3 Factors That Affect Concrete Sawing Costs
Posted on: 20 June 2016
The cost of sawing a concrete wall is affected by several factors. This article discusses some of the factors that may affect the cost of renting concrete sawing equipment for your DIY home improvement project, such as cutting a section of a wall to create an extra window.
The Size of Aggregate
Concrete mixes contain several components, such as sand, aggregate and cement. The size of the aggregate used in the concrete will affect the cost of sawing that concrete wall. For instance, small-sized aggregate, such as half-inch aggregate particles, may be easier to saw when compared to bigger particles, such as two-inch aggregates. This is because the smaller particles create more dense concrete that cutting tools penetrate easily when compared to aggregates with larger particles. Thus, you may want to rent the concrete sawing equipment for more hours if the aggregates used in the concrete mix were large.
The Type of Sand
Two types of sand are commonly used during construction projects. The first type is natural sand. Such sand has dull and smooth surfaces due to the prolonged action of water on them. The second type of sand is manufactured sand. This sand has sharp, abrasive edges. Manufactured sand will cause the concrete sawing blade to wear out quickly when compared to using the same blade to cut through concrete that has natural sand. Additionally, the manufactured sand may require more power from the concrete sawing machine that you choose for your project. That powerful sawing machine may be more expensive to rent per hour when compared to a less powerful concrete sawing machine that can cut through natural sand. The powerful machine may also use more fuel during the sawing process.
Reinforcing Steel
Concrete structures usually contain some form of steel reinforcement, such as a steel wire mesh or rebar. The type of reinforcing steel used will have a direct bearing on the cost of sawing through that wall of concrete. For instance, a wall having rebar will require you to rent a heavy-duty concrete sawing machine that can easily cut through that rebar. A more affordable medium duty machine may be more suited to sawing through a steel mesh. Furthermore, you may have to reduce the sawing speed as you cut through the reinforcing steel in order to minimise the likelihood that the cutting blade will snap. This can increase the number of hours that you have to pay for as you use the concrete sawing equipment.
As you can see, you need to have a detailed understanding of the materials that you will be cutting through so that the concrete sawing equipment that you rent is suitable for the application. Talk to a concrete contractor for help in case you are unable to determine which concrete sawing equipment is best suited to the task that you wish to perform.
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