Features of cutting openings in concrete structures and methods of strengthening them

Entrance doors

To remodel a house or apartment, you need to arrange a doorway. When it is located in an interior partition that does not have a load on the floors, then such work can be performed without additional reinforcement measures. A private house or apartment will not be brought into disrepair. To carry out the procedure in load-bearing walls, you first need to make calculations. Actions are carried out carefully and carefully. More details on how to cut openings are discussed later in the article.

Diamond cutting

Modern methods

The most difficult work is dismantling the walls in a panel house. If the structure is load-bearing, then you need to cut it with a special tool. It should not have the function of shock-dynamic impact. This list includes construction hammers, jackhammers, and other tools of similar action.

Note! When vibration occurs, dynamic resonance occurs in the thick part of the concrete.

As a result of this impact, the connection between the reinforcement and concrete is disrupted. If the tool is used incorrectly, microcracks occur, so the structure becomes less durable.

You can make a new entrance to the room

There are modern ways to make an opening in a brick or concrete wall. When using such techniques they will not lose their strength. Also, the calculated parameters remain unchanged. The following cutting methods can be distinguished:

1. Diamond. For these purposes, a tool that has a scratch disk is used. The main feature is diamond coating of the surface. This is the most precise tool, during operation with which a minimal amount of dust is generated and there is no loud noise. It is safe when working with concrete structures, and there is no damage or deformed areas in them.
2. Waterjet. Performed without dust. It is considered a cold method. During work, specialists use a strong stream of water. One of the abrasive substances is added to it. In most cases it is sand that comes out of the nozzle. A special installation helps create a high level of pressure. Users can adjust the speed themselves. The maximum parameter is up to 1000 m/s. Thanks to the pressure adjustment function, specialists can work with concrete without damaging the reinforcement, as well as make an expansion in a reinforced concrete wall. The cost of the work is quite high. Rarely used during renovation of a residential building.
3. Oxygen-flux. This is a special technique for concrete surfaces. Powder or flux is blown into the cut area. Its main feature is easy ignition, so complete combustion occurs inside. This technique is used for walls that have a good thickness of 10-30 cm.

For residential buildings, the diamond method is often used. It is considered the most effective and safe.

The diamond blade is quite durable and strong, has a special coating

PRICES FOR OPENINGS IN CONCRETE

Prices for openings in concrete are determined based on several factors. Some of the main ones are the thickness of the wall and the material from which it is made. If installation in a reinforced concrete floor is necessary, the diameter of the reinforcement and the size of the cells also become important factors. In addition, work at night is usually more expensive than work during the day.

It should be noted that the final cost of cutting openings, as a rule, does not include covering nearby furniture with protective film, cleaning the room after completion of the work, and removing garbage.

The price tag for all these operations is discussed separately.

We also note that according to the laws, disturbing the peace and quiet of citizens is not allowed from 23.00 to 07.00 in Moscow and from 21.00 to 08.00 (from 22.00 to 10.00 on weekends and holidays) in the Moscow region.

Accordingly, our company does not operate during these time periods.

Advantages of the diamond method

This is the most modern and effective technique. Helps simplify work, cut concrete slabs, bricks, foam blocks, granite blocks. Specialists can create a window, doorway, a new flight of stairs, or lay a ventilation shaft.

Important! One of the main advantages is the absence of dust and dirt.

Craftsmen use diamond discs to perform actions carefully and in a short time. The presented method opens up opportunities for cutting material with maximum precision. The edges do not need careful processing. Other advantages can be highlighted:

• fast and high-quality cutting of hard material;
• high speed;
• minimum noise level;
• inexpensive cost.

Using such a tool, you can process material of different thicknesses. Work is carried out at a slight angle.

The procedure will not take much time

Areas of application of diamond cutting

The most reliable modern material for building construction is concrete. But such a durable material is quite difficult to process, and therefore it was previously almost impossible to cut an even, neat opening for a window or door in concrete walls. Everything changed with the advent of diamond cutting technology. This technology appeared in the middle of the last century and was used at first only on an industrial scale , but over time it has become widely used in the renovation of apartments.

Diamond cutting of concrete is almost universal and can be used on any site

Expanding or creating new openings, complete or partial demolition of partitions, dismantling columns - all this can be done using diamond cutting. This method allows you to cope not only with concrete, but also with facing tiles, natural or artificial stone.

Diamond cutting is a technology for processing materials using tools with diamond segments . As you know, diamond is the only natural material that has incredible hardness, which is many times greater than the hardness of concrete and other building materials, both artificial and natural.

The result when using a diamond tool is achieved much faster than when using a hammer drill. A distinctive feature of diamond cutting is the processing of material without dynamic loads. This method eliminates vibrations of the tool and the surfaces being processed, and therefore the appearance of cracks in the walls .

Diamond cutting is used for a variety of purposes:

• arrangement and expansion of window and door openings during the redevelopment of an apartment or house;
• arrangement of openings in floor panels;
• arrangement of channels, openings and niches for utilities;
• creating shaped openings, various niches and shelving in the walls;
• dismantling of various elements of the building (complete or partial);
• elimination of construction defects of any type and complexity.

