cutting a basement slab….score the lines with a quick saw with a diamond blade gradually untill 1 inch deep and then jackhammer out…a 3 by 5 foot section…do i have to epoxy rebar into the old slab to repair or what does anyone recommend? Thanks for your help anyone.
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Wet-blade 14" concrete saw; cut right through the slab then bust it out with a sledge hammer. Cut any rebar with a cut-off wheel or torch. Jackhammering inside a basement doesn't strike me as the best of ideas; all that vibration isn't gonna do the rest of the structure any good.
If the original slab had rebar in it, cut them a bit long, then wire new rebar onto the stubs before you pour the patch. Make sure the gravel fill under it is well tamped.
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not brought
low by this? For thine evil pales before that which
foolish men call Justice....
thanks for your reply...the wet blade saw is probably a gas one and would that make noxious odours in the house or make me high or something? How much dust does that tool make...if it is the same as a wet tile saw then probably not much then i assume. The fact that it is gas is what is preventing me from using it thus far.
"I hate quotations. Tell me what you know" Ralph Waldo Emerson
just had this done. i hired a guy to come in with a saw powered by hydarulics,180.00 cut a hole 3x3 plus a trench 1x 7 for a shower line. he even carried out the concrete. i worried about using a gas saw and the exhaust also. larryhand me the chainsaw, i need to trim the casing just a hair.
sounds like a good deal...are you in Newfoundland? How was the dust?"I hate quotations. Tell me what you know" Ralph Waldo Emerson
no'i'm in kansas.as far as dust,it was a wet saw so no dust.it was going to cost me 90.00 to rent a gas saw and do it myself. larryhand me the chainsaw, i need to trim the casing just a hair.
hey...once you told me how cheap it was...it is cheap when you think about the lack of dust and also the cost of renting such equipment to do a dusty job...i called some concrete cutting places in the yellow pages and they quoted me over the phone $300 plus $50 for removal....these are Canadian dollars so it is close to what you paid and the lead time is less than 24 hours. I made myself look like a genius to the clients whose slab needs cutting. Thanks for your suggestion!
"I hate quotations. Tell me what you know" Ralph Waldo Emerson
great,grab a chair watch them work for a hour,and think about how smart you are. lol my guy really likes cash ,also!! good luck larryhand me the chainsaw, i need to trim the casing just a hair.
hey...they did it today in three hours...2 hours to set-up and cut and then another hour to remove the waste. There was no dust only mud and they were cutting next to the drain which has a heavy slope so they were happy. What a lot of work that would have been any other way. I told them they should advertise themselves as dustless because how would anyone know that they used dustless methods? "I hate quotations. Tell me what you know" Ralph Waldo Emerson
the wet blade saw is probably a gas one and would that make noxious odours in the house or make me high or something?
Yes, wet concrete saws are generally gasoline-powered, two-stroke engines, like those used for a chainsaw. And yes, they do make the work area stink like a motorcycle shop for a while, but it shouldn't hurt you if you ventilate the place well while you're there. You must ventilate; the exhaust gasses contain CO (carbon monoxide) which can kill you in high concentrations.
The smell in the basement goes away after a day or so, though, unless the basement is finished and there are carpets, drapes, etc., in there (doesn't seem likely if you're cutting a bare slab).
You want to seal off the basement from the rest of the house with plastic sheeting and tape, open all the basement doors and windows wide, and disable any smoke detectors before you start.
How much dust does that tool make...
The saw makes almost no dust. But it does make 'mud'--a mix of concrete dust and water. The water source for these saws is generally a garden hose connected to a fitting on the blade housing. There's a valve on the housing, and you can further control the amount of water at the hose-bib.
Do be sure to warn your neighbours in advance what you're going to be doing, so they won't think the house is on fire and call the FD. The exhaust smoke the saw generates will billow out of the basement windows and doors while you're working and for some time afterward.Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....
How do you post that cool fire scene in your responses?
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Try all that out in the Sandbox ('My Forums'/The Sandbox) where you can post trial-and-error until you get it the way you want it.
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....