Tool To Break Up Concrete Slab

This classic heavy headed hammering tool is the traditional manual method of breaking up concrete.

Tool to break up concrete slab.

The pavement breakers weighing 60 pounds and more can handle medium to heavy demolition jobs with reinforced concrete and are used to demolish pavements roads and thick concrete. You ve used that tool to break apart your unwanted concrete. Prying up the slab has the same effect as digging underneath it. It might seem like a big job but removing a concrete slab is something you can do yourself.

Don t use your hands to pry out the sections a mattock is the best tool for this job. So clear away the rubble after you ve broken up each 2 to 3 ft. Now what do you do with all those chunks. If you don t do this the dirt or sand under the slab will absorb the blows from the sledgehammer making it harder to break up the concrete.

The weight of these tools gives them the power needed to break up a few inches of concrete without being so heavy that they demolish the entire pavement. If a slab is scored by a concrete saw a sledge hammer can easily break the individual portions into pieces. Even after concrete is broken the chunks remain locked together making the surrounding concrete harder to break. For thin slabs of concrete use a sledgehammer to break it up.

A cold chisel is the right hand tool for breaking up small areas of concrete. We ll show you how to break up the slab into smaller pieces cut through steel reinforcements and then remove and dispose of the concrete properly. Alternatively you can pry up the slab and shove a rock or piece. Occasionally very small areas of concrete must be removed from a larger project or you may simply need to clean up the ragged edges left by a larger tool.

Knowing how to dispose of all that concrete is a big part of the job. If the concrete is too thick to break up with a sledgehammer you can use an electric jackhammer instead. Patio can weigh up to about 5 000 pounds. You can create a void by digging under the slab.

To break up concrete start by covering the concrete with a plastic sheet to protect nearby items from flying debris. All you need is some careful planning the right tools and a little bit of know how. Most concrete demolition projects call for the use of a jack hammer or hammer drill. With small slabs of concrete such as patio squares or air conditioner pads you can also have one person pry up the slab a few inches using a demolition bar while another person strikes the slab with the hammer.

Sledgehammers vary according to head weight and handle length. Sledgehammer head weights range from around 6 pounds to more than 15 pounds.