Cutting Concrete Pavers: Rough Cut Techniques

Leave a reply

Cutting concrete pavers is not difficult, but it does require special equipment and a certain level of skill. There are several methods for cutting. Read the article: Cutting Concrete Pavers: Overview for more general information. This article focuses on two methods which leave a rough edge to the cut paver:

  1. Hammer and Chisel
  2. Block or Paver Splitter

1.   Hammer & Chisel

Hammer & chisel is the simplest and most inexpensive method for a few cuts. Simply score the paver along a cut line using sharp but light blows. By repeatedly tapping along the same cut line, the paver will eventually snap leaving a rough cut.

Advantages: Inexpensive, rough finish, ease of use.

Disadvantages: Slow, non-precise rough cuts, possible breakage.

Cutting Concrete Pavers: Rough Cut Techniques Cutting Concrete Pavers: Rough Cut Techniques

2.  Block Splitter

A block splitter is basically a large mechanical chisel or guillotine cutter. By using the leverage of a long handle, you can easily “snap” a paver, wall block or wall cap leaving a rough finished edge.  Block splitters generally can snap material up to 6” thick. This is a great tool to use for creating corner wall blocks or caps where the cut side will be visible. Most contractors will use splitters when building walls to help create finished corner pieces.

Advantages: Ease of use, inexpensive to rent, attractive finishing tool, can cut on project.

Disadvantages: Non-precision cutting, must cut at least 2” to get “straight” cut.

Cutting Concrete Pavers: Rough Cut Techniques Cutting Concrete Pavers: Rough Cut Techniques

Cutting Concrete Pavers: Smooth Cut Techniques

Leave a reply

Cutting concrete pavers is not difficult, but it does require special equipment and a certain level of skill. There are several methods for cutting. Read the article: Cutting Concrete Pavers: Overview for more general information.

This article focuses on four methods which leave a smooth edge to the cut paver:

  1. Circular Saw with Masonry or Diamond Blade

  2. Table Concrete Saw

  3. Gas Powered Cut Off Saw

  4. Grinder with Masonry or Diamond Wheel.

1.   Circular Saw

A circular saw will make cutting more than a few pavers much easier than rough cut techniques. Note you will need to equip your saw with a masonry or diamond blade. Start by making a pass with the saw at ½” depth. Make additional passes increasing the depth of the blade each time.

Advantages: Inexpensive, faster than hammer/chisel, tool readily available, more precise.

Disadvantages: Slow for large amount of cuts, only works on 2” or thinner material.

Cutting Concrete Pavers: Smooth Cut Techniques Cutting Concrete Pavers: Smooth Cut Techniques

2.   Table Saw

If the job requires a lot of cutting, consider renting a table top concrete saw. Concrete saws are readily available at most rental facilities for approximately $70-80 per day. Tabletop concrete saws make precise, fast cuts for most pavers and wall caps. Most saws are also equipped with water pumps which will spray the paver with water while making the cut to help control dust and prolong the life of the diamond blade. Cutting can be done without using water, but will be quite dusty if water is not used.

Advantages: Fast, easy to use, precise cutting, minimizes dust.

Disadvantages: Need to rent, usually only good for 3” thick cuts or less, can be messy, need electrical hook up.

Cutting Concrete Pavers: Smooth Cut Techniques3.  Gas Powered Cut Off Saw:

A gas powered cut off saw will easily cut through any size paver, wall block or wall cap. While this powerful saw is fairly easy to use, it is somewhat heavy and takes a strong back if doing more than a few cuts. Because of the weight, holding the saw along the desired cut line can be difficult making bad cuts which require recutting common. Cut off saws can be difficult to start, so you should always have the rental company test it to ensure it works before leaving the store.

Advantages: Portable, powerful, maximum cutting depth, great for “in place” cutting.

Disadvantages: Loud and dusty, heavy, higher percentage of bad cuts, can be hard to start.

