After Care of Your New Curbing
It is very important that you follow a few steps when your curb is first installed to ensure that it achieves its proper curing time.
1. Keep children and pets away from your new borders for at least 24 hours. The concrete will be “hard” to the touch after 24 hours however, it requires a full 28 days for concrete to completely cure. This is especially true if we are experiencing a period of damp or humid weather.
2. It is not necessary to spray your curbing/borders with water with the chemical additives we use in our concrete mixes. One of them is used to slow down the evaporation process which helps create a stronger curb. You may water your lawn 24 hours after the completion of your curbing install. It is strongly suggested the first time you turn your sprinklers on to observe the water hitting the curb to ensure that it is not damaging the surface of your new curbing/borders.
3. You May resume your landscaping projects (laying sod, sprinkler work, topsoil, Etc.) 24 hours after the completion of your curbing/borders. Please use caution with shovels, picks, wheelbarrows, Etc. as these items can cause damage. If you are going to be using wheelbarrows to move dirt, rock, much over your new curbing/borders, build a mound of dirt or ramp over the border to keep the weight from damaging the curbing/border. Never allow vehicles to run over the border.
4. Once in a while curbing will look “splotchy” for a few days while it is curing. This is normal as concrete cures and is not to be confused with efflorescence. Concrete is darker in color when first installed and will lighten as it dries. It will take approximately 28 days to fully cure.
5. Efflorescence is a white chalk like substance that is very common in the spring and fall. The salts and minerals from the sand and water are making their way to the surface as the concrete is curing. This is natural and nothing to panic about. The solution to this is generally solved with a heavy rainstorm or spraying the curb down with a garden hose. The white chalky substance is basically salt and will wash away. Sometimes it takes a couple passes with the water but eventually it will go away.
6. If your curbing/borders become damaged, we can come back to make the necessary repairs. An exact estimate would be given after evaluation of the damaged area. For some stamped and color curbs, minor cracks or damage may be better left alone. Getting the exact color to match the existing curbing can sometimes be difficult.
7. Concrete curbing/borders like any other type of concrete can and will crack, that is a fact. We experience very little cracking in our curbing/borders, and every effort is made to minimize this with control joints. We place control joints approximately 1 – 2.5 feet apart to try and control cracking. When cracking does happen, it will occur in the control joint. This is again normal and one of the things we are trying to achieve with these control joints.
8. When curbing is installed as a retrofit (grass already in place), there will be a small amount of concrete on the ground between the grass and the curb. It is very difficult to remove concrete when it is wet. After the 24-hour curing period, this little excess can be easily picked up and thrown away. Since we have not included a return trip in the price for curbing to do this, we ask that you take a few minutes to remove any excess concrete. This will allow your grass to grow back against the curb.
9. Your landscape curbing has a one-year warranty against defects in workmanship. It will be replaced at no charge if the defect is caused by the materials used or improper installation by our workmen. Our warranty does not cover damage as a result of tree roots, ground movement, or soil settlement. Curbs that are against walkways or driveways there is no warranty on the borders due to the inherent movement of walkways and driveways.
10. Your new curbing/borders if colored, will be sealed with a high-gloss sealer to enhance the colors. This also has UV inhibitors to protect the colors from fading. This is a process he will need to repeat at a minimum of every other year, but we recommend doing this once a year in the spring to ensure your curbing looks great for years to come. If done in the spring, you know it will look great all season long.
High Quality Work
We specialize in the installation of aesthetically pleasing and maintenance-free
decorative concrete curbing to border garden beds, tree rings, golf greens, driveways and more.