Patio Project - - Concrete Pavers

RCW · Apr 18, 2018

A continuation of house getting torn up and put together last 18 months or so.

What do your weekends look like this spring (if we ever get one here

)?? I could probably use some help!!

[emoji14]

Lowes had a sale for these pavers at $0.25 each. Got 1,600 little buddies that need attention. They're about brick sized - - 4"w x 8"l x 1 1/2" d.

I will have an excavator here first to do some repair of 7 feet of my cellar-way wall, which is half-way along back wall. He will do some of the preliminary excavation while here.

One question first...how do you suggest I cut the pavers where needed?

I've read angle grinder with diamond blade works good. Others say skip that and go get a wet saw???

I have 2 or 3 angle grinders, but Harbor Freight has a saw on sale for $209...add $30-50 for a blade either way.

https://www.harborfreight.com/power-tools/tile-saws/10-in-25-hp-tilebrick-saw-69275.html

https://www.lowes.com/pd/DEWALT-XP-Diamond-4-5-in-Diamond-Arbor-Grit-Grinding-Wheel/1115651

Daren Todd · Apr 18, 2018

My in-laws have the little 7" wet saw from harbour freight. It showed up in your link on the right of the page. They did a bunch of work at there house with it. Then brought it over when we were redoing our kitchen.

Wife and mother in-law did the back splash with it. With the pavers being only 1 1/2" thick the smaller saw might do it. Just depends on the blade

Most of the pavers I've seen installed. They just used an angle grinder. Scored the pavers and used a wide masonry chisel and 4lb flogging hammer.

https://www.bunnings.com.au/diy-advice/outdoor/paths-and-landscaping/how-to-cut-pavers

North Idaho Wolfman · Apr 18, 2018

I've used a Circular saw with a 7 1/2" dry diamond blade, an angle grinder with a 4 1/2" dry diamond blade, a gas cut odd saw with a 14" diamond blade both wet and dry, a cheap sliding miter box saw with a 10" dry diamond blade, but the best of all is a beam saw with a wet 10" diamond blade.
If it's warm wet is the way to go, if it's cold dry is nicer but you need a good dust mask and googles.

Lil Foot · Apr 18, 2018

dry is nicer but you need a good dust mask and googles.

And let me add:
An old cheap box fan blowing across your cutting area, away from you, helps a lot.

CaveCreekRay · Apr 19, 2018

You guys sand set them out there? They do that here with a concrete (and steel if its a good contractor) mortar set perimeter. A plate compactor gets them down solid. Upload lots of pics so we can follow along.

I am trying to finish the transition from my street to my driveway and was leaning toward concrete but, if the town does utility improvements, you can take up pavers and replace them after the work is done. Concrete gets wasted.

Yooper · Apr 19, 2018

It depends on what kind of pattern you choose. If you choose one that has curves where you will need some ***8216;slivers***8217; to make the appearance right, the wet saw is the only way to cut them and make them look decent.

Love my 4-1/2 grinders and I have a pile of them. But the thought of cutting those pavers that way are cramping my fingers while typing this. But maybe you have younger hands that can handle it.

RCW · Apr 19, 2018

Daren Todd said:
With the pavers being only 1 1/2" thick the smaller saw might do it. Just depends on the blade [emoji57]
Most of the pavers I've seen installed. They just used an angle grinder. Scored the pavers and used a wide masonry chisel and 4lb flogging hammer.

I checked the HF specs for that one, and said 1" cut depth. Great to score the block, but wasn't sure if it would clear the 1 1/2" paver (actually about 1 11/16").

North Idaho Wolfman said:
a cheap sliding miter box saw with a 10" dry diamond blade...
If it's warm wet is the way to go, if it's cold dry is nicer but you need a good dust mask and googles.

NIW - Wow! Cut a test with angle grinder in the garage because it's snowing like hell outside!!

DRY IS MESSY! Holy smokes, I've been cutting 2x8 pressure treated for 2 weeks....one brick and dust was all over....

Would love to use my miter, but it's 12" and don't see diamond blades at 12". It's also a decent new saw, and don't want to beat it up that much. Same with my old fart table saw.

Lil Foot said:
An old cheap box fan blowing across your cutting area, away from you, helps a lot.

Bill - that is a great idea! See above!

CaveCreekRay said:
You guys sand set them out there?
I am trying to finish the transition from my street to my driveway

Ray, they do a base, then a bedding sand. All followed by the sand topping. The base for a driveway is usually recommended as a mixed gravel/fine material. 6" for a walk/12" for a driveway. Of course, that's for drainage and avoiding heaving due to freezing. The bedding sand is 1".

Where you are, not sure what the base might be.....but I think that sand base for bedding is a given. But aren't you sandy anyway? Interesting issue there.

Yooper said:
It depends on what kind of pattern you choose. If you choose one that has curves where you will need some slivers; to make the appearance right, the wet saw is the only way to cut them and make them look decent.

