There are plenty of reasons to cut concrete. It creates the roads we drive on, the homes we live in, and the landscaping we love to spend time in. It’s how our plumbing pipes get fixed; our renovations get completed; our urban infrastructure is perfected. But while often overlooked, there’s something else concrete cutting is good for: breaking concrete
Every single day, concrete contractors the world over are busily and expertly cutting concrete for demolition and removal – making way for whatever will be in its place. It goes without saying that breaking concrete is hard, and taking it away can actually be even more difficult.
So how’s it really done by the experts in concrete cutting Melbourne wide? And what can all you DIY enthusiasts out there learn from the tried and tested concreting steps for safe, effective and fast demolition and removal?
Let’s do some concrete breaking together with these 6 simple concreting steps for demolition & removal:
1. Prepare the site
As we said, breaking concrete is hard – because concrete is hard, strong, heavy and – when your intentions are for destruction – messy and potentially damaging and dangerous. It’s crucial therefore to prepare the site well, which means clearing it for the safety of the workers, protecting items and people from the unhealthy dust and flying fragments, and clearing the path for easy removal.
2. Ready the tools
You’re not going to do much cutting concrete for demolition and removal without all the right tools. The professionals are fully kitted out, but for the keen DIYer, you’ll at least need an appropriate concrete-cutting saw – preferably with diamond blades. Add a demolition saw, jackhammer, sledgehammer, pick, pry bar, bolt cutters, wheelbarrow and shovel to the recipe, and you’re ready to roll… and destroy!
Bonus Read: 5 Concrete Cutting Blades You Should Know About
3. Don’t forget safety
We know cutting & breaking concrete is difficult, but even more significant is just how dusty, messy and potentially damaging it can be. It’s all about the dust, but also about those flying fragments – so you need to stay safe. Always consider:
- Gloves
- Goggles
- Hearing protection
- Mask/respirator
- Boots.
4. Let’s get cutting
Start by clearly and precisely chalking out your demolition area, and let’s get cutting! Start by cutting into your chalked and straight guide line with a 50-100mm cut, and follow up by thoroughly dampening the area with water – which will help with both the dust and saw overheating.
Bonus Read: Five Top Tips on How to Cut Concrete
5. Let’s get breaking
Choose a corner of your cut-out demolition area, and let’s get to work with that jackhammer. Get rid of any big concrete fragments by hand, and then enjoy the process as it becomes easier and easier to smash up the rest. If you reach a metal mesh layer below, use your bolt cutters if necessary – and use your demolition saw if you bump into any rebars.
6. Remove the debris
While we’ve been removing the big chunks as we go, use your shovel to scoop up the rest, and get it out of the way in a logical way – like with your wheelbarrow.
Now, it’s just a matter of getting your demolition handiwork thoroughly cleaned up, completing the process by wiping everything down and also getting all of that dust out of your tools and other gear. And with that, you’re done!
Or Take The Short-Cut With Hard Core VIC!
Need a pro to help? As we emphasised a few times above, working with concrete isn’t just difficult and messy – it can actually be dangerous, not to mention expensive if you don’t have all of those necessary tools on standby. Hard Core VIC are southeast Melbourne’s real concrete cutting & drilling experts, also servicing the entire metro area and surrounding suburbs. We’d love to make light work of your concreting task, so give us a shout today.