Lay and place curbs correctly

By curbs you can paths, paved areas or also beds border and thus shape a garden with the help of a path or a border. These instructions will help you with the professional setting of kerbstones, so that you can do without an expensive specialist:

Materials and preparation of the curb laying

Remember that if you want to lay curbs yourself, you have a large enough area for your work and for storing the materials. In an emergency, perhaps clear some space or clarify with your neighbors whether you can use the public area of ​​the sidewalk. In any case, make sure not to obstruct the traffic of cars or pedestrians. Remember: Good planning in advance will make it easier and smoother for you to carry out your work later. First make a list of the materials you will need. Only when you have determined the quantity can you get the materials and tools.

Tools needed

• plaster hammer
• pavement cord
• paving iron
• shovel
• vibrating plate
• Tub for mixing the concrete

Materials needed

• Curb made of granite, concrete or natural stone
• antifreeze gravel
• Paving concrete C25/30

In the case of large and heavy edge notes, ideally get a helper to make the physically difficult work easier.

Preparation of the actual paving work

1. Lay down sheeting or tarps on lawns or paved areas you want to protect to make it easier to remove the excavated soil and paving concrete later.

2. First you should dig a trench, a so-called planie, at the point where the curbs will later lie. This should be about a third of the later curb height or 15 to 20 cm below the lower edge of the curb. This plane should be as straight as possible. It is best to compact this level with the vibrating plate.

3. Now fill in about 15 cm of anti-freeze gravel to avoid later frost damage such as cracking. This layer is also compacted again with the vibrating plate.
4. Now hammer in the pavers in the line or in the alignment of the later curb stones.

5. The paving cord is stretched between the paving irons. This should have the height that the upper edge of the curbs should later have. This work is one of the most important, because a crooked pavement track can later lead to crooked curb stones. It is better to check the course and the height twice.

Lay curbs professionally

1. Now bring in the paving concrete at the beginning of the plan and along the paving line. When doing so, fill in the concrete a little higher so that the curb stone can be laid well into the concrete bedding.

2. Now you can insert the first curb into the piled concrete. Align the curb well and tap it in with the paving hammer so that it lies firmly in the concrete bed.

3. Form the concrete bedding in front of and behind the curb into a wedge, which you press down with the shovel and smooth out. Although this area will later be underground and invisible, it will make work easier, for example, when paving later.

4. Now continue in this way with the remaining stones. Don't forget to keep checking distances, elevation and location. Matching the patch cord is a good help here. Corrections can now be made.

5. If there are large gaps between the curbs or natural stone has been used, the joints should be filled with mortar.

Cost of laying curbs yourself

Paving concrete and gravel can be bought from just a few euros. Stones, on the other hand, can have a wide range of prices. From one euro or less for a piece of simple concrete curb to 15 euros for a piece of natural stone, everything is possible. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the exact consumption of material, especially when using expensive natural stone. Nevertheless, buy a few more stones in case you have mismeasured or perhaps need to cut one to size.

Sources of error, maintenance and care

Be sure to compact the ditch you dug, especially if you are betting on sandy soil. If the ground sinks, the curbs could tip over or the joints could tear, even years later. Many non-professionals do without the gravel that is brought in, which is a big mistake. It is precisely this gravel, if it is well compacted with the vibrating plate, that prevents the curbs from tipping over or sinking.
If you pay attention to these things, you can enjoy your self-made curbs for many years, if not decades.

This small structure does not actually need care or maintenance. If weeds grow between the curbs, you can simply pull them out or remove them with Weed-Ex. A curb in particular prevents weeds from spreading from one area to another, for example from a lawn to a bed. Thus, a set edge stone is not only a decorative but also an extremely useful structure in your garden or front yard.

Worth knowing about laying kerbstones in brief

If you have some manual skills, you can lay your own stones in this way, save the craftsman and thus money and later look proudly at the work of your own hands. Done professionally and with care, you will enjoy your curbs for many years or even decades. Here is an overview of the most important steps:

• A straight line is staked out with the spirit level using wooden sticks. A string is now attached to these wooden sticks, which serves as a guideline for the straight line and also for the height. It is therefore important that the cord is the same height at all points.
• A trench is now dug along the guideline, which is about a spade wide and approx. is 20 cm deep. Half of this trench is then filled with earth-moist concrete and the curbs are placed along the cord.
• You can bring the curbs to the right height with one rubber mallet. With it you can easily hammer on the curbs without damaging them.
• Once the height is fixed, the curbs are filled with concrete on both sides. This keeps them rock solid for many years.

If the delimitation involves paths that are used very frequently, such as garage driveways or areas that border on a slope, a more stable border is required. This is realized by special concreted-in end stones, which can be deep curbs or palisades.

As an alternative to embedding in concrete, the stones can also be anchored in a gravel bed. To do this, the bottom of the trench is filled with a finger-deep layer of gravel. The curbs are placed on top, adjusted in height and direction and finally embedded in fine gravel. This must be carefully compacted, which in turn can be done with a rubber mallet. Of course, one should not bring the stones back out of their fixed alignment.

Edge stones in the garden design

Clear lines in the garden, that's what most garden owners want. But it is always important that the overall picture is right. Paths, flower beds, lawns and seating areas must harmonize. The curbs also contribute to the perfect picture. But you should also think about practical things. Driveways to the house, the garage and the like must have a high level of stability. garden paths are not that compact. This is more about optics. Concrete curb stones are ideal for driveways and the like, while natural stones are better for paths. They often have a natural pattern. This loosens up the garden paths. Curbs are a real design element in the garden. It usually looks more natural when not everything is so perfect, i.e. one stone sticks out a little higher, one is lower. Too much perfection often seems cold.

Conclusion

Curb stones also contribute to the overall impression of the garden. They certainly don't set any highlights, but they ensure harmony. There are many different curbs. You should take your time when choosing. Professional advice can also be useful. It is important that a natural impression is created. The right stones and a good laying technique do a lot to ensure that the garden looks natural and inviting.

Learn more about garden path - paths in the garden