What to Expect: Before, During & After Your Extruded Concrete Landscape Curbing Installation

Before:

1. If desired, A Cutting Edge Curbing Estimator / Designer can meet with you at your home to review your           proposed curbing project area. We'll supply you with our knowledge and ideas and work with you to come up with the best design layout possible. We will paint then measure your area and give you a written estimate. You schedule the job when you want it done. There's no pressure from the estimator that comes out to your jobsite. We are the best!

2. Please keep sprinklers, in the area, off for 2 days prior to your installation date and please pick up after your pets before we arrive.

3. Landscape curbing is best installed prior to the installation of irrigation lines, but not absolutely necessary. (Our landscape contractor customers always have us come in prior to trenching so that sprinkler heads can be installed right up against the wall of the curbing and so appropriate coverage areas can be determined.)

4. Please provide access to your job site and keep pets indoors for the duration of the installation.

5. Ensure that all ground work or boulder placement has occurred prior to our crew's arrival for installation.

6. Be sure to plainly mark all sprinkler heads and lines, telephone wires, cable TV, or other buried items. Cutting Edge Curbing is not responsible for any damage by our crew or equipment to any buried items or to unmarked sprinklers.

During:

1. The curbing crew will install your beautiful new curbing using the highest quality materials and equipment. ½ inch polypropylene fiber mesh is added to every batch of concrete mix for significant added strength and stability.

2. Color is added into the concrete mix and is measured precisely for a consistent color throughout the project. Actual finished color is close to the color chart but there will be variation in every project.

3. Crews make efforts to keep and leave the jobsite clean and neat. During the process some excess concrete may be present around the areas installed, especially at starts/stops and corners. It is very difficult to remove this concrete while it is still wet. After a 24-hour curing period it can be picked up in small pieces and thrown away or crushed by foot and mixed with topsoil. Since the curbing crew does not include a return trip in the price of the cubing to do this, we apologize in advance for any type of mess left immediately after installation.

4. At the completion of your installation a measuring wheel is used to get an accurate footage count. The measuring is done outside the curb line for safety.

After:

1. Your extruded curbing is set to cure upon completion of the project. The concrete curb does not need to be sprayed or misted with water. Such actions will most likely discolor the curb and claims for discolored or wrong colored curb will be denied. The curb will not "fall apart" or "crumble" after we have left the jobsite. It is perfect, but vulnerable, when we leave. Make sure your neighbors and family members stay away from the curbing after we have left. The most curious of neighbors will approach your curb within minutes of our crew's departure. Protect your curb.

2. Keep Sprinklers off for at least 2 days following the installation. Excess moisture on or around the curbing will affect the normal curing process. Any excess water around the curbing will hamper the curing process and give it a permenant blotchy look. If it begins to rain within 8 hours after we leave the job, try to cover the curb with plastic. Make sure sprinkler systems are not activated for at least 48 hours. Irrigation, backwash from pool, condensation lines, or rain can damage the curb during the first 48 hours.

3. Take extra precaution to keep pets, children, vandals and objects away from the curb for at least 24 hours. It will be "hard" to the touch at this point, but will still need a few days to completely harden. The curb is like a "sandcastle". Refrain from testing the "hardness" of the curb.

4. During the first 48 to 72 hours you should avoid direct sprinkler impact on the curbing. Keep water away from curb for 48-72 hours. After 24 hours a mist would not cause any immediate damage, but a sprinkler within a couple of feet could create some pitting in your new edging. And the water itself will discolor your curb.

5. Sprinkler work and landscape work may be started 48 hours after installation; however, caution must be taken as shovels, picks and wheelbarrows can damage the curb for several days while it is fully curing.

6. If you have a landscape contractor or other trade professional working for you, caution them about protecting the curb from damage. If wheelbarrows are used for hauling rock over the curb, put a mound of dirt over it (6" over and 12" on each side) or build a ramp over the curb to keep the weight from cracking it. Never allow a tractor, truck, or any other equipment to run over the curb. Cutting Edge is not responsible for the damage to curbing resulting from any type of traffic.

7. If your curb is damaged after the installation crew has left, we will come back and make the necessary repairs; however, there is a $75.00 minimum charge for this service. We will do the best job possible on this repair, however repairs rarely look as good as the initial extruded installation.

8. During the first 7 days you ought to keep lawn mowers off your curbing. The wheels will probably not damage the curbing, but the metal corners on your lawn mower may scratch or otherwise damage the product during its curing period.

