Concrete patio blocks and brick pavers are often set in beds of sand or stone dust to create outdoor walkways, patios, and shed floors. Although they are durable, occasionally a few will settle unevenly or crack in half. Here’s how to remove one block without disturbing the others around it:
Fashion a pair of “puller-uppers” from two 8-inch-long pieces of wire clothes hanger. Use pliers to bend a 1-inch-long finger on the end of each wire piece. Bend the other end of each wire in the opposite direction to create 3-inch-long handles. Both ends should be bent to 90 degrees.
Slip the wire fingers down into the sand or stone dust alongside the block you want to lift out. Twist the handles 90 degrees so the fingers turn underneath the block. Then simply pull up to remove the block.