Cutting Paving Stones By Hand

When installing a patio or walkway with paver stones there will almost always be areas where the pavers must be cut to fit in irregular areas or around objects.

Cutting paving stones by hand.

A chisel and heavy hammer in the hands of an experienced professional easily cut natural stone clay and concrete pavers. We ll start with a classic hammer and chisel and end with a high tech masonry saw while covering a handful of other great options in between. The number of pavers will establish the technique of cutting and the tool to use. Cutting pavers with a power saw.

Another method for cutting concrete pavers is to use a hand held power saw such as a skillsaw with a masonry blade or a cut off saw. If the area to install the brick pavers is a square shaped patio few cuts are needed which could be done by hand. While holding the paver in place with one hand tap the overhanging end firmly with a hammer or a mallet. Before cutting pavers make sure you ve measured your space and know what size you want.

Make a full straight cut that is tangential to touching the scored line and break off the bulk of the waste. Depending on the thickness of the concrete you may have to raise the blade and cut through only a portion of the paver. Power saw and concrete blade. Then gently tap your 1 inch wide cold chisel with a hammer until you have a 1 16 inch groove along the entire cutline.

For a larger project or more accurate cuts a circular saw with a concrete blade is a good option. Mark the cut and clamp the stone or paver to a stable work surface. Cut paver stones with a chisel for areas that require smaller paver pieces. Cutting paving stones can be daunting but it isn t difficult.

For an amateur using a chisel and hammer is the best and. Set up workhorses or preferably a work stand with adjustable sides to secure the pavers. The paver should break cleanly ready to be set into. Use the hammer and chisel to score or cut a groove into the block or paver on all sides.

Score the curved cut along the top of the paver first cutting about 1 8 inch deep. Tips for cutting pavers. Strike the chisel on the score line until the material splits. Once you know your measurements use a straight edge to mark cutlines onto all 4 sides of your paver.