9. During the next couple of weeks you will need to take extra precautions not to damage your curbing. Items such as rakes, shovels, and other gardening tools need to be used with caution near the curbing during this curing period.

10. Efflorescence (white powder substance) is not covered under warranty since it is a natural occurrence. It can appear on occasion and does not look good on curbing. It can appear after a rainstorm or if there is moisture in the ground around the curbing. It happens mostly in the Fall and Winter months and due to the ambient tempratures and moisture in the air. It is not the result of our materials or workmanship. The intensity of the efflorescence varies depending upon the type (hardness) of water and volume of water that gets on the curb or amount of salts in the adjacent soils and/or the amount of moisture in the air. Check your sprinkler heads while the system is on and adjust them to minimize the amount of water spraying directly on the curb. If you have just planted sod and are watering frequently, efflorescence may appear more readily. Be patient, wait for your lawn to get established and clean the curb after it dries. A solution of 50/50 vinegar and water with a light brushing will remove the efflorescence. You may have to do this a few times; eventually, the efflorescence should go away.

11. Some fertilizers and chemicals will stain the curbing as they would any other concrete product. You should alert those doing the fertilizing to avoid spraying their product on the curbing. If you feel they might have sprayed the concrete, you may wish to hose it down shortly after they have finished spraying.

12. Curbing with color in it may look "splotchy" for up to 30 days while it is curing. This will go away as it cures and is not to be confused with efflorescence. Concrete is darker in color when it is first laid due to the water content and will lighten up as it dries and cures. After about 30 days, and when the curb is fully dry, your curb will have a more uniform look to it. Although it may take longer due to excess moisture and watering of the lawn.

13. Cracking - Concrete curbing like any other type of concrete can and will crack. We try to control the cracking with expansion joints every two to four feet. If cracking does occur, it should be in the expansion joint. We experience very little cracking in our products; however, if there are any solid cracks out of the joint (over 1/8"), we will replace the damaged area during the warranty period. A warning, however, is important to note: Repairs can be difficult to make in colored concrete. It is impossible to get a perfect color match. Sometimes the "solution is worse than the problem". A hairline crack is much less noticeable than a patch or discoloration in the curbing.

Warranty Information

Your curbing has a one-year warranty against defects in materials and workmanship. Any areas in question will be replaced or repaired at no charge if the materials we used or the manner of installation by our workmen caused the defect.

A few of the items not covered:

1. Any cracking in the curbing due to settlement of the ground beneath the curbing is not covered. Cracks must be wide enough to slip a quarter down into the curb for the replacement of that section to be warranted

2. Cracking or breakage occurring due to driving over the curb with any vehicles or equipment is not covered.

3. We do our best to make sure that the color is true throughout your curbing; however, we cannot guarantee that the curb will match perfectly throughout the entire job. The color of your curb is a close representation of our color chart and will not be a perfect match. Due to the variation in a color pigment products used to color concrete there will be a slight difference in color across the curb when finished. Stamped and Embossed Colors will vary from job to job.

4. For Stamped and Embossed products: Customers should expect some fading, color variation, and spider cracking of the product due to the nature of the stamping and embossing process.

5. No color claims will be accepted if sprinklers are left on or turned on 2 days prior to or 2 days after installation. This excess job site moisture will adversely effect the color of your finished curbing project and is not covered under warranty. Tell tale signs including washed out color, blotchy color and /or abnormally light or dark areas are a direct result of excess moisture at the jobsite and no claims can be honored if such is evident.

6. There will be a color variation relative to the color chart you chose your color from. Any variation of the color chosen is acceptable. Claims of wrong color or no color in curb can only be evaluated after 30 days have past.

7. Efflorescence of any kind is not covered. It must be washed away with a solution of 50/50 vinegar and water using a light brushing and thorough rinse. Cutting Edge has no control over the appearance of efflorescence.

Thank you for choosing Cutting Edge Curbing. We're the best Landscape Curbing Company in Arizona. We know you will enjoy your curbing project for years to come. If you have any questions regarding our curbing please call us.

Our service areas include: Phoenix, Litchfield Park, Scottsdale, Avondale, Goodyear, Glendale, Buckeye,
Gilbert, Sun City, Suprise, Chandler, Tempe, Peoria, Mesa, Fountain Hills, Laveen.
Your Maricopa County, Arizona Landscape Materials and Curbing Company.

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