Bustin' Asphalt

[Diggin It]

Some 15 or so years ago, when I was having my driveway laid, I scarfed a wheelbarrow or three and did a small patch against the house under a hose bib. I did it by hand with no room for a roller, only a hand tamper. Roughly 3' x 5' and I have no idea the thickness.

It's come time now, that I'm thinking of doing something else at that space.

No room for any kind of machine, so it has to come up the same way it went down, ... by hand.

I'm hoping to be able to punch holes in it with a pick axe to section it Really don't want to rent a hammer drill big enough.


Just ramblin'.

 

[mike0000]

Unless it’s extraordinarily thick a sledgehammer or your pick axe should break it up. I’ve done this with driveways, they usually are under 3” thick.

Mike

 

[bcp]

Figure out how to jack or pry it up a few inches. It will then break far easier.

Bruce

 

[Roadworthy]

If you have a circular saw you can put a concrete cutting blade on it and cut the asphalt into easily removable strips which can be pried loose with a pry bar or even a claw hammer.

 

[dodge man]

You will be surprised how easy it breaks up, just pry up a corner and it should start to break into pieces, assuming it’s no more than 4 or 5 inches thick.

 

[Diggin It]

I took a whack at it this morning with the pick point. Went right through on the second or third half swing. Looks to be only a little over an inch thick.

 

[cqaigy2]

If it's that thin, a sledge will make manageable pieces of it.

 

[Diggin It]

Yeah, I thought I'd remembered putting it down thicker than that.


But I've slept since then.

 

[cqaigy2]

Slab work always seems like it's thicker when you are the one doing the work.

 

[Username Taken]

Why bother taking it up? If you're gonna pour some concrete (actually, an engineer would chastise me for that, it is "place" concrete) I would just form it, put some wire down and pour it.

Maybe drive a few cut nails into the side of the wall (if it's masonry) before pouring it to help the concrete stay in place. Whatever. That would be your call on the job.

If you want to over-build it, dig the corners out a little, drive a 3' piece of 5/8 or 3/4" rebar down to where it will be at least an inch below the surface of the slab.

I'd also tape some visqueen to the house around the 'pour' to keep cleanup down a bit.

And that's right at the limit for hand-mixing, IMO. It's gonna depend on what kind of condition you're in. But you can do it without a mixer. But if you don't have to, don't. Aches and pains last longer than they used to