Cutting Concrete Pavers: Smooth Cut Techniques

Cutting Concrete Pavers: Smooth Cut Techniques

Cutting Concrete Pavers: Overview

Leave a reply

Cutting Concrete Pavers: OverviewCutting concrete pavers is not difficult, but it does require special equipment and a certain level of skill. One or two cuts can be done easily with a hammer and chisel or a circular saw equipped with a masonry or diamond blade. If a large amount of cutting is required it may be easier to rent a more powerful piece of equipment such as a table top concrete saw or a gas powered cut off saw. This specialized cutting equipment can be rented by the day or week at most rental centers.

Types of Cutting Tools:

  1. Hammer/Mallet and Chisel/Brickset

  2. Block or Paver Splitter

  3. Circular Saw with Masonry or Diamond Blade

  4. Table Concrete Saw

  5. Gas Powered Cut Off Saw

  6. Grinder with Masonry or Diamond Wheel

For more information on the differences between these tools, see the articles on Cutting: Rough Cut or Cuttting: Smooth Cut.

When using power equipment, you should always take safety into consideration and the use of safety equipment is a must. Safety equipment includes:

  • Safety Glasses

  • Hearing Protection

  • Dust Mask

  • Gloves

Finishing Technique:

Note that most cutting will leave a very clean cut line. Most pavers have a tumbled or chamfered edge and the clean cut line will be very noticeable. Using a hammer or scrap piece of paver, you can “chink” or tumble the edge to give a more finished look. Roughing up this clean edge will make a huge difference in the overall appearance of the project.

Cutting Concrete Pavers: Overview Cutting Concrete Pavers: Overview

Cutting Concrete Pavers: Overview Cutting Concrete Pavers: Overview

Disposal, Dust and Advice:

  • Cutting pavers can be a very dusty, messy experience. You may want to set up a cutting area away from the project and your house to keep dust cleanup as easy as possible. Also take notice of which way the wind is blowing and how the dust will affect your neighbors.

  • Disposal of the scrap concrete left after cutting can be a challenge. In Phoenixville, Cedar Hollow Recycling will take your concrete waste and recycle it for other uses for a nominal charge. If you are not in the Phoenixville area, check your local phone book for waste disposal.

  • If a lot of cutting is necessary for your project, make sure to order extra material (5-15% is typical).  Please note that not all materials are returnable.  Understand what you distributors policy is on returns before ordering material.  If the material is non-returnable, you may want to under order and pick up more material when needed. Be careful…some special order colors or slow moving product may not be readily available and you may have to wait if you need more material.

  • For curved cuts, consider using a border material. Most projects (especially curved walkways or patios) will look much more finished when full pieces are used as a border.

Cutting Concrete Pavers: Overview

Creating a Level Backyard with Retaining Walls

Leave a reply

In the Delaware Valley, uneven terrain is quite common. A sloping backyard makes creating a flat area for outdoor activities such as games, picnics, or just “hanging out” challenging. Retaining walls offer a practical solution to this problem.

If the backyard slopes down and away (see diagram below), the retaining wall is built at the point where you want the yard to stop.  The area between the slope of the yard and the wall is filled in and becomes yard.  On the other side of the wall, the slope can remain on the ground and can be leveled to create another lower flat area.

Retaining Wall Down 20130120 150x150 Creating a Level Backyard with Retaining Walls

If the backyard slopes up (see diagram below), the retaining wall is still built at the point where you want the flat yard to stop; but, in this case, excess ground is removed.  The area behind the wall is then filled in.

Retaining Wall Up 20130120 150x150 Creating a Level Backyard with Retaining Walls

In both cases, the wall has significant retaining responsibilities: The distance equal to two times the height of the wall behind the wall is the area exerting pressure on the wall.  So, if the wall is three feet high, six feet of ground is being retained.  If the wall is five feet high, retention is 10 feet of ground.

Products vary in their ability to retain.  The maximum height that can be built without special engineering with traditional retaining wall blocks is four feet. This type of block will generally weigh between 60 and 90 pounds each and create a wall approximately 12 inches thick.  Examples include CST Versa Lok block, EP Henry Mesa and Diamond Pro block, Techo-Bloc Suprema.  A few specialty products exist which are significantly larger and heavier and can build substantially larger walls, e.g., Techo Bloc Monumental.

Retaining walls designed to reshape the contour of an outdoor living area have many technical requirements.  Do not undertake this type of project for walls over 3 feet high without using a contractor with specialized expertise.

