Splitting Granite Paving Slabs
Discussion
I am planning a raised patio with granite slabs on it. I am thinking about the retaining wall. Ideally I want to build it out of concrete block and clad it. It relatively cheap to over order the slabs and I was wondering if I could cut them to make granite slips to clad my wall with.
However will I be able to cut my slab straight enough and will the cut be clean to enable me to get several slips out of one slab?
However will I be able to cut my slab straight enough and will the cut be clean to enable me to get several slips out of one slab?
You wont be able to split them like you would a brick for example (UNless you put it in some sort of clamp system)
Best bet is to cut with a grinder then 'dress' the cut edges with a scutch hammer. Sorry assumed you were talking about sandstone flags here - assuming the Granite is big square tiles right? If so just the grinder cut will probably be OK
Best bet is to cut with a grinder
Yes a machine like that will give you the accuracy you need but you will also need to factor in the time. Granite is very hard and cutting will be a slow process.
Let's say the slabs are 60cm square and you want 30x10 slips. That is 18 60cm cuts per m2 of area. With setting up, cleaning off etc. It will probably be around 5 minutes a cut. So 2 slabs an hour or an hour and a half per metre of slabs. How big is the wall...
Let's say the slabs are 60cm square and you want 30x10 slips. That is 18 60cm cuts per m2 of area. With setting up, cleaning off etc. It will probably be around 5 minutes a cut. So 2 slabs an hour or an hour and a half per metre of slabs. How big is the wall...
Depending on the slab thickness and the grain structure of the slabs you might find that a stone clipper is perfect for the job, basically it’s just a blade and a long lever, or a big hammer, that chops the stone a bit like a guillotine. The benefit, apart from speed, is that it leaves behind a riven edge rather than a machine cut edge which looks more natural.
Some stone chops incredibly well and other stone not at all so it’s a bit of a lottery. You could try ringing round any local stonemasons and asking them for advice or loan of one just to try. Otherwise you can hire them. Best to try your actual flags first if you can
Some stone chops incredibly well and other stone not at all so it’s a bit of a lottery. You could try ringing round any local stonemasons and asking them for advice or loan of one just to try. Otherwise you can hire them. Best to try your actual flags first if you can
Baldchap said:
I'd be getting a proper man in. By the time you've rented/bought kit and replaced blades etc as well as buying another piece of granite 
, a professional will have finished and probably for less money.
Sorry but for me that would give me "zero satisfaction". If think i can do the job i will always have a go., a professional will have finished and probably for less money. Chrisgr31 said:
wolfracesonic said:
That looks like the sort of thing every bloke should try using at least once To answer questions:-
I am not using slips as I cant find any!
The wall is probably about 10 sq metres.
Size of the slabs to be cut is going to vary. The slabs on the patio will be mixed, so I will probably cut the 600 x 900 and 600 x 600 s so they are a similar size in one dimension to the 600 x 295 and 295 x 295s.
The issue being that we want the slabs on the patio to be Silver Grey Granite, but as its raised she who must be obeyed wants a different coloured edge. So thought is to use some black stone. Problem then becomes whatever the wall is made of either has to be the same as the silver grey granite or the black stone and I cant find either a silver grey granite that's available as slips and slabs or a black stone that's as slips and slabs
I am not using slips as I cant find any!
The wall is probably about 10 sq metres.
Size of the slabs to be cut is going to vary. The slabs on the patio will be mixed, so I will probably cut the 600 x 900 and 600 x 600 s so they are a similar size in one dimension to the 600 x 295 and 295 x 295s.
The issue being that we want the slabs on the patio to be Silver Grey Granite, but as its raised she who must be obeyed wants a different coloured edge. So thought is to use some black stone. Problem then becomes whatever the wall is made of either has to be the same as the silver grey granite or the black stone and I cant find either a silver grey granite that's available as slips and slabs or a black stone that's as slips and slabs
Chrisgr31 said:
To answer questions:-
I am not using slips as I cant find any!
The wall is probably about 10 sq metres.
Size of the slabs to be cut is going to vary. The slabs on the patio will be mixed, so I will probably cut the 600 x 900 and 600 x 600 s so they are a similar size in one dimension to the 600 x 295 and 295 x 295s.
The issue being that we want the slabs on the patio to be Silver Grey Granite, but as its raised she who must be obeyed wants a different coloured edge. So thought is to use some black stone. Problem then becomes whatever the wall is made of either has to be the same as the silver grey granite or the black stone and I cant find either a silver grey granite that's available as slips and slabs or a black stone that's as slips and slabs
I was more concerned about thickness when i asked for sizes to ascertain how easy to cut the slabs into slips.I am not using slips as I cant find any!
The wall is probably about 10 sq metres.