Types of openings

There is a classification according to shape: classic, original or rectangular. Over the past few years, it has become common to make arches in houses and apartments. They look non-standard and help to beautifully decorate the doorway. Arches are used for apartments in which it is quite narrow. There are several types of projects:

1. With a gentle curve. It helps make the arch quite wide, and the corner radius visually higher.
2. Classic version with a radius. Suitable for rooms with high ceilings.
3. In the shape of an ellipse, trapezoid.

Often, residents of apartments and houses choose non-standard shapes that can fit into any interior and style. It is necessary to take into account the ceiling height and the required width.

Opening with a gentle curve

Classic Standard Look

Non-standard type

conclusions

Thanks to the use of diamond tools during construction work such as cutting openings, labor costs have been significantly reduced. In addition, diamond technologies have made it possible to successfully solve problems that were previously inaccessible . These technologies have helped increase the productivity and efficiency of cutting openings in walls made of various materials.

The main advantage of diamond cutting is that it is an excellent alternative to a jackhammer and allows you to destroy even very durable materials without impact. After all, where there is strong vibration, damage to building structures such as chips, potholes, cracks, displacements, etc. is possible. When using diamond cutting, such risks are minimized.

During the cutting process, the linear speed of the diamond tool is adjusted to the effective cutting speed of the material . Simply put, cutting is done as quickly as the material of the surface being processed allows. This ensures very high cutting accuracy, a small deviation from the specified cutting angles and a minimal noise level.

The technology for cutting concrete with a diamond wire is shown in the video:

Tool selection

The quality of the finished work depends on the correct choice of tool. Diamond cutting of openings is carried out using hand-held electric tools. It is equipped with a diamond-coated disk and wall installations.

Advice! When choosing a cutting element, you need to take into account the structure of concrete, its strength, and properties.

Diamond blades come in segmented and turbo diamond types. The second option is characterized by the presence of a corrugated diamond layer. In appearance it resembles small teeth. Turbo diamond blades have laser segments that help improve cutting quality as well as cutting efficiency.

Components for electric tools are expensive, so specialists often use segmented disks. They have rounded edges. They are soldered using silver solder and laser welding. When choosing a diamond blade, the outer diameter and the strength level of the material are also taken into account.

If the walls are quite strong, then choose a circle of maximum diameter. If it has a thickness of 10-16 cm, then the use of an electric saw of 40 cm is allowed. When the parameter does not exceed a value of 30 cm, it is recommended to buy a hand tool. A chain saw or ring cutter copes with concrete whose width is no more than 60 cm.

The tool is selected depending on the complexity and volume of work

Cost of work on making openings using diamond tools

Prices for diamond cutting of openings depend on parameters such as:

• scope of upcoming work;
• thickness of the wall being processed;
• type of material used in construction;
• the presence of reinforcement in the concrete surface;
• location of the working surface;
• cutting conditions.

Estimated cost of cutting standard openings using a diamond tool:

Features of the technology

To begin the work, you need to carefully prepare the room. She is freed from furniture, household appliances, paintings and other items. To avoid damaging the floor covering, you need to cover it with sheets of plywood or chipboard. When concrete stones fall on the floor, scratches and other damage will not appear on the surface.

To begin dismantling work, you need to make the appropriate markings. The contour of the future shape is applied to the surface of the wall according to the instructions and the redevelopment project. Markings are made on the wall on each side so that the anchor points coincide and are as accurate as possible. Through holes are drilled along the contour.

The optimal diameter is no more than 15 cm, and the step is every 3.5 cm. All points must be connected with a pencil on the other side of the wall. When the marking is ready, you need to start cutting. To choose a tool, you need to take into account the thickness of the concrete wall. Sometimes you may need a powerful grinder equipped with a diamond blade of the appropriate diameter.

The process is carried out in several stages

The outline needs to be cut around the perimeter. You need to start with a vertical line. They are connected using a horizontal groove. To make the cuts as accurate as possible, you need to use profiles. They are secured using anchors. For ease of work, the wall is dismantled in small parts. Medium squares are cut out on each side. Their size should not exceed 40*40 cm.

Important! To prevent concrete dust from settling on furniture, curtains and beds, you need to use the “dry cutting” technique.

In this case, the diamond disc is not wetted in water, but a vacuum cleaner is used for construction purposes and work.

Oxygen cutting

IMPORTANT! Oxygen cutting is used on construction sites that have not been put into operation!

Strengthening a concrete hole

For strengthening, a reinforced metal profile is used. Work must be carried out using markings and drawings so that the frame matches the project. It is important to think about the type of fasteners, the strapping, the location of the fastening elements, the step between them, and the profile to strengthen the finished structure.

Strengthening is necessary

The concrete wall needs to be reinforced vertically and horizontally to strengthen the hole. For this purpose, a channel beam, corner profiles, steel plates, coupling bolts, and studs are used. Each area between the metal frame and concrete is filled with a mixture of cement and sand. For these purposes, it is recommended to use concrete grade M200-M300. When the mixture hardens, the opening will be considered strong. You can begin installing the door.