Selecting Materials for Hardscaping Projects: The Color RED

Leave a reply

NaturalStonePavers1 201301151 150x150 Selecting Materials for Hardscaping Projects: The Color REDAs a supplier of both manufactured and natural stone pavers, segmental walls, and related products, we help homeowners select materials every day.  It doesn’t matter whether the customer is a Do-It-Yourself-er or using a professional contractor, the decision process involves the same set of issues.  And color is always a major decision.

When planning a new patio, sidewalk, or other outdoor living environment enhancement, homeowners usually look first at the colors in their home.  Options get quickly narrowed down to complement or match strategies and many beautiful options are always available.

However, the decision tends to become much more difficult when the existing environment features the color red.  For any shopper who has ever tried to find a red blouse or shirt to match the red in another piece of clothing, the issue is obvious.  Reds don’t match.

All grays blend.  You can always find a brown that will complement another brown. But not reds.  Reds are blue or orange or pink or purple.  The variety in shades of red is endless.

If you have red siding, red shutters, red shingles, red brick veneer, look for grays, browns or a gray brown blend.  Unless you get amazingly lucky, a new red will clash.NaturalStonePavers 201301151 150x150 Selecting Materials for Hardscaping Projects: The Color RED

If you have manufactured red pavers or walls and you want more red, use the same color from the same manufacturer.  But check to make sure the formula for the color has not changed since you installed your existing project.

Manufacturers of concrete pavers make reds that are designed to look good with clay brick.  And once in a while, the combination works.  But, not often.  If you think you see a product that will work for you, take a color sample home before making your final decision.

HardscapingTM  is a registered trademark of EP Henry Company.

Using Boulders to Accent Hardscaping

Leave a reply

If you are looking for a way to add an interesting accent to your hardscapingTM  project, consider boulders.  A boulder is more than a big rock.  Boulders can be small — “garden rounds”, medium –“one-man boulders,” or large to huge — “landscape boulders.”  Boulders in Wall 2013 01 01 150x150 Using Boulders to Accent Hardscaping

Boulders can be local or shipped in from other parts of the country.  Location of origin will dictate color, so the range of options is enormous.  Each boulder is unique in shape.  With this huge selection of size and color, consider boulders for the following uses:

Garden Rounds:

  • Edging a garden
  • Around a tree
  • Around a mailbox
  • Clustered in a garden around a featured plant or statue

One-man Boulders:

  • In a garden as a focal point, consider unusual colors
  • Engraved or painted as artist labels, e.g., Mom’s Garden,  home address number
  • Engraved as markers, e.g., pet burials
  • Placed in a ring as a firepit

 Landscape Boulders: 

  • In the yard as a focal point, covering an area where grass won’t grow
  • Hiding an unattractive object in the yard, e.g., pipe access
  • As a bench on a patio or in a rustic sitting area
  • As a diving board for a swimming pool
  • As a planter or a stand for an outdoor planted pot
  • Inset into a manufactured retaining wall for accent
  • Next to a step as a handrail

Boulder Firepit 2013 01 01 150x150 Using Boulders to Accent HardscapingIdeas are endless.  Garden rounds and one-man boulders can generally be handled by a homeowner or two.  Landscape boulders will require equipment to move around. Professional contractors will quote prices to place boulders or build boulder accessories such as accented walls, benches and water features.

Be creative!

Hardscaping is a registered trademark of EP Henry Company.

Pennsylvania Bluestone Flagstone – Quality & Availability

Leave a reply

If you are following our blog, you have seen a lot of articles on Bluestone — a fascinating and complicated natural stone native to Pennsylvania (for whom the material is named), New Jersey and parts of New York. Bluestone has many options to consider in designing and installing your outdoor living project.  But, if you have decided on the uniquely beautiful bluestone, you must also deal with the issues of quality and availability.

