I'm replacing a red brick sidewalk making it one foot wider and putting in a better base. It's 4 ft. wide X 85 ft. long. (my back hurts) I will not have enough red brick, some of which are not pavers, to complete the project. My friend just took up 700 12" X 12" X 2"thk blocks from around his pool. He'll take $1 each for them, I need ~350 of each. My wife wants to use red brick because it is period correct for the 1894 house; I want the 12 X 12s for ease of installation, maintenence friendly and won't heave as much as red brick.
Because of the sidewalk's shape, can you cut 2" thick in a straight line for 12" without breaking them? Special saw? Is water required or just a good idea? What are you doing next weekend?
Dan
A friend at work used a Harbor Freight tile saw to cut pavers. It's the circular saw loooking one with the water spray. Otherwise, a circular saw with a blade made for tile.
Dan, $1 per square foot for used patio blocks doesn't sound like much of a bargain - new ones are about that. New 3" x 6" pavers from the big orange box are only about $1.50 per square foot.
If they are actually stone, that may be a different story.
I've cut flagstone with a masonry blade in a circular saw by scoring a line with the saw and then breaking them with a hammer. Be prepared for HUGE amounts of dust! It is a little hard to tell from your post, but if you are talking about cutting 85 linear feet of block or stone - that's a lot of time and effort.
As far as them heaving, I would think smaller blocks would be more forgiving than larger - more wiggle room, if you will.
The walk is 4 ft. wide, the only cutting would be to match an existing apron. I'll look around more before commiting.
Thanks for the tip.
Dan
+1 on the Circular Saw with a masonary blade and tons of dust.
Rather than cutting them individually, the pros will often let them overhang the edge, snap a chalk line and cut them all once they are in place. It makes for a nicer, finished edge.
I will never build another sidewalk again in this lifetime. Or the next one, either.
This guy has about 500 bricks left, good ole pavers. He hasn't set a price and I have no idea.
What's FMV these days for used brick?
http://albany.craigslist.org/mat/690147816.html
When I as putting in my hardwood, I undercut my brick fireplace with a diamond blade in my 4" grinder. Worked great. I'd want to upsize the tools for a sidewalk, but the theory is sound.
