Choosing The Right Tools To Help You Demo And Remove A Concrete Slab
Demolition inside or around your home can be a good way to relief stress as you tear out drywall and pound out wall studs. When you need to demolish a concrete slab, the work to remove this type of heavy-duty material can be made easy with the right tools. Here are some instructions to help you demolish and remove a concrete slab you no longer need.
Demolish Concrete
To demolish a concrete slab, you are going to need equipment to break the slab into small pieces so you can easily remove them. Depending on the size and thickness of the slab, you can choose a tool that will make your work easier.
A sledgehammer uses the weight of its mallet and the strength of you swinging it into the concrete slab to break the concrete into pieces. You can also use a pneumatic electric jackhammer, which won't require you to use the muscle strength to swing the hammer into the concrete. Instead, the end of the jackhammer produces the movement and the force to crack the concrete into pieces for you. You can rent either of these tools at a local tool rental business.
With any of these demolition tools, you should begin at the edges of the slab and work your way into the center of the slab, forming cracks and breaking edge pieces off as you go. If you are using a sledgehammer and a blow from the hammer only crumbles the surface of the concrete, move the hammer a few inches to the side and repeat the hammer blows. When using a jackhammer, if you don't begin to see a crack form within the first seconds of contact with the concrete slab, move the tip of the hammer a few inches nearby to continue hammering. If you allow the chisel tip to penetrate into the concrete without a crack forming, the tip will become stuck in the concrete surface and can be difficult to remove.
Separate Concrete Pieces
As you break apart the concrete slab with your jackhammer or sledgehammer, you may encounter rebar installed within the concrete slab. This type of reinforcement network can often be found in concrete slabs to give the surface strength. As you break apart the concrete, you or an assistant can use a reciprocating saw with a metal blade or a metal grinder to cut the rebar and separate the concrete chunks.
Often concrete may not be reinforced with rebar, but it is still difficult to lift the concrete pieces as you break them apart. To help with this task of pulling chunks from one another, you can use a pry bar with a chisel tip and a long handle. This tool creates leverage below each of the concrete chunks to move them aside for easier lifting and removal. Then, with your hands and a pair of work gloves or a compact track loader, you can lift the chunks into a wheelbarrow or directly into a concrete recycling bin.
Use these tips to help you in your concrete demolition. For professional assistance, contact a demolition contractor in your area.
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