Bricks, Masonry, Asphalt and Concrete - I want to replace a crack in driveway with brick
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lrussell58
09-30-09, 12:13 PM
How difficult would it be to cut cement driveway with cracks and replace crack with brick inlay?
Pecos
09-30-09, 01:43 PM
Not hard at all, if you own or rent the right equipment. This would include:
Chalk line, concrete saw (preferably equipped with a 14 inch diamond blade, because you want to cut all the way through the slab and a 12 inch blade usually only cuts about 3.5 inches deep), a small sledgehammer, and a pry bar. Pretty simple really.
Chalk line, concrete saw (preferably equipped with a 14 inch diamond blade, because you want to cut all the way through the slab and a 12 inch blade usually only cuts about 3.5 inches deep), a small sledgehammer, and a pry bar. Pretty simple really.
GreenJelly
10-06-09, 12:33 PM
Renting a diamond blade can be very expensive. I recommend buying/renting the large gas powered saws, however I used a carbine blade (less then $10) for significant concrete and asphalt cutting. The saws cost over $300, and rent for $50. Thus a large project, like yours, will probably lead to a long rental time and buying the saw maybe a better route. Also, make sure you hook up your hose to the tool, as for this will help keep the blade cool and will expand the life of any tool you want to use.
I would avoid using a hand saw with a smaller blade because the dust and extremely hard usage will most likely break the saw.
Brick is expensive. Expect to lay down a significant amount of different grades of sand and rock. You will have some blocks become uneven which may make shoveling ice very difficult. I would use pavers instead of bricks, because they are cheaper and more durable.
Also the leveling of the material is a bit of an artform. Luckily my dad had great success at leveling my paver based front walkway.
One more note, you want the driveway to be slightly sloped to allow for run off. If the driveway is close to the house you will want to grade the driveway away from the foundation.
I had a major issue of water running towards the house. The water would pile up and sink into the back filled soil. This caused a significant problem of water leaking into my basement. After using a pavement patching material to regrade the driveway the water problems stopped (on that wall).
It may also be beneficial to take the time to run drainage pipe under the driveway so that you can use the pipe to drain away the water coming from your gutters. This will add to your expense.
Lastly, always expect something unforeseen. After removing my blacktop, I found a huge slab of concrete that had to be broken up and removed. Additional costs will consist of a dumpster and other resources.
My 8 by 5 foot walkway cost me around $600. If you goto Homedepot regularly, you will find that they will put together pallets of open bags of materials. These pallets are usually 10 bags of various grades and types of sand and rock and they only have a pallet or two a week. These pallets are priced at $4.10 for all 10 bags!
I would avoid using a hand saw with a smaller blade because the dust and extremely hard usage will most likely break the saw.
Brick is expensive. Expect to lay down a significant amount of different grades of sand and rock. You will have some blocks become uneven which may make shoveling ice very difficult. I would use pavers instead of bricks, because they are cheaper and more durable.
Also the leveling of the material is a bit of an artform. Luckily my dad had great success at leveling my paver based front walkway.
One more note, you want the driveway to be slightly sloped to allow for run off. If the driveway is close to the house you will want to grade the driveway away from the foundation.
I had a major issue of water running towards the house. The water would pile up and sink into the back filled soil. This caused a significant problem of water leaking into my basement. After using a pavement patching material to regrade the driveway the water problems stopped (on that wall).
It may also be beneficial to take the time to run drainage pipe under the driveway so that you can use the pipe to drain away the water coming from your gutters. This will add to your expense.
Lastly, always expect something unforeseen. After removing my blacktop, I found a huge slab of concrete that had to be broken up and removed. Additional costs will consist of a dumpster and other resources.
My 8 by 5 foot walkway cost me around $600. If you goto Homedepot regularly, you will find that they will put together pallets of open bags of materials. These pallets are usually 10 bags of various grades and types of sand and rock and they only have a pallet or two a week. These pallets are priced at $4.10 for all 10 bags!
GreenJelly
10-06-09, 12:53 PM
If you plan on moving the pavers and materials yourself, expect a few trips. One pallet of pavers was about as much my 4x4 ford F150 off road would load it up. A pallet is probably over loading the truck. A heavier duty truck (like the F350) could handle multiple pallets.
Home Depot and Loews can be expensive compared to some local suppliers that provide bulk. They sell these to contractors but usually will also provide them to non-contractors if you jump through a few minor hoops.
Home Depot and Loews can be expensive compared to some local suppliers that provide bulk. They sell these to contractors but usually will also provide them to non-contractors if you jump through a few minor hoops.