Concrete landscape curbing holds up through Capital District winters when three things are done right. It is reinforced with fiber and a continuous cable, it has control joints cut every few feet so frost can move it without breaking it, and it is sealed so water and salt stay out of the surface. Curbing installed that way in Clifton Park, Troy and Schenectady is still straight and in place twenty years on.
Frost heave
The ground around here freezes a few feet down and lifts whatever sits on it. A continuous curb without joints would snap. With joints every three to four feet, each section rides up and settles back on its own. Cracks, if any, land in the joint where you do not see them.
Snow plows and shovels
Curbing along a driveway takes the plow edge every storm. A slant or curb profile stands up to that better than a low mower edge. We set driveway curbing a little back from the pavement and mark it with stakes the first winter so the plow driver learns where it is.
Salt
Rock salt eats the surface of unsealed concrete. Sealed curbing sheds it. Reseal every two to three years, and use calcium chloride or sand near the curb the first winter after it is poured.
Spring check
- Rinse off the salt and grit.
- Look for any chips from the plow. Small ones patch in a few minutes.
- If water no longer beads on the surface, it is time to reseal.
Edges Unlimited installs and reseals concrete landscape curbing across Clifton Park, Troy, Schenectady and the Capital District. Request a free quote for new curbing or a reseal.
