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Can I remove bluestone pavers embedded in mortar and reuse them? A house with a bluestone foyer is being demolished and I would like to salvage the pavers and reuse them in my new home.

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  • How thick is the stone? Mud set stone is usually 3/4" thick. Thinset stone is usually 3/8" thick. No matter how thick, it starts with cutting out the joints. Knowing how thick will help know how easy it will be.
    – Jack
    Commented Sep 29, 2015 at 7:35
  • We had a bluestone patio installed, and a few stones needed to be redone (the grade wasn't right). The masons cut the grout lines and popped them up with a chisel. Some of them broke, which wasn't a problem since we have irregular sizes.
    – TomG
    Commented Jun 26, 2016 at 2:50

3 Answers 3

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You can always try. You will need to break some of the grout away so you can see the base where the paver and the mortar meet. Then using a floor chisel (3 inch wide blade cold chisel) set between the paver and the mortar, see if you can pop the paver up. If the paver is not well bonded to the mortar, they will pop up. If they are well bonded, they will just snap when the one side is getting lifted.

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If you can get power (the place being demolished or a generator) your best bet in just getting them out would be a circular saw with a Diamond Tipped blade or a few Black Fiber blades (they wear down pretty quick but are cheap). Of course, don't cut the Bluestone cut the mortar around them.

Then, you can soak & chisel on them at home. I don't really suggest it since I haven't done it, but if the mortar isn't budging & you've already snapped one or lost corners. If they fit in your freezer I knew some salvagers that swore by it to free brick, marble & tile inlays. Perform at your own risk.

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I think it's going to depend on whether they are actually embedded in mortar or just glued down with mortar in-between. I don't see this working. I think they'll break but you'd have to try it with some flat bars to see. Either it's going to work or it isn't. No special trick I can think of to keep them from breaking.

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  • The only thought I've got would be to extract them with mortar attached and chip it away from underneath. If it works for fossils...?
    – keshlam
    Commented Sep 28, 2015 at 19:47

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