Cut 2" thick patio pavers

[redharley]

Putting in a small patio for the wife,we have all straight sided paver's and one of the finshed edge's will have some curve to it,what is the best way to cut these rounded edge's for a novice. Thanks for your input

 

[EddieWalker]

When I first started doing pavers, I rented a wet saw designed for bricks. It has a table on it that slides under the saw blade, and it cuts them super fast and clean. For the rental fee, it's a very nice tool to have for the day. For smaller jobs when I didn't want to rent a wet saw, I use a diamond blade in my 7 1/4 inch circular saw. It's dusty, but the diamond blade cuts them pretty easily. The real trick is holding them in place while making odd cuts. Now I also have a 14 inch metal cut off saw that I put a diamond blade in when doing allot of pavers. Renting a wet saw would be nicer, but the cut off saw is paid for and it does a nice job. The only drawback is that it's dusty and you have to be careful on some of those odd cuts.

Eddie

 

[Duffster]

 

[ultrarunner]

Putting in a small patio for the wife,we have all straight sided paver's and one of the finshed edge's will have some curve to it,what is the best way to cut these rounded edge's for a novice. Thanks for your input

Can you run the edge course perpendicular and follow the curve and make you angle cuts in the field to help conceal the edges...

I think it looks nice when the border pavers are uniform...

 

[Builder]

Putting in a small patio for the wife,we have all straight sided paver's and one of the finshed edge's will have some curve to it,what is the best way to cut these rounded edge's for a novice. Thanks for your input

For small jobs, I like a mini grinder with a diamond cutter wheel. You can buy a nice mini grinder for under $75. Diamond wheel is ~$20. You can also buy masonry abrasive wheels for ~$3 each to round off the edges.

You can cut part way through the paver with the diamond cutoff wheel then take a brick hammer and tap the waste side and it'll just break off.

 

[JB4310]

How tight a bend are you planing? you would not cut a curve in the outside edge of the brick you would normally just relief cut the inside corners as you made a radius.

On my own front walk I have a tight turn, I did the border with the bricks on edge then ran the inside courses straight into the curve and just cut the corners to keep a tighter joint. the bricks don't change direction with the bend. That only works with a short walk, it wouldn't with a long walk. It would work with a curved edge of a patio though, since all the bricks would normally be going in one direction.

I've only done a couple of small paver jobs but I can't imagine a situation where you needed to cut a curve in the brick unless you need a super tight bull-nose corner.

If you do have to, as suggested, the smaller diameter diamond blade would be best.

 

[Charlesaf3]

tile wet saw. Cuts bricks just fine. Doesn't even cost that much, I bought a knockoff at home depot eons ago and have gotten a lot of good use on it. Little pumps go pretty frequently but they are cheap.

I've done some brick designs with them - compass roses and the like, and its worked like a champ.

Grinder... I dunno. I'd rather get good with a brick hammer, much faster, equally likely to blow the bricks apart. Brick hammer isn't that tough to get ok at, though its pretty impressive to watch someone talented do it.

 

[jenkinsph]

Just completed a brick paver patio last weekend for one of my customers will take some pictures tomorrow.

I use a small cheap wet tile saw works great and is easy to setup and use ($110).

What I find is more important is to take the time to do a good job grading and packing before you ever lay the first brick.

 

[Egon]

Angle grinder with the concrete blade will also work.

 

[Builder]

Just completed a brick paver patio last weekend for one of my customers will take some pictures tomorrow.

I use a small cheap wet tile saw works great and is easy to setup and use ($110).

What I find is more important is to take the time to do a good job grading and packing before you ever lay the first brick.

That's right. Proper preparation is 95% of the key to a good outcome.

 

[Builder]

Grinder... I dunno. I'd rather get good with a brick hammer, much faster, equally likely to blow the bricks apart. Brick hammer isn't that tough to get ok at, though its pretty impressive to watch someone talented do it.

All you have to do is score the brick with the diamond wheel down maybe 1/2". I never cut all the way through-wastes too much blade & time. Then a couple taps with the brick hammer and it cuts. I also like the grinder with abrasive wheel for rounding the ends like the OP wants.

