How to Keep Dust Off the Grass When You Are Sawing Concrete Outside
Posted on: 18 March 2016
Concrete sawing is a focused way to cut holes in concrete, but the process can be a bit messy. If you are hiring a concrete saw for use outside and you are worried about dust and chunks of old concrete getting into your grass, there are a few tips that can help you. Protect your grass with these tips:
1. Sweep first.
Before you start sawing the concrete, sweep it thoroughly first. That removes excess dust and debris and ensures that it isn't stirred up during the sawing process. If possible, sweep toward the centre of the concrete slab to move dust away from your grass, and then, sweep the debris into a dustpan to remove it.
2. Wet the concrete slab.
Once you have removed loose debris from the concrete, wet it. Wetting concrete before cutting can reduce dust by up to 85 percent compared to cutting dry concrete. This protects your grass from an annoying mess, but it also protects your lungs. Breathing in small concrete particles can be harmful.
You can wet the concrete by spraying it down with a hosepipe. To keep it wet as you work, you can even lay the hosepipe near your work area and let the water run onto the concrete. If you hire an electric concrete saw, be careful around the water, and don't set the saw into any puddles.
3. Vacuum as you work.
As you work, stop sawing occasionally and vacuum up stray dust. You can use a standard wet-dry vacuum, or you can hire a special vacuum designed for use with concrete dust or in industrial settings. These vacuums have a purging feature as part of their filtration system.
This means that as dust collects on the filter, the vacuum automatically knocks it out of the filter and into the collection bag. This allows the vacuum to pick up as much dust as possible, especially small particles.
4. Cover the grass with a tarp.
To further protect the grass as you work, consider covering the grass near your sawing area, with a tarp. A sturdy industrial tarp that you can walk along works well. However, you can also use a fabric drop cloth of the sort used by painters or even an old sheet. When you are done, bundle up the tarp or cloth, and shake the collected dust and particles into the rubbish.
5. Have a container for the old concrete.
Finally, make a plan for the concrete that you cut. You don't want to throw it into the grass, where pieces of it may flake off. In addition, if you create a large pile of concrete on your grass, it may smother and kill it if left there too long. To avoid that, make sure you have a utility cart, a skip, a wagon or something else on hand to hold the concrete you saw.
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