The Calgary Herald
June 3rd, 2006
Concrete solutions ease a heavy job
SlabSetters make light work of sidewalks, patios
By Yvonne Jeffery
Anyone who's worked with concrete sidewalk and patio slabs knows how difficult they can be: they're heavy, awkward and rarely level. Now, a Winnipeg-based company has come up with an ingenious tool for making the slabs easier to install, remove and re-level.
What it is
Slabsetters is a set of four lifting tools designed for use by two people: the tools feature comfortable handles, and a slim, right-angled bottom that fits under the slabs.
Claim to fame
The company says Slabsetters is a revolutionary, low-cost tool that removes pain, frustration and time from the job of installing, relevelling or removing pre-cast concrete sidewalk or patio slabs -- and the tool has the strength to lift any slab on the market.
How it works
Two people stand on opposite sides of the slab that needs to be lifted. With a Slabsetter tool in each hand, they slide the right-angled end of the tools down beside the slab, and then turn the handles so the right-angles slip under the slab's edge.
Then they lift the slab to a maximum of about seven to eight centimetres -- enough to clear any neighbouring slabs. (If the ground is too compacted to accept the tools, dig a small channel to accommodate them.)
Upside
The Slabsetters tools go where fingers can't, which gives them plenty of "useful" points right away. And because you're not bending over to lift the slabs, it's much easier to maintain proper lifting position (bending and lifting with the knees), which protects your back.
The tools also don't disturb the substrate under the slab -- so if you need to lift the slab up to fine-tune the substrate's level, you simply lift "up" (you don't have to lever the slab up at one end to get a hand-hold on it, which inevitably pushes the substrate around). This is a huge benefit.
The Slabsetters website (www.slabsetters.com) has excellent instructions -- read this first, for tips on installing a level sidewalk or patio.
Downside
Slabsetters may be strong enough to bear the weight of any slab on the market, but they don't make the slabs any lighter (although they do make them easier to manage). They also require two people to be involved, so they're not as much help if you're working on your own.
The biggest issue when working with an existing patio is that if the slabs have been laid too close together, you can't get the tool in between them.
That's not a problem for single-slab-width sidewalks, however, or for larger projects that you're installing -- just leave a small gap (landscaping fabric can help prevent weeds between gaps).
If not used properly, you run the risk of having the slab fall off the right-angles: as with all tools, read the instructions, use them safely and wear appropriate gear such as safety boots).
Bottom line
At a retail price of $20, a set of Slabsetters tools is a worthwhile investment if you're working with concrete slabs.
It's an ingenious tool that looks simple, but really works.
Availability
Slabsetters isn't available in retail stores in Calgary, but can be ordered through home improvement personality Jon Eakes at www.joneakes.com, or 1-888-Jon Eakes. Go to www.slabsetters.com.
What it is
Slabsetters is a set of four lifting tools designed for use by two people: the tools feature comfortable handles, and a slim, right-angled bottom that fits under the slabs.
Claim to fame
The company says Slabsetters is a revolutionary, low-cost tool that removes pain, frustration and time from the job of installing, relevelling or removing pre-cast concrete sidewalk or patio slabs -- and the tool has the strength to lift any slab on the market.
How it works
Two people stand on opposite sides of the slab that needs to be lifted. With a Slabsetter tool in each hand, they slide the right-angled end of the tools down beside the slab, and then turn the handles so the right-angles slip under the slab's edge.
Then they lift the slab to a maximum of about seven to eight centimetres -- enough to clear any neighbouring slabs. (If the ground is too compacted to accept the tools, dig a small channel to accommodate them.)
Upside
The Slabsetters tools go where fingers can't, which gives them plenty of "useful" points right away. And because you're not bending over to lift the slabs, it's much easier to maintain proper lifting position (bending and lifting with the knees), which protects your back.
The tools also don't disturb the substrate under the slab -- so if you need to lift the slab up to fine-tune the substrate's level, you simply lift "up" (you don't have to lever the slab up at one end to get a hand-hold on it, which inevitably pushes the substrate around). This is a huge benefit.
The Slabsetters website (www.slabsetters.com) has excellent instructions -- read this first, for tips on installing a level sidewalk or patio.
Downside
Slabsetters may be strong enough to bear the weight of any slab on the market, but they don't make the slabs any lighter (although they do make them easier to manage). They also require two people to be involved, so they're not as much help if you're working on your own.
The biggest issue when working with an existing patio is that if the slabs have been laid too close together, you can't get the tool in between them.
That's not a problem for single-slab-width sidewalks, however, or for larger projects that you're installing -- just leave a small gap (landscaping fabric can help prevent weeds between gaps).
If not used properly, you run the risk of having the slab fall off the right-angles: as with all tools, read the instructions, use them safely and wear appropriate gear such as safety boots).
Bottom line
At a retail price of $20, a set of Slabsetters tools is a worthwhile investment if you're working with concrete slabs.
It's an ingenious tool that looks simple, but really works.
Availability
Slabsetters isn't available in retail stores in Calgary, but can be ordered through home improvement personality Jon Eakes at www.joneakes.com, or 1-888-Jon Eakes. Go to www.slabsetters.com.