to use a bit of 6" wide board to mark a line and then to attack with either an angle grinder and water hose (and RCD+goggles+ear defenders+mask) or a floor saw. TBH a floor saw looks like the tool for the job, they're not too bad to hire but are heavy so the transport cost can be high (and I've already got a 9" grinder).
Yes, I'm quite sure that all that is true. Thanks for the advice.
I just spotted this:
hire a man sided grinder with diamond wheel. job will take less than an hour
The OP could always hire one, with a water hose attachment.
I was about to suggest you go hire a stone saw with a water feed - it will cut right through the full depth in situ.
(You can cut beside a batten if you need a very straight edge)
From the workmen I've seen doing this sort of thing - wear trainers, bend double and swing a disc cutter just in front of your toes...
And most certainly do not wear ear or eye protection or a hard hat.
... or do anything to control the dust. In many ways the elf'n'safety brigade have gone overboard but in some, including hearing, eyes and lungs, it's a good thing.
I went to a huge steam rally earlier in the year - steam powered machines of every type imaginable, all working away and trundling around ... flat caps very much in evidence and not a hi-viz jacket in sight. Everyone took responsibility for their own safety. Wonderful!
Mid Wales is refreshingly free of health and safety. At a premises operated by a nationalised industry I complained to the site manager that she was employing workmen who were cutting stone and tarmac with an angle grinder without wearing gloves or eye protection,[1] and she opined that it was none of our business. I could have had the job of health and safety rep., no-one else wanted it, but I thought it might be harder than the day job.
[1] and letting people walk past about two feet awayHomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.