Maintaining Concrete Landscaping Borders

CURING:

Concrete curbing takes 7 to 28 days to fully cure, the curing time for each installation is different.  Your new curbing requires 2 hours of curing before it can handle light rain and 24 hours before it can withstand foot traffic.  *Try not to bump or hit your new curbing with objects for the first 28 days.  You will notice the color of the edging changing, during the curing process. Don’t worry; this is normal for the curing process of concrete.

SEALING:

You can apply a gloss concrete sealer to your curbing any time after 28-days of the installation.  Before resealing you should clean the curb with a light application of muriatic acid “1 part acid to 5 parts water”. Pour mixture on the curb and allow mixture to penetrate for 2 or 3 minutes, and then rinse with plain water. Allow curb to dry completely before applying sealer. The sealer can be brushed, rolled, or sprayed on with garden sprayer. For best results apply 2 or 3 thin coats instead of one thick coat.  Concrete sealers are available at paint supply retailers. 

EFFLORESSENCE ON CURBING:

Efflorescence is a build up of calcium, which causes white spots in concrete and is more noticeable in colored concrete. In most cases it can be removed by cleaning the curb with a light application of muriatic acid as described in the sealing section of this document.

Efflorescence is created when water gets on the concrete curb. Property owners may not be able to control the rain, but you can control your sprinklers. Therefore, try to adjust your sprinklers so that a minimal amount of water is sprayed directly onto the concrete curbs.

To clean the Efflorescence off your concrete curb, use a 50/50 solution of vinegar and water. Lighly brush this solution onto the concrete curb several times until the Efflorescence is removed.

TREE ROOT DAMAGE:        

Over time, tree roots may lift and break some areas of your curbing.  When this occurs, lift out the broken section of curbing, cut and remove the root that is damaging the curb, and lay the curb back down using fill dirt as support.  

PRESSURE CLEANING:

If you are going to pressure clean areas surrounding your borders make sure to not pressure clean the border. The high pressure of some pressure cleaners will be like sandblasting and will cause the border to get pockmarks and may disintegrate. BKI is not responsible for this type of damage.