Removing old damaged concrete can be challenging, especially if the concrete is part of a larger slab filled with rebar reinforcements. Trying to remove a section of the concrete slab with jackhammers or heavy equipment often leaves other parts of the slab damaged. Still, a concrete slab cutting service can make precise cuts in the material that will make removing the slab much easier.
Concrete Slab Preparation
Removing a concrete section from a large slab may be necessary to get to utilities under the concrete or if one area is damaged and needs to be replaced with new material. Often, large floor slabs have a network of steel rebar running through them to keep the slab from coming apart, so breaking the slab section up and removing it manually can damage the area around it as well.
Working with a concrete slab cutting service allows you to lay out the section you need to remove, and the concrete cutting service can cut through the concrete and the rebar in the slab, freeing it from the surrounding material. If you need them to, they can cut several sections to make removal easier when you are ready to pull the pieces out of the floor or slab.
Layout the area you need to cut out of the concrete slab and mark the floor precisely. The concrete slab cutting service will need lines that they can follow to cut just the area you want and nothing more. It is essential to check the plans for the original construction to verify if there are wires or plumbing in the concrete that could be a concern when the cutting starts.
Cutting The Slab
When the concrete slab cutting service arrives on the site, they will bring a large rotary saw with a diamond-tipped blade to cut smooth, precise lines on the floor. The cutting saw may need a water source to cool the blade and keep the dust down, so be prepared to provide a hose connection if possible.
Go over the cuts you need with the saw operator, and let them take care of the rest. Each cut is made along the lines you have laid out, and typically they need to be straight lines because the saw is not designed to turn corners.
Once the cuts are complete, the concrete slab cutting service will leave the remaining removal for you to do. Breaking the pieces that were cut loose from the main slab with a jackhammer or small excavator and removing them is now possible because they are no longer connected to the main slab and cannot transfer energy that could damage it.
The cutting process may take an hour or a day, depending on the thickness of the concrete, the size of the cuts you need, and the rebar or other materials in the slab.
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