Size of the slabs to be cut is going to vary. The slabs on the patio will be mixed, so I will probably cut the 600 x 900 and 600 x 600 s so they are a similar size in one dimension to the 600 x 295 and 295 x 295s.
The issue being that we want the slabs on the patio to be Silver Grey Granite, but as its raised she who must be obeyed wants a different coloured edge. So thought is to use some black stone. Problem then becomes whatever the wall is made of either has to be the same as the silver grey granite or the black stone and I cant find either a silver grey granite that's available as slips and slabs or a black stone that's as slips and slabs
Anyhow have you considered porcelain tiles?
Chrisgr31 said:
To answer questions:-
I am not using slips as I cant find any!
The wall is probably about 10 sq metres.
Size of the slabs to be cut is going to vary. The slabs on the patio will be mixed, so I will probably cut the 600 x 900 and 600 x 600 s so they are a similar size in one dimension to the 600 x 295 and 295 x 295s.
The issue being that we want the slabs on the patio to be Silver Grey Granite, but as its raised she who must be obeyed wants a different coloured edge. So thought is to use some black stone. Problem then becomes whatever the wall is made of either has to be the same as the silver grey granite or the black stone and I cant find either a silver grey granite that's available as slips and slabs or a black stone that's as slips and slabs
If you want black granite. I am not using slips as I cant find any!
The wall is probably about 10 sq metres.
Size of the slabs to be cut is going to vary. The slabs on the patio will be mixed, so I will probably cut the 600 x 900 and 600 x 600 s so they are a similar size in one dimension to the 600 x 295 and 295 x 295s.
The issue being that we want the slabs on the patio to be Silver Grey Granite, but as its raised she who must be obeyed wants a different coloured edge. So thought is to use some black stone. Problem then becomes whatever the wall is made of either has to be the same as the silver grey granite or the black stone and I cant find either a silver grey granite that's available as slips and slabs or a black stone that's as slips and slabs
Look up Caithness stone. Its from the very top of Scotland around Thurso.
Heres one of the Quarries.
https://www.norsestone.co.uk/our-stone
I helped my dad a few years back to lay a rather intricate patio made out of these 600 x 600 x 25mm granite slabs from B&Q of all places.
https://www.diy.com/departments/bradstone-silver-g...
For reasons only known to him, he wanted a sort of semi circular design that involved lots of cuts at all sorts of angles that I predicted would be an absolute PITA.
In reality - he marked out the cuts accurately with a steel rule and a fine marker pen and I set about cutting them with a petrol Stihl saw. It went through them like butter and with a steady hand it was easy to get near perfect results.
https://www.diy.com/departments/bradstone-silver-g...
For reasons only known to him, he wanted a sort of semi circular design that involved lots of cuts at all sorts of angles that I predicted would be an absolute PITA.
In reality - he marked out the cuts accurately with a steel rule and a fine marker pen and I set about cutting them with a petrol Stihl saw. It went through them like butter and with a steady hand it was easy to get near perfect results.
dickymint said:
I was more concerned about thickness when i asked for sizes to ascertain how easy to cut the slabs into slips.
Anyhow have you considered porcelain tiles?
Sorry thickness is 20mm.Anyhow have you considered porcelain tiles?
As regards porcelain it’s a no from she who must be obeyed! Not going to question the reasons for the no as it will just add complexity to the choosing, although I did wonder about porcelain for the edge.
Chrisgr31 said:
dickymint said:
I was more concerned about thickness when i asked for sizes to ascertain how easy to cut the slabs into slips.
Anyhow have you considered porcelain tiles?
Sorry thickness is 20mm.Anyhow have you considered porcelain tiles?
As regards porcelain it’s a no from she who must be obeyed! Not going to question the reasons for the no as it will just add complexity to the choosing, although I did wonder about porcelain for the edge.
As regards "she who must be obeyed" I know all about that! Fortunately She knows the stone industry inside out. She's worked for Mandarin Stone (the first employee the owner took on) some 35 years ago. She has managed the fabrication department to get it up and running and now is head of SAP and IT.
We have a very large circular sunken fire pit that is about a metre deep rendered and painted - It's very shabby again and She wont let me re-paint it. She has 'spoken' and it will be clad with porcelain slips. But thankfully they'll be cut to width at Mandarin and I'll only have to cut them to length
Chrisgr31 said:
Cladding it with porcelain slips is going to be interesting isn’t it? After all your slips aren’t going to be concave so presumably your circular fire pit is going to be a multi sided shape instead
Yes and yes - a daunting task indeed. Not sure what width She has in mind but I'd say about 150mm would work and being multi faceted would give some interesting lighting effects? Hopefully She'll get them cut at work and it wouldn't surprise me in the least if She did the tiling herself She's good like that 
First 30 seconds of this video shows the scale of the job......and the mess it's in
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