 

[jenkinsph]

Here are a few pics of a paver patio we built last week. We used a small wet saw to make the cuts as needed. I use a plate compactor and concrete sand as my base. Grading is the key for a good appearance and allowing for some slope even though the water will run through the bricks..

 

[Builder]

Lookin good. How "square" were the walls you were working within?

 

[jenkinsph]

Lookin good. How "square" were the walls you were working within?

Run in was about 3/4" over 30' of length, The far side of the steps was off nearly 1" in 4' though.

I have seen a lot worse.

 

[JoelD]

I've had zero luck cutting with an abrasive wheel, I'd think the diamond blade is the way to go.

Can someone give a little more specifics on how to cut a 1/2 inch then break, it is the breaking part I don't quite get. Do you turn it over, oposite side of the cut and then tap over a stick or 2x4 or something of the sort. Anyway I can save blade time the better as far as I'm concerned, I've laid a brick walkway but stopped where I have to cut the final course.

Thanks,
Joel

 

[jenkinsph]

I've had zero luck cutting with an abrasive wheel, I'd think the diamond blade is the way to go.

Can someone give a little more specifics on how to cut a 1/2 inch then break, it is the breaking part I don't quite get. Do you turn it over, oposite side of the cut and then tap over a stick or 2x4 or something of the sort. Anyway I can save blade time the better as far as I'm concerned, I've laid a brick walkway but stopped where I have to cut the final course.

Thanks,
Joel

Most of the bricks running down the right hand wall in the pictures above were all trimmed a minimal amount. What I do is score them about 1/2" each side free hand over a 4 1/2" diamond blade, Then tap with a light brick hammer to break them. Using the diamond blade set up with the wet base and no guides or fences is faster, a simple mark of line on the brick face is good enough.

I try to keep my fingers out of the way too.

 

[redharley]

Thanks for all the info,hope to get this done before winter really set's in. I have in the past laid several hundred Sq. ft of brick patio and walk's around our pool with no problem other than my 55 year old knee's, just never messed with trying to cut a radius. You know how it goe's [wife has this picture of this really nice small patio with a bistro set for in our landscaping,for somewhere where it would look good, looks like it should be easy] I belive that was how she said it. Thanks for all the info, maybe if I push it of till spring it will be forgotten. wishful thinkin

 

[Charlesaf3]

builder, I agree, but a wet saw is pretty fast and one step. Barring that you can skip the scoring and just go with the hammer if you are good (I don't do enough brick not to waste them, and I own the wet saw, so out it comes).

I do have a grinder with a diamond blade of course, and could see using it, but the masons I hire usually use a wormdrive with a diamond blade to cut brick when they do (usually 2" flag) because it has more juice.

 

[Builder]

Most of the bricks running down the right hand wall in the pictures above were all trimmed a minimal amount. What I do is score them about 1/2" each side free hand over a 4 1/2" diamond blade, Then tap with a light brick hammer to break them. Using the diamond blade set up with the wet base and no guides or fences is faster, a simple mark of line on the brick face is good enough.

I try to keep my fingers out of the way too.

That's exactly what I do. Just score them and a couple well placed taps with a brick hammer and the excess falls right off. Don't use the chisel side of the brick hammer, use the blunt side. I hold the brick in my left hand and just whack the excess piece.

 

[JB4310]

Well "back in the old days" when bricks were fired clay, a mason could cut what ever shape you wanted with a brick hammer (I've tended for many of them). Now no mater where you hit them all you get is 2 halves you have to have a saw, the new modern bricks including pavers as well as veneer and structural bricks are a combination of highly compressed shale and cement with high heat.

For OP I have this one pic showing what I was talking about, doing the radius with the border bricks, then running the filler courses into it just trimming the corners to bring them in close.

For Joel with the final cuts, I would take as many bricks as I needed to the back corner of the yard where the dust wouldn't bother anyone and cut them with a 12" demo saw w/diamond blade. If you have this saw available that IMO would be the fastest way.