Breaking out Granite paving

Kincora2017

About half my back garden is covered with Granite paving from the previous owner and I’d like to remove it. There’s about 20sq metres in total. Typically it’s 60mm of stone on 100mm lean mix or similar. The slabs themselves are in good condition, 600 x 300 and I’d like to keep them intact and reuse them at a later date.
Any ideas how to break it out without destroying the stone? I’m thinking of using an angle grinder on the joints of one slab. then dig in under the concrete in that location, and try and lever it out with a crowbar.

Id try a light kango hammer with a wide chisel first and then lever them out with a big straight crowbar.

GinSoaked

Once you get started a pick axe under an edge is the easiest way to lift them. You can do a lot of the work standing up.

Obviously don't go mad at it and work around the edges until you can feel one start to lift as the mortar and pointing starts to give then get the pick right under it and lever back to finally get the slab free. Part of the trick to using a pick is to get it under the edge and lever backwards using the end of the shaft as the fulcrum so you never actually lever on the edge of the flagstone but instead lift from underneath. - hope that makes some sense?

Kincora2017

Thanks lads. I have a pickaxe & crowbar so no problem there. I won’t be able to get my hands on a kango anytime soon so might be a combination of a chisel and angle grinder to get me started. I’d imagine I’ll wreck one or two slabs to begin with.
Ginsoaked, when you’re talking about using the pickaxe do you mean levering between the slabs & the concrete? Ideally I’d like the slabs to detach fully from the lean mix but not sure if that’s possible

GinSoaked

Before you use the pickaxe you need an edge you can work off. Don't use a pickaxe between slabs as you'll do loads of damage.

bfclancy

Kincora2017 wrote: »

Thanks lads. I have a pickaxe & crowbar so no problem there. I won’t be able to get my hands on a kango anytime soon so might be a combination of a chisel and angle grinder to get me started. I’d imagine I’ll wreck one or two slabs to begin with.
Ginsoaked, when you’re talking about using the pickaxe do you mean levering between the slabs & the concrete? Ideally I’d like the slabs to detach fully from the lean mix but not sure if that’s possible

if they are laid on true lean mix there will be very little bond between the slab and lean mix, they should lift clean up, start at the edge, crow bar should suffice

Perhaps I'm wrong, but if you went into the middle of them, and just used a hammer to smash one in bits and break it out (effectively, you're now missing a slab in the middle of them all), could you not just use a long flat head screwdriver to slide under the surrounding slabs and start lifting them from the centre out?


I have 600x300 granite slabs and they're also on a bed of mortar. We had to lift some last year to install some new plumbing, and the builder used a consaw to cut into the grout between the slabs he wanted to lift. Then he used a shovel to wedge in under one of the slabs and rock it out gently. He was just using the sharp tip of the shovel to rock them loose. Only took him about 10 minutes to lift a load of them. Half an hour if you include the cutting, too.

Kincora2017

So had a spare half an hour today and tried to remove a slab or two as a test. I exposed an edge, used a masonry chisel to tap out the mortar down the joint and the first slab detached from the others very quickly with some minor damage to the stone. Only took a few minutes to loosen 2 slabs and then lift them with a pick axe - unfortunately the mortar they were bedded on also lifted. I would like to reuse some of the slabs so perhaps there’s a better way to lift the slab clean?

The slabs are on 100mm mortar and then on something that looks like some sort of concrete sub-base. Not sure if this is only in the test area or the entire patio. It’s about 150mm below ground level so leaving it in situ might mean the new grassed area is poorly drained. Alternatively, if I remove it that’s a lot more work and then I’ll need to dispose of it and get a lot more top soil to bring it back up to the existing ground level

policarp

Once you have exposed a corner slab use a lump hammer and a block of wood, hitting both exposed sides to loosen the mortar joint. Then use a crow bar or something similar to prise the slab up.