Can I Use a Jackhammer to Remove a Concrete Border?

Fast Work

• A jackhammer would make short work of a concrete border, but you’d need safety equipment -- especially hearing protectors -- and training in how to work the jackhammer. If the border is particularly large, a jackhammer could be the preferred way to break up the concrete, although Hammerzone.com recommends a circular saw with a diamond blade as an alternative, if the concrete is on top of something like sand. Some concrete doesn’t have a lot of hard supporting material, and Hammerzone.com notes even a sidewalk-sized slab of concrete lifts out of the ground with a crowbar.

Can Be Too Much

• Jackhammers would potentially be overkill if you’re working in an area where you have a lot of fragile plants or decorative items. The potential for other areas of connected concrete to crack is high; in fact, the Missouri Department of Transportation notes jackhammers can damage remaining concrete by causing microfractures, or tiny breaks that you can’t see but that can weaken the rest of the concrete.

Sledgehammers

• Depending on the amount of concrete you want to take out, you might not have to use a jackhammer. A sledgehammer could be just as effective. They can be heavy, but if you were planning to lift up a jackhammer, you should be able to lift a sledgehammer. Take care not to hurt your back or arms. Wear safety glasses, gloves, hearing protectors and any other protective gear you can find to protect yourself from flying concrete. Also try placing a large plastic tarp on the concrete border and hitting it through the tarp; the Family Handyman website notes this should help keep shards of concrete from flying out as you hit it.

Small Garden Borders

• One thing you might want to try before resorting to heavy machinery is, as Hammerzone.com suggested, digging under the border if it’s a garden border stuck in dirt. You might have to dig down a bit, but if all you’re trying to remove is a small border along a garden bed, you might not need any tools other than a crowbar. If the border is resting in dirt but extends for a substantial length, try breaking it up with a sledgehammer.