Saw Cutting

The purpose of saw cutting is to weaken your concrete by making it easier to crack in the bottom of those cuts, instead of at random, in irregular patterns and out of control. Therefore, let’s call saw cutting with a concrete saw and diamond blade “stress cuts” for the purpose of relieving the stress, which accumulates in concrete through heat causing your concrete to grow and expand when it is hot. Therefore, without these “controlled cuts” you will have cracks if your concrete is in the sun for most of the day in a warm climate. NEVER PROMISE YOUR CUSTOMER THAT THEY WILL NEVER HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT CRACKS – YOU CAN NEVER GUARANTEE AGAINST CRACKING. EXPANSION JOINTS: Expansion joints used to be done in lieu of saw cutting. Thirty plus years ago they were filled with a 2 X 4 cut in half and not always pressure treated. Then people realized that an expansion joint of this size was overkill. Therefore, it went to a much more narrow expansion joint, sometimes still filled with a ¾ in. piece of wood, felt or other flexible type sealants. Today a more intelligent, economical and cosmetically more attractive way to relieve the stress in concrete caused by heat is to make appropriate stress cuts as described.

DECORATIVE STRESS CUTS: For those people seeking a cut above average in the look of their stress cuts, there are various shapes, widths, sizes of diamond cutting bits for various pieces of equipment that can be contracted for and rented from local rental equipment companies to give your cuts that extra bit of attractiveness. However, it can get very expensive and is not a benefit, except if you like the look from a cosmetic standpoint better than just a normal, even cut. The width of saw cuts to relieve stress for expansion purposes or personal desires from an aesthetic standpoint can be adjusted, as the customer may desire. You may be wiser to arrange with a local concrete saw cutting company.