Four Things You Need To Know About Decorative Concrete Borders
Concrete is an amazing material when it comes to landscaping. Making a landscaping border with concrete goes far beyond just using premade stone pavers. Decorative concrete borders won't rust like traditional metal borders and look more polished than plastic edging. There are four things you should know to decide if they're right for you.
The Installation Process
When it comes time to install your concrete borders a contractor will come out to your home and remove the sod surrounding your landscaping. They remove just enough sod to install your border with a little leeway for the machine. Next, a concrete mix will be prepared and poured into a machine with any special color or texture choices you've selected. A machine will then pour your concrete borders in the desired area. Your contractor will advise you how long it will take the borders to cure.
You Can Customize
Concrete borders are fully customizable. Any color you desire can be mixed into the concrete before pouring. If you decide to add color to your concrete, your decorative borders may require periodic sealing from prevent the color from fading over time.
In addition to color, you can add various textures to your borders. This could mean stone, or even mosaic tiles. Some people even choose to add lighting to their borders.
Leave Lots of Room Around Your Trees
When having your decorative concrete borders installed, leave lots of room around your trees. Your tree's roots need circulation round them to keep them healthy. Concrete borders can seal water close to a tree's roots and prevent it from draining. This can lead to root rot and the tree could die.
To avoid this, you have to give your tree room to breathe. A tree's root system is typically around the size of its canopy. While it's often not feasible to leave that entire area open, you should allow as much space as possible and account for future growth of the tree when choosing your borders.
It's Sturdy
All concrete will wear over time, but in many cases concrete borders are reinforced. This reinforcement means that your borders can handle the weight of your lawn mower if you happen to drive on them. The borders are also made with cracking control joints. These control joints allow your concrete to move to control where cracks may occur.
If you're interested in decorative concrete borders, you should speak to a contractor. They will be able to look at your landscape and advise you what would work best in your yard.