Cracked and raised sidewalks are a liability for homeowners. If someone comes trips over the sidewalk on your property, they could sue you for not properly maintaining your property. You need to make sure the sidewalk leading up to your home is in proper condition, and this means you'll have to replace deteriorated sections of the sidewalks every once in a while with new concrete. The first thing you should do is cut through the concrete along the joints where damaged and undamaged slabs of concrete meet along the sidewalk so you can separate the damaged sections from the undamaged ones. Here is how you can separate the sections of concrete at the joints with a circular saw.
Safety First
You should block off the section of the sidewalk you are working on so no one walks up to you while concrete chips and dust are flying up in the air while you are cutting. You should use wood stakes and yellow caution tape to block out the area while you work. Place the caution tape about waist high completely around the perimeter of your work area to warn people walking down the street not to enter this area.
You should also protect yourself. Make sure you have eye protection, ear plugs, breathing mask, and gloves on while you cut through the concrete.
Saw Blade
You will need a tough blade to cut through the concrete. The best kind of blade to use is a diamond-tipped one as it won't wear down as fast as a regular carborundum blade that is typically found on circular saws for regular cutting jobs.
Cutting the Concrete
Set the circular saw alongside the slab of concrete to adjust the blade depth. Set the blade so it will go about a third of the way down the depth of the concrete sidewalk. Set the blade of the saw into the joint and cut across it. After the first cut, adjust the blade again so it now goes about 2/3rds of the way down into the sidewalk. Make a second cut across the joint. Readjust the blade one more time so it will cut through the rest of the sidewalk and make a final cut across the joint. The slab of sidewalk will now be completely separated from the slab next to it. Repeat this process on the joint on the other side of the deteriorated section of the sidewalk. Once done. You can now safely break apart the deteriorated section of the sidewalk and remove the broken pieces without affecting the undamaged sections.
For more tips or for a big concrete restoration project, contact a company like Concrete Coring Company.