Love my 4-1/2 grinders and I have a pile of them. But the thought of cutting those pavers that way are cramping my fingers while typing this. But maybe you have younger hands that can handle it.

Yooper - The project is going to be a rectangle, more-or-less.

Been looking at a 90 degree herring bone (pending approval of the Project Foreperson (The Mrs.))

Will require 1 block split 90 degrees for each row (over 40'), and probably 90 degree cuts for a bunch of bricks to make borders match along house/garage transition.

My hands got to 54 years old today. They have some arthritis, don't have the strength they did 30 years ago....I have similar complaints for other body parts....

[emoji14]

Obviously, I did put a Hitachi Diamond blade on one of my grinders today. Friggin' thing ripped through it in nothing flat with little or no effort.
Iff'n the plan/layout stays, with everything at 90 degrees, I'm thinkin' to stick with the grinder....

sdk1968 · Apr 20, 2018

looking forward to seeing your progress as you go!

i wet cut mine with the wet saw/diamond blade. cut over 1,000 bricks out of 12,000 Novabriks that way when we bricked our old house...

the $100 blade was well worth it.

85Hokie · Apr 20, 2018

RCW,

I have had to do this a couple of times - the obvious thing is holding the brick and or the grinder "still"

In the past - I made a "wood" platform more like a fixture/jig - this would hold the brick snug - then in your case - allow the brick to flip over and cut from the other side. All you have to do is hold the grinder with both hands and make some aligned cuts!
This jig could be complicated or simple - guidelines that keep the angle exactly lined up would help a lot - especially as the hands get tired of doing it a couple of dozen times.

The fan idea is a good one too - 'specially if the wind is blowing with the fan

RCW · Apr 20, 2018

85Hokie said:
I made a "wood" platform more like a fixture/jig -

The fan idea is a good one too - 'specially if the wind is blowing with the fan

Yeah - - a jig will be first project. If everything is 90* will help greatly.

Wild guess is ~150 will need to be cut...most of which are just cut in half. Maybe can figure a way to build the jig to help that process go without measuring........ hmmm...

Lil Foot's fan idea is great....I know how much dust just 1 made in the garage!!

Thanks guys!

North Idaho Wolfman · Apr 20, 2018

Look at a cheap Harbor freight miter box saw, I bought one, used a diamond blade and cut an entire house of Hardi board.
Made perfect cuts and was cheap enough that if I killed it I wouldn't feel bad, turns out it's still working, so saved it for the next scrappy work job.

RCW · Apr 21, 2018

Looking to make a jig to make cutting pavers in half easier.
Had some angle kicking around.

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RCW · Apr 21, 2018

In for paint.
Once it’s mounted to a table, just follow the top “guide”.
I did “find” a 30 year old Craftsman circular saw I haven’t used in 20 years.
It might be the ticket for cutting pavers with a 7” diamond segmented blade, or one of those turbo rim blades.

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CaveCreekRay · Apr 21, 2018

Its amazing what a diamond blade on a circular saw will do. I cut over 200' linear feet of stucco off the outside of my house during renovation and the little HF saw was still running when I finished.

RCW · Apr 22, 2018

I think I have a jig for splitting pavers.
It might get turned 90 degrees so the cut end doesn’t fall and break.
I’m left handed, so always have to keep that in mind.....
Had some John Deere yellow still kicking around too. That’s gone.

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rookiefarmer · Apr 23, 2018

In my experience - Harbor Freight = Great Value on Tools, really crappy consumables, i.e., blades, sandpaper, cutting discs, etc.

I have the $300 wet tablesaw. I do A LOT of tile work on the side. I ditched the HF diamond blade after the first job and bought a $125 one from Fastenal, don't remember the brand. Best investment.

RCW · Apr 27, 2018

Think I have the cutting equipment.

Essentially a $40 blade on a $10 circular saw I had. Helped a buddy build a house with that saw many years ago....all I could afford back then.

This is a segmented blade versus the turbo rim. Segmented is faster, rougher cut and longer lasting...turbo is smoother/finer cut, but might not last as long.

Worked perfect for trial cut. I still have the turbo rim blades for the angle grinder, so I might be good to go.

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CaveCreekRay · Apr 28, 2018

I have been cutting natural stone for the past week doing stacked stone. Thankfully, there has been a breeze most mornings. I have been able to use the 4 1/2 inch grinder with a Warrior blade from HF. Works really well and lasts a long time.

Here is an end I finished after my guy ran out of time last week. I went on to finish four more "ends."

Oh, and as I was finishing up yesterday, I noticed a rattlesnake under the hose reel box as I was reeling in the hose. Turned her into a "dog training device" in short order. Thank God for the right tool.

RCW · Apr 28, 2018

That’s really nice, Ray!

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CaveCreekRay · Apr 28, 2018

Thanks... I have no idea what I am doing but, I am figuring out stuff as I go. Isn't that the story with home ownership? LOL!!!

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