5 Uses For Concrete Curbing

Concrete curbing and edging comes in many styles and designs, each suited to a specific purpose. Knowing the options can help you choose the right curbing for your yard. 

1. Garden Edging

One of the most common uses for concrete curbing in residential yards is around flower gardens and border beds. Unlike other edging products, such as rubber strips, curbing won't be destroyed by lawn mowers and weed trimmers. The concrete provides a durable and maintenance-free barrier that prevents lawn grasses and weeds from invading the gardens. The curbing can be poured to shape, so curved edging looks just as nice as the straight lengths of edging. 

2. Parking Barricades

A concrete curb that meets the driveway or road perpendicularly creates a barrier against vehicles. Integral curbing is one type of barricade style curb. The curbing is poured with a deep footing so that a car ramming into it won't knock it loose. Barricade style curbing works well between the road or driveway and your yard, as the curbs are difficult to drive over with a car so they help keep your yard safe. 

3. Driveway Transition

Some types of concrete curbing act more as decorative edging, such as when it is poured to create a border transition between an asphalt driveway and your lawn. This type of curbing isn't typically raised very much as it is designed to sit flush with the driveway surface. Not only does it give the drive an attractive finished look, the concrete also protects the edges of the asphalt drive so that crumbling is less of an issue. 

4. Mower Guards

Mowing around trees and shrubs can be difficult. It's not uncommon for the mower to cut up surface roots or cause bark damage if the equipment rushes against the trunk. Concrete curbing with a mowing edge can provide a protective barricade when installed as a ring around a tree. This curbing lies flat on the ground on one side, with the flat portion meeting the raised bump of the curbing. A lawnmower wheel can run along the flat portion, right up against the raised curb, for a thorough mowing without any danger to the tree and roots behind the curb.

5. Drivable Curbs

Also known as sloped curbing, drivable curbs slope down gently to the road or driveway. This allows you to drive over them when necessary, either with a vehicle or lawnmower. If you frequently need to move equipment from the street or drive to your yard, then this curing works well. Sloped curbs are also sometimes used around flower beds to aid with excess water drainage, as moisture flows more freely over a sloped curb. 

Contact a concrete curbing contractor for more information.