Advice on breaking up reinforced concrete slab
Roughly two-thirds of the backyard of our new house is covered with concrete slab and so I thought I would go our there and break it up with a sledgehammer in advance of putting in a new garden. The first row of slab I picked happened to be concrete simply set on a layer of…
Roughly two-thirds of the backyard of our new house is covered with concrete slab and so I thought I would go our there and break it up with a sledgehammer in advance of putting in a new garden.
The first row of slab I picked happened to be concrete simply set on a layer of old bricks and it took about an hour to bust up roughly 3×10 feet worth. When I moved over to the adjacent row and started whacking it, however, I discovered that it (and, it seems, the entirety of the rest of the slab) is newer, reinforced concrete, with a layer of small gauge (1/8th inch?) wire rebar running through it.
I’d like to keep working on this myself, and so would love any advice people might have about possible DIY approaches to breaking the rest of this up. Will a jackhammer break up the concrete and bust the wire? (Home Depot, for example, rents a 28ft lbs/strike jhammer, as does Miller Tools on CI Ave). Or do I need some sort of concrete saw? Or should I just cut to the chase and call a workman to do this?
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks!
A jackhammer will bust up the cement and leave you with a piece of lath (the metal reinforcement).
How thick is the pad? The thickness determines the size of the jackhammer. Get the appropriate jackhammer for the job–a too-small tool will waste your time.
Jackhammers are easier than you’d think to use. I am a 120-lb woman who uses a jackhammer every few months as a part of my work. It’s all about gravity and letting the tool do the work.
And yes, it is difficult to dispose of cement. Before busting up anything, I would plan out exactly where it is going and set yourself up so you don’t move a pile of rubble twice. If you’re going with a dumpster, don’t break up the cement until it’s there–that sort of thing.
Jackhammer and rent it from Miller’s- they are really knowledgeable and pleasant to deal with. Home Depot is, well, Home Depot. Service depends on who you get that day.
We took out 10 cubic yards of concrete from our backyard ourselves. The biggest hassle was finding a carting company that will deal with cement available when we needed to do the job. Not all of them do cement. We paid around $400 for a 10 yard dumpster. We called so many places I don’t remember who we used.
The levels people will go to in order to save a few dollars really amazes me.
jackhammer should do it. Just look up what force is recommended for the thinkness of your reinforced slab.