First quality.  The primary quality consideration occurs in natural clef flagstone, both pattern and irregular.  Because the appealing unique surface of natural clef flagstone is formed by natural forces, the consistency of that surface is unpredictable.  Some pieces can exhibit huge variation in thickness, dramatic shifts in surface texture, even natural warping creating a bowed rather than flat piece.  Some people find this variation exotic and attractive, some do not.  If you are looking for flagstone with the flattest surface, the least variation in surface and thickness, you are looking for the rarest material. Marcellus Shale 2012 12 15 150x150 Pennsylvania Bluestone Flagstone Quality & Availability

Second, availability.  The Marcellus Shale discovery is emerging to hold the potential of huge quantities of natural gas.  The Marcellus shale deposit runs under most of Pennsylvania, Virginia as well as parts of eastern Ohio and western New York.  This deposit is also under most of the bluestone quarries. Although the solution to economically converting this deposit to marketable natural gas is not complete, the promise is compelling.  And speculators and gas companies are paying large sums for the rights to this energy source.  As a result, many quarries are shutting down no longer needing the income from stone or no longer able to find workers who have better paying options in the natural gas field.

The many Bluestone quarries still in production face the problem of rising costs in other ways than labor.  As the quarries are excavated, the deeper stone costs more and takes longer to extract and produce.

When you look at the combination of quality and availability, the rule of supply and demand is at work in the bluestone market.  Prices have risen the last two years.  Expect continued price increases, and expect shortages of selected varieties of flagstone materials.

When shopping for Pennsylvania bluestone, look for dealers who are investing in maintaining relationships with multiple quarries, in building inventory to meet future demand, and in finding and offering a full range of quality flagstone products.

Pennsylvania Bluestone Flagstone – Thickness

Leave a reply

Dry Set Thickness 20121201 150x150 Pennsylvania Bluestone Flagstone ThicknessIn earlier articles, we have discussed the basics of Pennsylvania Bluestone, its shapes, textures and colors.  If you have read these articles or even simply reviewed a portfolio of pictures, you have a good feel for this wonderful natural stone. These factors, plus the process of installation are both important to its final appearance. Thickness is a key factor in installation options.

Two primary installation options exist for flagstone:  dry and wet setting.  Dry setting means installing over a compacted stone sub-base and a screeded stone dust setting bed with a flexible finishing joint material.  Wet setting means installing over a concrete base on a mortar bed with a solid finishing joint material.  Examples of flexible finishing joint materials include stone dust (aka screenings), polymeric stone dust, decorative stone, and topsoil.  The most typical solid finishing material is mortar.

Natural clef pattern and irregular flagstone are available in two major thicknesses: 1” and 1 ½”.  Because the thickness of these products results from natural separation along fault lines, the thickness is neither consistent nor exact.  The thickness of one piece will vary across the length and breadth of the piece.  If the thickness is generally between ½” and 1 ¼”, the flagstone is considered 1” flagstone.  If the thickness is over 1 ¼”, it is generally considered 1 ½”.   When flagstone is particularly thin, i.e., ½” or less, it is separated out at ½” flagstone.  Some quarries will separate flagstone that is 3” or over into “heavy” flagstone.  The extra thin and extra thick material are frequently included in 1” and 1 ½” categories.

For dry setting application, you will need 1 ½” material.  This thickness is required to provide enough strength to handle minor shifts in the base and setting bed caused by geological and weather conditions.  The wet setting application, you will want 1” material. This thickness has less variation within and between pieces making it easier to compensate for those differences in the mortar base. Wet Lay Flagstone Thickness 20121201 150x150 Pennsylvania Bluestone Flagstone Thickness

Thermal flagstone is cut to a nearly exact thickness, usually 1” or 1 ½”.  For dry setting, use 1 ½”.  For wet setting, either thickness is acceptable as there is no variation in thickness to be absorbed in the mortar bed.

If you use 1” flagstone in a dry set project, you risk having the material crack or break over time.  If you are doing the project yourself and wish to avoid the weight of 1 ½” material, you can accept this risk and replace broken pieces later as necessary.  If you have a professional contractor installing your project, make sure 1 ½” material is used.

PA Bluestone Flagstone Colors: Blue, Gray, Green, Brown, Lilac, Rust

Leave a reply
Lilac Irregular Color 20121115 150x150 PA Bluestone Flagstone Colors: Blue, Gray, Green, Brown, Lilac, Rust

Lilac Irregular PA Bluestone Flagstone Color

Pennsylvania Bluestone, also known as flagstone, comes in a variety of shapes and textures as discussed in an earlier article entitled PA Bluestone Flagstone – Shape & Texture.  All of these options also come in multiple colors.