Cutting in a wooden partition

When creating an opening in a wooden wall, a chainsaw or electric saw is most often used. For reinforcement, 10x10 cm bars are made. The length of the blanks must match the height of the room. To ensure that the wooden partition does not change shape during operation, the bars are placed vertically on both sides of the wall. Holes are made in the partition and racks and tightened with bolts.

If the room consists of solid logs, it is necessary that there is a complete element above the passage, representing a load-bearing lintel. The markings are applied on top and bottom with a margin of 1/5 of the thickness of the whole log. Glued laminated timber may begin to delaminate when sawed. In order to avoid this, bars are nailed next to the cut points. At the end of sawing, the passage is strengthened with a socket, and the bars are removed.

Dismantling walls

To dismantle walls or expand a doorway, you need to take into account all established standards. To carry out work on a load-bearing wall, it is necessary to obtain appropriate permission from government authorities. Before making a decision on dismantling and redevelopment, you need to take into account the following indicators:

• on what floor the actions are performed (if they are carried out in apartment buildings, then the load on the wall becomes less);
• year of construction and duration of operation of the residential premises;
• total width of the opening, placement (this could be a joint of slabs, distance to the external wall);
• condition of the walls, presence of cracks, damaged areas.

Concrete walls do not really need strengthening, unlike brick walls. To dismantle, you need to strengthen the crossbar, because it will bear the main load from the top of the wall surface. In the latter, you need to make furrows in a horizontal position. The channel is inserted into the grooves, where there are already prepared holes for making screeds.

Brick walls are being dismantled gradually

Through holes are made in the channel. The jumper is tightened using bolts. Next, you need to remove 3-4 rows of bricks, weld steel plates to the beams to make the crossbar stronger. When the installation work on the lintel is completed, you can begin dismantling the walls.

Using the diamond method, clear and even contours are made. This helps prevent damage to the integrity and strength of the rest of the wall. The brickwork is cut into several parts. You need to start from the top rows. The bricks are dismantled gradually so as not to damage the integrity.

Before work you need to make a drawing, marks

Over the past few years, the diamond method has become the most popular for cutting reinforced concrete structures and interfloor partitions. It allows you to make a hole for installing a window. It must be strengthened to ease the load. Supporting structures must be connected and secured to each other using metal profiles. The technique allows for enlargement and expansion to form an arch or remodel an apartment.

The specialist talks about the features of diamond cutting of concrete:

Video instructions tell you how to make a doorway in a concrete wall:

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HOW OUR COMPANY DOES CUTTING THE OPENING

Today, openings and windows in load-bearing walls are often created using “grinders” and other tools that work on the impact principle. This is not just wrong, but very unsafe: reinforced concrete, under the influence of impact mechanisms, rapidly loses its strength, microcracks appear in it, which negatively affect the stability of the entire building. Correcting poor-quality work is much more difficult and expensive than doing it again, so we recommend that you immediately contact real professionals who are familiar with modern diamond cutting technologies. Only in this case can maximum accuracy and safety of work be achieved.

ACCURACY OF WORK

When diamond cutting, already cut blocks never fall onto the floors - this is fraught with damage and even collapse. Therefore, these blocks have dimensions and weight (no more than 40 kg) suitable for manual removal.

DIRT AND DUST

Some devices used by our employees are able to minimize the occurrence of concrete dust by constantly lightly moistening the surface. If this is not possible, the dust is washed off with a stream of water, and the floor of the room is covered with a special rag or water-absorbing mixture, which prevents moisture from penetrating to the lower floors. If the work is carried out in an already finished room, it makes sense to hide furniture, wallpaper, ceiling and everything else under a layer of film.

NOISE

As for the noise during work, diamond cutting is much less noisy than using a hammer drill, grinder and any other similar tools. Creating an opening of standard dimensions (2100 by 900 millimeters) usually takes no more than two days.

OUR SCHEDULE

We work seven days a week and seven holidays and are ready to start diamond cutting at any permitted time.

RESULT

The finished opening will be perfectly smooth, and its edges will not require any additional processing.

How wall thickness affects concrete cutting

The size of the wall thickness is the main indicator by which it is determined which cutting method to use.

1. The grinder can cope with a slot depth not exceeding 10 cm.
2. With a concrete slab thickness of 8-10 cm, a machine with increased power is required for operation.
3. When the thickness of the concrete slab is 15-16 cm, a circular saw is used, the diameter of the discs should be 350-400 mm. If you use a grinder, the work will have to be carried out in several stages, and the tool may overheat and break.
4. If the concrete is 30 cm thick or more, use a special wall cutting tool - manual or machine.
5. Concrete, the thickness of which reaches 60 mm, is cut using a tool such as a chain saw, a ring cutter.
6. A concrete slab whose thickness exceeds 60 cm is cut with special equipment. A disc with a diameter of 100 mm or more is used. Rope cutting devices can also be used.