Will Concrete Curbing Crack?
People always ask if the concrete curbing will crack? No matter how professionally your curbing is installed cracking CAN occur. Like many other materials, concrete also expands or shrinks during the curing process. The speed in which concrete cures is impacted by temperature, humidity, wind and many other variables all of which can lead to spider cracks in concrete.
Human error may also be a cause of cracking in concrete edging. These are wider than natural cracks and can be differentiated by inspection.
How we deal with concrete curbing cracks?
If any concrete curbing company guarantees cracking will not occur, that is simply a false statement as it is mostly caused by the natural curing process. However there are key install steps that can help to prevent cracking. At Creative Curbing we work to minimize cracks by using correct mixing ratios and techniques as well as utilizing special additives and proper equipment.
- As concrete cures fast, cracking issues normally occur within first 24 hours. Spider cracks are a common concrete issue caused by fast curing of which we utilize additives to help slow the curing process and avoid cracks. Owners should be aware of this.
- Concrete landscape edging is not designed to carry the load of heavy vehicles, care must be taken to not drive over the concrete landscape edging or it can cause serious damage.
- High compactions is required to deliver high quality curbing. Curb compaction is achieved thru use of proper installation equipment. The main issues with landscape curbing are the extreme angles, inclines and declines. You must realize that curbing machine weighs approx. 210 lbs. so getting enough compression is difficult in these situations. Adding cable is recommended for extreme inclines and declines.
Warranty Facts:
At Creative Curbing Cracks that are over 1/8 wide on level ground are issues with operator’s error or lack of compaction, these cracks will be covered under warranty. Cracks in all other situations are not. Cracks due to heavy mowers, vehicles, natural occurrences such as tree roots etc. as well as damage from animals or people will not be covered under warranty.
Customers should be aware that when completing repairs, although we strive our best to achieve a color match, we cannot guarantee an exact match will be achieved. This is due to the antiquing and troweling steps that are part of finishing process.