How to Repair an Uneven Concrete Sidewalk

This post is sponsored by The Home Depot as a part of The Home Depot’s ProSpective Campaign.

​We're closing in on our second quarter of tool reviews for The Home Depot ProSpective campaign. In both quarters we have received tools that had us scratching our heads trying to figure out how we were going to use or review certain tools. The Makita Diamond Cup Wheel and Diablo Diamond Wheel are two of those tools. 

After some research we discovered their use, but that still left us with “how to show them in action?” The answer was actually right under our noses or should I (Vicki) say, at my front door. I rarely use my front door so I was unaware that I had the perfect project in my front yard. Turns out, a section of my front sidewalk was uneven—with our new tools, we could take care of that tripping hazard ourselves!

We did a little internet research and learned that we could use the Diablo Diamond Wheel to help cut down the raised portion of the concrete and then use the Makita Diamond Cup Wheel to grind the rest away. Coupled with the Makita Xtreme Vac, we were able to safely grind away the concrete. 

Tools:

• Makita Diamond Cup Wheel (Home Depot)
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• Makita 7" angle grinder (Home Depot)
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• Makita 12-gal. Xtract Wet/Dry Vacuum (Home Depot)
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• Makita dust collection attachment (Home Depot)
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• Milwaukee Angle Grinder (Home Depot)
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• Diablo 5" Diamond Wheel for Metal Cutting (Home Depot)
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• Safety Gear
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The Diamond Cup Wheel is a quite lovely looking tool. We took time to admire its design. You can see the embedded diamonds on the surface.

Before we actually worked on my sidewalk, we took a little time to test the 7" angle grinder with the diamond cup wheel on a block of concrete. It is hooked up to the Makita dust vac to help control the harmful concrete dust. The grinder with the wheel was surprisingly comfortable to manage.

This wheel comes with a special dust collection hood which attaches to the dust collection vac.

The before and after using the diamond cup wheel.

I even got a chance to try it out! It is even doable for me.

Cutting some of the concrete away with the Milwaukee M18 FUEL 18-Volt Lithium-Ion Cordless Brushless 4 1/2 in-5 in. Braking Grinder and the Diablo Diamond Wheel.

After practicing at Steph's house we headed to mine to work on the uneven concrete. The angle grinder is plugged into the vac, then set to auto so the vac automatically works when the angle grinder is turned on. That's a nice feature of the extreme vac.

We first cut down the uneven edge with the Diablo diamond blade and then finished with the diamond cup wheel.

When used on a flat piece of concrete, the dust is well contained by the wet/dry vac.

Before: a tripping hazard.

After: all safe now!

These are tools that not all homeowners will need to own, but if you have a lot of concrete that needs repair, it might be something you'll want to invest in. If nothing else, you could rent these tools and still do the work yourself now that you've seen it done!

Check out a few more tool reviews from fellow #THDProSpective members:

• Grinders- Shop Tool Reviews
• Diamond Cup Wheel- Tools in Action

We acknowledge that The Home Depot is partnering with us to participate in the The Home Depot ProSpective Campaign. As a part of the Program, we are receiving compensation in the form of products and services, for the purpose of promoting The Home Depot. All expressed opinions and experiences are our own words. Our post complies with the Word Of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Ethics Code and applicable Federal Trade Commission guidelines. 

FYI: We are not professionals, and we don’t claim to be. This is what we found worked for our project. Yours may need a little different approach. Safety first!

FYI: Affiliate links are being used on this page. Purchasing via these links help support MDP!

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