When most people think of flagstone they think blue:  Pennsylvania Bluestone.  However, most flagstone is actually not blue in color.

The color of flagstone is caused by the minerals in the ground where the flagstone is formed.  Most flagstone is full color also called variegated.  This mean that a full range of minerals run through the quarry such that each piece from that quarry can be blue, gray, green, brown, lilac, or rust in color.  Most pieces will exhibit multiple colors swirled together in unpredictable patterns.  Many believe it is the unique combinations of color that gives flagstone its most compelling beauty.  Natural clef pattern and natural clef irregular flagstone have the most color variety and drama.  In full color thermal flagstone, much of the drama is removed by the flaming process.  Multiple colors still exist but appear more subtle.  And the rust color is nearly non-existent in thermal.  Tumbling also reduces the dramatic lines of color separation, although not quite as much as the thermal process.

“True Blue” Pennsylvania bluestone occurs less often in nature than full color. True blue flagstone comes out of the quarry in a consistently blue-gray color.  A range of blue shades can appear in true bluestone, but the variation is very minor.  A large blue flagstone patio may exhibit what appears as waves of blue shades similar to looking at water, but the variation will be negligible.  Blue flagstone appears the same color in all forms, i.e., natural clef, thermal, and tumbled.

Occasionally, a large section of a bluestone quarry will be deep reddish – purple.  The industry calls this color lilac.  Lilac flagstone may also have rust color veins but the underlying color is lilac rather than blue.

When choosing color for your Pennsylvania Bluestone project, be sure to see samples.  Samples will give you an idea of the range of variety and the core colors of the various options.  However, remember, flagstone is a natural stone.  Variety is inherent in the product and in the attraction of natural stone.  The material you purchase and its installation will be unique.  If you are looking for color consistency, you should consider a manufactured, simulated flagstone product.

PA Bluestone Flagstone – Shape & Textures

Leave a reply

If you are considering Pennsylvania bluestone as the material for your patio or other outdoor living project, you have several additional decisions to make: Shape, texture, color, thickness, and quality. This article discusses the options for shape and texture.  The range of shape and texture options is far greater than you might expect.Pattern Full Color Shape 20121101 150x150 PA Bluestone Flagstone Shape & Textures

Two basic shapes are available:  irregular and pattern.  A piece of irregular flagstone is generally two to three feet wide by three to four feet long with a completely random amoeba-like shape.  Irregular flagstone is packaged in a pallet vertically or standing up which is why it is often called “stand-up” flagstone.  Pattern flagstone is cut at the quarry into squares and rectangles in a large selection of sizes.  Standard sizes (in inches) are 12×12 up to 24×36 in six inch increments (i.e., 12×12, 12×18, 12×24, 12×30, 12×36, 18×18, 18×24, 18×30, 18×36, 24×24, 24×30, 24×36).  Because of the range of measured sizes, pattern is also referred to as “dimensional” flagstone.  Larger pattern sizes are less readily available. Smaller patterns sizes are re-cut from broken pattern and used for tumbling only.

Thermal Texture 20121101 150x150 PA Bluestone Flagstone Shape & TexturesThree textures characterize flagstone: Natural clef, thermal, and tumbled.  Natural clef is the irregular somewhat wavy surface that is created by nature when flagstone separates or splits along natural fault lines.  Thermal refers to the effect created when flagstone is cut and then flamed to remove any irregularities.  Thermal is completely flat but has a slightly bubbly surface (almost like a manufactured non-slip finish) created by the flaming process.   Tumbled flagstone is literally tumbled in a machine similar to a large drier.  The tumbling process smooths the top and bottom of the flagstone and breaks off sharp edges leaving a soft rounded edge.

Both irregular and pattern are available natural clef, thermal, and tumbled.  Perhaps obviously, these combinations of shape and texture result in a huge range of options.  And, options can be combined, e.g., natural clef pattern patio with irregular natural clef sidewalk.  Be sure to see samples of the textures and shapes of PA Bluestone Flagstone you are considering before making your final decision.