Cutting through block wall for pet door?
Toolfreak
| Posted in General Discussion on
House built in 1939 near Boston. I want to cut through a concrete block wall in a walkout basement to install a pet door. The opening would be roughly 12″x20″. What’s the best way to cut this opening? I assume the wall is 6″ or 8″ thick.
– Toolfreak
Replies
You could try a small (4-1/2"?) angle grinder and a dry-cutting diamond blade. Outline the hole you want and cut the line as deeply as the blade will go. Use a hammer and a heavy chisel to break the waste out in pieces. When you have one side open, use a small masonry drill bit to drill thru at the corners to define the opening on the other side. Then repeat with the layout lines and the cutting.
There are companies that do nothing but wall and slab sawing. I'm sure they could cut that hole in a heartbeat... probably for a minimum trip charge, about $250.
spooky dude...spooky.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Restoring, Remodeling, Reclaiming The Quality..
Get yersef a 4.5" diamond blade for an angle grinder. Cut from both sides and break it out.
I would drill thru at the corners to initially locate the other side.
You'll need a good cold chisel too. Look out for the poss. of a solid core, or rebar, or the wire in the mortar joint.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Restoring, Remodeling, Reclaiming The Quality..
Do you think the grinder would work better than a circular saw with a masonry blade? - Toolfreak
yes.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Restoring, Remodeling, Reclaiming The Quality..
In the case of concrete block, it is unnecessary to drill through in order to define the corners on the outside. However it does help to establish a sharp corner. I say this because a typical concrete block will be the same on both sides of the wall and all you have to do is get the right one and reverse your measurements. Or not.
~Peter
Good news. A fellow member of Breaktime -- whose name shall remain secret -- has agree to counterfeit and forge a release letter for Martha Stewart, All we need now is the contribution of one stamp.
Yeah, but...I could still wind up with two different blocks cut, unless I drill thru...LOL
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Restoring, Remodeling, Reclaiming The Quality..
I bought a Skilsaw type saw at Home Depot for cutting ceramic tiles I think it was part of the MF line of tile cutting equipment and cost $159.00 came with a 4 1/2 "wet dry diamond blade.
Now they have an exact copy from China for $89.00 which has a water feed which mine does not.
The angle grinder works but this little saw is a great tool to have for jobs like we're talking about.
If you were Imerc, you'd have done it for him with that by now...LOL
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Restoring, Remodeling, Reclaiming The Quality..
what was it you said the other night???
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Apparently enough to get your attn.Imerc, I respect you.
My computer musta been drinking.I'll take this to email for ya..I won't hash it out here.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Restoring, Remodeling, Reclaiming The Quality..
Yeah, what the others said--but with a caveat. I'd get the masonry bit out first, to "peek" as it were, into the cavity.
If you are close to a door opening, those cores may be filled solid. Any sort of solid fill will make your cutting job go a bit longer. (It also suggests cutting from the outside as much as possible, to keep all that dust out of the house.)
You could have loose insulation fill in the cores, too--that's under-fun to get into with a cutting blade.
Angle grinders burn up when cutting concrete.
I've checked
Block wall is NOT concrete as per a floor or poured wall.I have cut mucho concrete with a 10 $ HF grinder and a 30$ dry diamond..it's still ticking.You musta had a bummer.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Restoring, Remodeling, Reclaiming The Quality..
"You musta had a bummer."
Nah. It was my buddy's! :) He gave me the ol' "Awwww shucks! It won't hurt MY grinder!"
His was a Harbor Freight POS he got for free. Those are the best kind to burn up.
I know the feeling, I have 4 of them and a Dewalt. I won't cry when any give it up for good.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Restoring, Remodeling, Reclaiming The Quality..
Ditto for a $50 grinder and $6 HF blade.
Rent a K-12 with a diamond blade (1/2 day for maybe 35 bucks). It will take you longer to transport the saw to and from the rental yard than it will to cut the hole. Drill holes through at the corners, and cut to the holes -- on both sides of the wall, if necessary.
If the wall is really thick, there are carbide chain saws that run from the hydraulics on a Bobcat or earthmoving machinery. But I hope you don't have to go there.
Stilh makes a gas job...
oh joy.. the fun...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
I once saw a guy put a hole for a door in a block wall, using nothing but a claw hammer and a small cold chisel.
I'd say poke some holes in the wall first. If it's solid filled sub it out. Otherwise use a grinder or something to make shallow (maybe 3/4") cuts from both sides, to keep it neat, then wail away.
Before you put that pet door in make sure they may be the only "pet " using it.I put one in and the racoons figured it out before the cats. More fun than humans are allowed when you come home and ur kitchens all torn apart by Rocky who also decided to eat his share of poke berrys before coming to dinner!
The pet door isn't the only possible entry point. A friend of my wife's had a squirrel come down the fireplace chimney, then get into a crock of brandied cherries on the kitchen counter. Imagine a soot-covered, drunk, soaked-in-cherry-juice squirrel darting about your house!
Get a 20 lb sledge hammer and bust a hole larger than you need. Then, frame out the proper size for the pet door and repair the rest of the hole with mortar.
Maybe it's not the most elegant solution, but it just might be the easiest. I mean, you did say "basement".
-Don