Replies

1. 
   Guest_ | Apr 17, 2000 07:18pm | #1

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   Buy a diamond blade for your circular saw. Inexpensive, about $45-50USD. However, plan on tearing down and cleaning your saw afterwards. Unless it's your "rock saw". It'll also create more dust than you could ever imagine. You'll be IMC in your own basement. Depending on the quality of your saw/blade combo, it may be prudent to make several passes, about 3/4"-1" each time.

   Better bet...head to the tool rental shop. A high quality wet setup may allow you to cut full depth in one pass. Probably still best to do at least two, though. And, the "wet" will keep the dust down.

   You'll pay for tool rental and blade wear, but the speed of the process combined with not having to buy your own blade would probably make it worthwhile.

1. 
   Guest_ | Apr 18, 2000 12:06am | #2

   *Definately rent a concrete saw. Get the walk behind type. Hook up your hose to the saw and the dust will be much less than without.I can rent a walkbehind saw for about $75.00 and it really saves your back (and arms).You will probably have the choice between the cheap abrasive blades or the expensive diamond blade. Get the diamond blade. you'll pay by the thousandths of an inch of wear but it will still be cheaper than using 20 abrasive blades.

1. 
   Guest_ | Apr 18, 2000 04:36am | #3

   *Fred, all are going to be in agreement on this one.I recently cut a 6" wide by 8'long trench in the floor and used 2 abrasive wheels.I wrapped the small room I was in in plastic and the dust got everywhere in the house regardless of my precautions.I can't imagine attempting anything the size of your job without a wet saw.The water can be pumped out as your working and in a day or two it will be dry,the other way you'll be finding and eating dust for weeks,not to mention really sore from the ordeal.Larry S

1. 
   Guest_ | Apr 18, 2000 12:59pm | #4

   *one other thing, check your slab for thickness in a couple of places (drill some small holes) before you rent the saw and make sure you get one that will go all the way through. I recently cut through what I thought was a 4" slab to find out it was really 6". I had to rent a compressor and jack hammer to get the rest of the way through. One wasted day, one wasted $250.00.

1. 
   Guest_ | Apr 18, 2000 06:46pm | #5

   *Recently hired a company to do that for my basement. They quoted highest, but had the most experience working in occupied dwellings - you can not imagine how much dust can be produced and where it will end up (everywhere in the house).They did almost the entire job with electric and pheumatic jack-hammers (electric for tight spaces and to dig up the hard-as-concrete dirt under the slab). These produced almost "no" dust (done with lots of water). The one cut that had to be done with the saw was done wet and the room was closed and there was still lots of dust around the house afterwards from it.They did a fantastic job and if not for that one saw cut I would never have realized as well as I do now how much agony they saved me (all the other bidders were gonna saw the whole job).If you are looking in the Ann Arbor, MI area I could give you their info (old house foundation specialists rule, in my book - now anyway).

2. 
   Guest_ | Apr 18, 2000 07:04pm | #6

   *Fred: First thing. You don't need to cut all the way through the slab. We cut basement slabs regularly during remodels for plumbing. If water is a problem you will find the amount of dust amazing from a dry cut..but not impossible to handle.You need the following AFTER you drape and tape: 1) A ventilating blower like the type used when people work down a manhole. It can blow or suck. Manhole workers blow air down--we suck air & dust out. 25 to 50 feet of ribbed exhaust hose. Usually 8" diameter. Wire the hose through a window, keep the fan (enclosed squirrel cage type) near you to suck up the dust. The neighbors won't like the dust...windy day is best.2. Eye protection. The dust will settle on it and you will think the fog is worse than it is...clean often. 3. Ear protection...we use muffs. You will notice some ear pressure...those fans really depressurize. Try to cross ventilate so you have air to breathe. 4. Respirator. Not just a dust mask. It's worth the $40.00. 5. Electric jackhammer 6. Don't work alone. Once you get a hole started (maybe your sump pit) by making "X" cuts, you can break out your run working from the hole. We cut slots 1 1/2" max and that is just to make a neat joint on the repour. The rough edge below helps the repour to adhere. Take several passes on the slot. Not much room to swing a sledge in a basement so use the electric jackhammer. You probably don't have to make two parallel cuts to form a channel because the slab is not attached to the wall.You probably won't need to rent everything for more than 4 to 8 hours. Blower: $32.00/day; 25' hose: $5.00/day; Demo Saw: $7.50/hr--$30.00 min.; 12" Diamond Blade: $4.00 per 1000th--$26.00 min; Electric Hammer (60#): $11.25/hr--$45.00 min. Our usual total rental: <$150.00. If you can do it wet so much the better. I presume you know where your water is coming from before you start. Have Fun Thor

3. 
   Guest_ | Apr 18, 2000 11:11pm | #7

   *if you have two or three concrete cutting subs in your area.. get input from them.. the size of your job. will get you some very competitive prices..they should have hydraulic machines so you don't have to put up with gas fumes... and they will have wet saws so you don't eat the dust...diamond blade rental can be VERY expensive, i'd at least know what subbing this cutting would cost me...if you've got a 28 x 40 house, you've got close to 240 LF of cutting to do... good luuuuuck!

4. 
   Guest_ | Apr 19, 2000 09:15am | #8

   *IMC? Not everyone here flies, you know.... :)

5. 
   Guest_ | Apr 19, 2000 09:23am | #9

   *Q:A friend had this sort of interior French drain/sump setup installed when they discovered the sellers had underestimated -- a bit -- how often the basement flooded. Expensive! How does this compare to the exterior trench approach,other than saving the shrubs?

6. 
   Guest_ | Apr 19, 2000 02:10pm | #10

   *One more thing that I think others meant but never stated outright, if you use water on your saw the dust will be less. There will still be dust, alot of dust.

7. 
   Guest_ | Apr 19, 2000 08:55pm | #11

   *if you sub it out to a concrete cutting pro.. there will not be any dust.. there will be mud, which is being vacumned up by you with a wet vac as they cut...or have it as part of the spec, that they have two guys,....me i like to tell them i'll run the vacumn, then i'm there helpin without being a PITA..

8. 
   Guest_ | Apr 19, 2000 09:19pm | #12

   *Oops...should have written "..wicked friggin' lotta dust..."BTW, the FUJI is inbound...

2. 
   BILL_MITCHELL | Apr 20, 2000 01:04am | #13

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   I am looking for information about putting a fan or
   sunburst pattern in the siding on the gables of my
   ranch style house. I am using red cedar clapboards,
   any help would be useful.

3. 
   Fred_Paulsen | Apr 20, 2000 01:25am | #14

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   I am planning to cut a trench around the perimeter of my basement to install a drain tile and sup pump. Any suggestions for cutting the concrete path?

4. 
   Guest_ | Apr 20, 2000 01:25am | #15

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   sorry Bill, right church,.... wrong pew....