Angle grinders are known for being very versatile, being able to grind, cut, polish and sharpen a number of materials ranging from tiles to metal to stone and even wood.
Depending on the disk used you can cut through specific materials and remove any excess with ease, however pavers commonly used as walkways can be a bit trickier to cut down.
Pavers are used in everything from back gardens to industrial sites and are extremely durable as sustainable platforms, however their unique design which requires each tile to be paired together with extreme precision can take some practice to ensure it is done properly and won’t leave any gaps in the flooring.
To make this process easier, here is the easiest method for cutting pavers down to size with an angle grinder.
Method 1 – Straight Cutting
For cutting in a precise straight line for even pavers, here is the easiest method to do it.
Step 1 – Safety Preparation
While cutting paver is not exactly life threatening, to ensure you remain safe and comfortable while cutting it is well worth equipping a few things that can mitigate any accidents and make the process far easier.
Gloves, safety glasses and a hard hat are the go to pieces of equipment when using an angle grinder that will keep your body safe and prevent any dust from shooting into your eyes or the disk getting too close to your hands while in use.
Step 2 – Mark The Pavers
To begin cutting, you will first need to draw guiding lines on each paver so you know where you’re cutting according to your project. This ensures your cut will be straight which is crucially important with pavers that can easily be uneven and not fit together.
Make sure when doing this that all sides of the paver are marked to make cutting just that extra bit easier.
Step 3 – Position Paver
Next you will want to lay the paver down on a flat surface with their ends dangling over the edge. Make sure that the surface is rigid and durable enough that the paver will not slip off while cutting.
A workbench can work perfectly for this, simply set the paver on top of the bench with the cutting line extending just over the benches surface, however if you have no suitable surface at the ready you can opt for a wood scrap piece instead.
If you are using a round saw, it is also advised to change the cutting edge to a shallow profundity (1/8 – 1/4 inches).
Step 4 – Start Cutting
Now it’s time to start cutting the marked pavers, place one hand on the back of the paver to ensure it stays in place and place the grinder along the drawn lines front and simply cut along the marked line by keeping the cut to the surface and the depth fairly low.
Step 5 – Flip The Paver
This step is often only if the paver is quite thick and requires two cuts, simply repeat the same procedure on the marking on the opposite side.
Step 6 – Smoothen Out The Paver
To finish, simply place the cut paver on a work surface and hit along the engraved cuts with a hammer or use a chisel to smoothen the edges.
Method 2 – Curved Cutting
The beauty of pavers is they can be cut in so many styles to make a huge variety of floorboards, and this includes curved pavers which can also be easily made using an angle grinder.
Step 1 – Mark The Pavers
Mark the pavers with the curved designs where the cuts need to be on each side. To make this easier, you can use strings and stakes to sketch out the curve with a marker on the stones.
Step 2 – Start Cutting
Start cutting as you would with normal straight pavers on a suitable surface with the edge hanging off, and just make sure to carefully follow the markings so they end up being the intended curvature shape.
Step 3 – Flip Over
For some of the thicker and more stubborn pavers, flip them over and score the cut from the opposite side while following the markings.
Step 4 – Finish The Cut
With curved pavers there may be some wider areas left or some unwanted excess, to fix this simply cut the majority of the waste using a straight cut that passes through the widest area of the curve.
Then, remove the rest of the waste by making multiple small cuts along the line of the curve just to make it as precise as possible. You can then finish the edges by hitting them with a hammer or using a chisel to make them as precise as you like.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will My Angle Grinder Overheat While Cutting Pavers?
This is a common problem with angle grinders that can occur after prolonged use where excess heat builds up inside the machine.
The easiest way to mitigate this is simply stop grinding as soon as the grinder feels hot to touch and let the blade spin freely on its own for a few minutes to cool down.
Overheating usually isn’t as much of an issue with brick pavers however with thicker concrete pavers these will heat up the grinder much faster and are more prone to causing the device to overheat.
What Disk Do I Need To Cut Pavers?
While there is no exact disk that will work marginally better than the others for cutting pavers, because pavers are quite tough and durable a fairly high quality blade would be most ideal.
Diamond blades would be the very best options since they are some of the strongest and most long lasting blades available that will cut through the pavers quickly and are guaranteed not to get stuck.
Summary
Pavers are now more commonly used than ever for making stable and stylish walkways, and luckily cutting them with an angle grinder is really quite easy once you get the hang of it.
Whether it’s straight pavers you want to create or maybe pavers with a more curved design, follow these steps to get your angle grinder cutting efficiently in no time.
