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:
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Circular Saw with Masonry or Diamond Blade
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Table Concrete Saw
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Gas Powered Cut Off Saw
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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.
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.
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.
Thanks for pointing out that concrete cutting requires specialized equipment to be done properly. My husband and I need to have some concrete holes drilled for our home renovation project. I don’t want to spend money buying the specific tools we’ll need, so I think I’ll simplify things by hiring a concrete cutting service.
I like that you pointed out that tabletop concrete saws will be able to make precise cuts and can be done fast. I will make sure that we will choose this for the cutting of our pavement once we hire concrete services. The job just needs to be done as soon as possible so that our property is ready for the party that we have been preparing for since last year.
Thanks for helping me understand how cutting saws can be hard to control that is why it must be tested first. However, it would be wise to just hire contractors to do this for us so that we are not at risk at all since we have never done this before. It is for the driveway’s concrete since we plan to have it replaced and remodeled due to how old this property is. To be exact, it is about five decades since it was built.
Using a professional contractor is exactly correct. Cutting is both technically difficult and dangerous if you are not experienced.