Saw cutting is the fastest, cleanest way to open a concrete slab, pavement, or joint. CDS runs a full fleet of floor saws, road saws, and hand saws — gas, diesel, electric, and hydraulic — so the right tool shows up for every job, indoor or outdoor, day or night.
We have been saw cutting concrete in Hamilton and across Ontario since 1967. The operators on our trucks are full-time CDS employees, certified on every saw they touch, and responsible for the quality of each cut.
What Saw Cutting Concrete Means
Saw cutting uses a circular diamond-tipped blade to slice through hardened concrete. Water cools the blade and controls dust, slurry is contained at the cut line, and the result is a straight, square edge ready for removal, patching, or joint sealing. The technique is the industry standard for:
- Control and expansion joints in new slabs
- Pavement repairs and trench cuts in roads, parking lots, and driveways
- Slab openings for plumbing, electrical, and HVAC rough-ins
- Demolition and concrete removal prep
Saw Types We Run
Floor saws (flat sawing)
Our walk-behind and ride-on floor saws handle slabs from 2 to 24 inches thick. Electric models keep interior work dust-free and safe for occupied buildings; diesel units cover highway and industrial yards where power is not available.
Road saws
Heavy road saws cut asphalt-over-concrete pavements, bridge decks, and airport aprons. Blades up to 36 inches let us stage deep cuts without repeat passes.
Hand saws (quick cut)
For tight chases, stair treads, curbs, and trim cuts, hand-held gas or hydraulic saws finish what larger units cannot reach.
Wall and wire saws
When the cut leaves the floor plane, we switch to track-mounted wall saws or diamond wire saws. See our full concrete cutting services page for depths and applications.
Our Saw Cutting Process
Scan first
Before any blade drops, we run GPR scanning on structural slabs and post-tensioned decks. Cutting through a live cable or PT strand is an avoidable disaster, and scanning takes minutes.
Layout and marking
Operators snap chalk or paint lines from your drawings. On radius cuts we set templates. Tolerances on a CDS saw cut are typically +/- 1/4 inch, tighter on finish work.
Cut and contain
Water feeds to the blade; slurry is vacuumed at the source. Interior work gets poly containment and HEPA vacuums where required. Exterior sites get berms or sandbags to keep runoff out of storm drains.
Hand off a clean area
We leave the cut line square, the area swept, and waste bagged or in your bins. The next trade starts without rework.
Projects We Saw Cut
- Plumbing and drain trenches in warehouses, plants, and restaurants
- Control joint cutting on freshly placed concrete within the 6-to-12-hour green window
- Parking lot repairs and catch basin replacements
- Road repairs, utility cuts, and hydro trenching
- Structural openings in elevated slabs and bridge decks
- Saw cutting for concrete grooving and anti-slip treatments
Why CDS for Saw Cutting
We are the oldest concrete cutting company in Ontario and we have never changed what we sell: quality cuts at a fair price, on time. Three things separate us on a saw cut:
- Right-sized equipment. A 48-inch road saw on a 4-inch slab wastes your money and our time. We bring the saw the job needs.
- Certified operators. Every CDS saw is run by a full-time, trained employee — not a sub.
- Dispatch you can reach. Our scheduler answers the phone. Same-day mobilization is routine in the GTA and Golden Horseshoe.
Serving Hamilton and All of Ontario
From our Hamilton shop at 276 Ferrie St E, crews reach Burlington, Oakville, Mississauga, Toronto, Brampton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Guelph, Cambridge, St. Catharines, Niagara, London, and every point between. For projects in Northern Ontario, Eastern Ontario, or remote sites, we mobilize with self-contained power and water so work does not stall on access.
Saw Cutting FAQ
How deep can a floor saw cut in one pass?
Walk-behind floor saws cut to roughly 8 inches in one pass; ride-on units go deeper. Beyond 12 inches we stage passes or switch to a wall or wire saw.
Will saw cutting crack my slab?
No. Diamond sawing is a clean shear and does not induce micro-cracks when the saw, blade, and speed are matched to the concrete. Early-entry control joint cutting is specifically designed to prevent random cracking.
Can you cut without water?
We can dry-cut with vacuum extraction when water is a problem — inside occupied buildings, food plants, or on elevated decks. Dry cutting is slower and limited to shallower depths.
Do you handle slurry disposal?
Yes. We contain slurry at the blade, vacuum it, and dispose of it per Ontario environmental regulations. Storm drains are never the answer.
How much does saw cutting cost per linear foot?
Rates depend on slab thickness, access, rebar content, and mobilization distance. Call (905) 529-6029 for a same-day quote.
Need saw cutting in Hamilton or anywhere in Ontario?
Concrete Drilling & Sawing Ltd. (CDS) has served Hamilton and all of Ontario since 1967. Licensed, insured, and ready to mobilize on short notice — residential, commercial, and industrial.
Phone: (905) 529-6029 | Toll-Free: 1-800-241-5708
Shop: 276 Ferrie St E, Hamilton, ON L8L 3T7 · View on Google Maps
This service falls under Hamilton concrete cutting. Below are the most directly related services from the same team — and a couple from our other practice area when the work overlaps.
Related Services
Other CDS specialties that often pair with this work:
Worth knowing about, on the scanning / demolition side:
Quotes by phone: (905) 529-6029 (Hamilton) or 1-800-241-5708 (toll-free across Ontario).
Based in Hamilton, CDS serves projects across Ontario — see our Ontario service areas, including concrete contractor service in Brantford, Niagara Region and Peel Region.
Related sawing methods: electric slab sawing, diesel slab sawing, wall sawing, wire sawing, steel cutting.