Best way to demo this brick?

[ryanjg117]

Late 70s home with a brick "landing pad" for a pellet stove in the basement. We've since gotten rid of the stove and I need the real estate this pad is eating up. What's the best/fastest way to demo this to get to a smooth concrete basement floor? I have no idea if the brick could potentially be re-used or if it's going to be impossible to separate it from the mortar?

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[tjbnwi]

Explosives, properly placed....

Seriously, this will be a mess. Cover everything well, dust mask and saftey goggles are must. Negitive air would be very helpful.

I would try a brick set at the joint between the vertical and horizontal. See if you can pop a cpuple pf bricks off the top. Hopfully you can pop the entire top layer.

Once the top layer is off you can determine the best way to remove the verticals. If you can clear out what ever is supporting the top you may be able to knock the briks forward. Once you get a void in it the rest will be easy.

Next choice would be a 20-30 pound chipping hammer.

Tom

 

[ryanjg117]

Thanks Tom. Would the brick set still kick up a lot of dust? I can seal this area of the basement (up to the ceiling tiles) and add a fan leading to the outside for negative pressure.

 

[tjbnwi]

Thanks Tom. Would the brick set still kick up a lot of dust? I can seal this area of the basement (up to the ceiling tiles) and add a fan leading to the outside for negative pressure.

A brick set is a wide chisel with a bevel edge, this will be the least dusty of any option I can think of.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Dasco-P...a8ItDM90wOHLJvWibRxoC5KsQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Tom

 

[Dan C]

A nice sds max demo hammer with a 1” chisel bit is what I used. Didn’t take long and worked great. You can get one with dust collection as well.

 

[Cheese]

My go-to gear for this type of work is a Milwaukee SDS Max 1 3/4" rotary hammer. It doesn't weigh much but it can do a lot of damage.  [cool]

Grab a couple of different points for it and you can rent the equivalent at Home Depot for almost free. A 4 hour rental will give you time to rent...demo...and return. Then if you need to, you can fine tune the surface with the brick set chisel that Tom mentioned.

I've used this to split 4" thick Chilton and carve up sidewalks. Easy to lift and easy on your arms, it's just dirty work.

 

[AlexThePalex]

I don't think you'll have to worry too much about dust here, dust is created when bricks fall down and there's no falling down here.  Best way to demolish brick like this is with an SDS-Plus or Max drill with a point chissel, which you insert where the seams cross.

I'd forget about reusing those bricks, removing the mortar is an incredibly though job and not worth the effort unless you're dealing with a rare type of vintage brick that's not produced anymore.

 

[rst]

I'm with Cheese, I seldom have to remove brick but often use the big Milwaukee to tear out masonry filled steel door frames.

I actually recently bought the reconned 18v version

 

[Cheese]

I forgot to mention that if you want to finish the floor so it's nice & smooth, pick up something like this and put it on your right angle grinder. It'll flatten the cement quickly and if you have some voids, just fill in with a hand trowel.

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These diamond wheels work well but they are messy, so consider adding on one of these or maybe you can rent the entire rig from HD.

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[Brush]

I usually use a thin mason chisel and not the more tradition brick set.  A brick set tends to pulverize the mortar creating more dust then needed. We have thinner ones then these even.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Mayhew-2-3-4-in-x-7-1-2-in-Mason-Chisel-35802/100175866

From there I step up to the sds hammer drill with chisel bits like others have mentioned.  It really comes down to the mortar, its strength and how well it bonded as to the best way and the amount of dust.  Might not be an option but I carry a wen air filter from job to job, works great for small dusty jobs like this.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/WEN-3-S...tration-System-300-350-400-CFM-3410/205465910

 

[Jiggy Joiner]

I’m always interested in how different countries term objects.
We know a “brick set” as a “bolster”

Agree with previous comments, easiest way to deal with this job, would be an SDS drill, or mini breaker.

 

[RKA]

While I do like the SDS/Chisel approach if this was a surgical job, in this case you're removing all of it, nothing will be spared.  My first inclination is to take a sledgehammer to it and see if that will fracture the brick/mortar.  You might find a dozen swings (just like at the carnival) will do it and you can lift the pieces and walk them out the door.  Just don't hit the ceiling when you swing...that gets messy and then you'll have some explaining to do when the wife gets home.   

 

[demographic]

Think I'd start at a corner with a point chisel and 2 Lb lump hammer, remove the ones cut on the 45 degree cut then just get the point of the chisel between the bricks to remove the rest.

I usually find thats quicker and quieter than using SDS breakers anyway but Ive done quite a lot of demolition over the years.

As for cleaning the bricks up I'd  use a scutch chisel with the same hammer.

My brother often uses a 5' long straight bar and just gently levers things off, theres not much he cant demolish nice and quietly with a decent bar.

 

[HDClown]

I demo'd my entire fireplace hearth and the brick facia that was over the wood frame, which was hearth to ceiling (8-10' vaulted.  I started by trying my sledge hammer but it was useless.  I ended up using air chisel I already had, working at the mortar joints.  I took me an entire weekend between reading it all up and stopping in-between to move bricks outside.

Brick/mortar dust gets everywhere, doesn't matter how careful you try to be.  I had the room plastic'd off from the rest of the house.  Make sure you wear a respirator and googles.

 

[Dan C]

I demo'd my entire fireplace hearth and the brick facia that was over the wood frame, which was hearth to ceiling (8-10' vaulted.  I started by trying my sledge hammer but it was useless.  I ended up using air chisel I already had, working at the mortar joints.  I took me an entire weekend between reading it all up and stopping in-between to move bricks outside.

Brick/mortar dust gets everywhere, doesn't matter how careful you try to be.  I had the room plastic'd off from the rest of the house.  Make sure you wear a respirator and googles.

Exactly my experience as well.

 

[jeh]

I've demoed in a basement and no matter what we did it was everywhere. I'd equate it to drywall dust.

 

[DeformedTree]

Don't underestimate hand tools.  Hammer and a cold chisel to start.  Less power tools -> less dust.  Until you get into it, you won't know how well it's all held together, sometimes you can get lucky and it's not a good job and the brick/joints pop apart easier than you think.  Get a corner open and start prying from the inside.

 

[Dane]

I concur with the hand tools.  I worked on a redneck demolition crew one summer in college and got quite acquainted with busting up brick and block as we brought down a university library.  The best way is to get it out in as big of chunks as you can to avoid pulverizing that mortar and kicking up dust.  I’d get as heavy a sledge hammer as I can find and whack it right in the middle and see if you can open up a crack in one zigzag run of the bricks- then get a large pry bar or pinch point bar and lever it out in big sections.

 

[demographic]

Oh and I basically never use a hammer heavier than 7 Lbs, even on large concrete solid blocks.
Heavier sledge just wears you out in no time but I can keep swinging a 7 Lb hammer for quite long enough to create a lot of blocks to move.

 

[semenza]

  This may or may not be useful for this particular job but ...............................................  I recently bought a  Fiskars ISOCORE club hammer. There is a 3 lb and a 4 lb  and I think a couple sledges. I got the 4 lb 14" model.

  The thing that is different is that the wedge / cross peen runs  front to back instead of left right like on an engineers hammer. So when you strike, the debris that goes flying mostly goes to the sides rather than into your face. The feature does work. You still need protection but it helps a lot to keep chips from hitting you. I have used it for a couple break up tasks.

    Nice hammer in general too.

Seth