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How to Cut Cement Expansion Joints

The term "cement" is commonly used to refer to concrete, which is in fact a mixture of cement and gravel. Cement and concrete, like most materials, expand and contract significantly in the heat and the cold. When poured into walkways and patios outside, the extremes of temperature are enough to crack the cement/concrete. Expansion joints are cut into the surface of the walkway to give it room to expand in the heat. Ideally, these joints should be cut soon after the surface is poured, to relieve heat stress as it dries.

Things You'll Need

  • Grooving tool
  • Early entry dry saw
  • Concrete saw
  • Goggles
  • Gloves
  • Ear protection
  • Mask
  • Chalk line
  • Chisel
  • Hammer
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Instructions

    • 1

      Select a tool to use. A concrete grooving tool (which is a blade mounted on a wheeled assembly with a water spray) allows you to cut the concrete/cement while it is still freshly poured. Early-entry lightweight dry-cut saws are also a good option, allowing you to cut in as soon as the surface has been finished. To cut with a standard concrete saw, you must wait until the concrete has hardened; on a hot day this risks cracking, as the sun can crack the concrete within 6 to 12 hours.

    • 2

      Mark out your expansion joints using a chalk line or scratches from a chisel. They should be spaced so that the distance apart, measured in feet, is between two and three times the thickness of the slab in inches. For example, a 4-inch slab should have relief cuts between 8 and 12 feet apart. If you are laying out an interior slab, try to place the joints underneath the locations of walls or where carpet will be, so as to hide them.

    • 3

      Put on protective gear. Cutting through a slab involves lots of dust and noise, even with a water spray. You should wear goggles, gloves, a dust mask and ear protection.

    • 4

      Set the depth on your saw to 1/4 of the thickness of the slab; if the slab is 8 inches thick, for example, the cut should be 2 inches deep.

    • 5

      Start the saw and begin cutting into the concrete. Move slowly and steadily along the line of your cut, then lift the saw blade out at the end.

    • 6

      Shut down the saw, then tidy up your cuts by using a hammer and chisel to clear out material from the joints.

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Next:

Landscaping Walks & Pathways
  1. How to Cut a Concrete Brick
  2. How to Cut a Concrete Walkway
  3. How to Cut Log Joints
  4. How to Replace Expansion Joints
  5. How to Cut Control Joints in Concrete
  6. How to Patch a Cement Cistern
  7. How to Cut Expansion Joints in the Driveway After the Concrete Is Poured
  8. How Deep to Saw Expansion Joints
  9. How to Install Expansion Joints in Sidewalks
  10. How to Cut a Hole Into Cement
  11. How to Paint Concrete Expansion Joints
  12. How to Cut Concrete

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