Most people who need concrete cut are not sure what to ask for. That is fine. You do not need the trade name to get the right cut.
It comes down to two questions: what shape is the hole, and is it in a floor or a wall? This is how the three main methods divide the work.
Round holes: core drilling
If something round has to pass through concrete, it is a core. A pipe, a conduit, a vent, a drain, a sleeve for a line, a hole for an anchor or a dowel.
Core drilling uses a hollow diamond bit on a rig fixed to the surface. It bores a clean, round hole at the size the job calls for and brings out a solid plug of concrete. It works through floors, walls and ceilings, and it can be drilled at an angle.
A core beats a hammer drill or a breaker for one reason: the hole is exactly the size you asked for and the concrete around it is left sound. Large openings are sometimes made by drilling a row of overlapping cores, where a saw cannot be set up.
Openings in walls: wall sawing
If the hole is square and it is in a wall, it is wall sawing. A new doorway. A window. A pass-through. An opening for ductwork or a stair.
A wall saw runs a diamond blade along a track bolted to the wall, so the cut is straight and the depth is controlled. It handles thick walls in concrete and masonry and can cut flush to a floor or a ceiling. The opening comes out square, with edges ready to frame or finish.
A basement wall opened up for an egress window is the same work. We have a page on it: egress window cutting.
Long cuts in floors and pavement: flat sawing
If the cut is in something you walk or drive on, it is flat sawing, also called slab sawing. A trench for plumbing or electrical. A section of floor to be removed. A joint. A cut across a driveway, a road or a parking lot.
A walk-behind saw carries a diamond blade through the slab at a set depth and runs long, straight lines. Indoors the saws run on electric or propane, with water at the blade.
The commonest home job is a trench in a basement floor. We cover that one in detail in cutting a basement floor for plumbing.
Tight spots and square corners
A round blade cannot finish a square corner without running past it. That extra length is an overcut, and on some jobs it is not acceptable. For those there are smaller tools:
- A hand saw for short or shallow cuts where a big saw will not fit.
- A ring saw for deeper cuts in confined spaces.
- A concrete chainsaw for square inside corners with no overcut.
You do not have to choose these. Tell us if the corners must be square or the finish around the opening must stay untouched, and we will plan the cut around it.
What comes before and after
Whichever cut it is, two other steps often go with it.
Before: a GPR scan. We scan the slab or wall before every cut to find reinforcing, post-tension cable and conduit, then lay the work out to miss them.
After: a pour back, if the opening or trench needs to be closed again. The new concrete is matched to the grade and finish around it.
Not sure? Send a photo
Most jobs sort themselves out in one look. Send a photo of the spot with something in it for scale and say what has to go through or come out. We will tell you which cut it is.
There is also a short picker on our services page that matches the job to the method.
General information, not engineering advice — every slab is different.
