Choosing a Curb for Paving Slabs
Curbs and kerbs in cities and urban settlements are designed to separate pedestrian areas from the road. The boundaries of these areas are less defined and serve as a separator between lawns. Public areas, as well as courtyards of private homes, are constructed of building materials. Garden paths are designated for ease of walking around the site, preventing encroachment on planted areas. However, concrete barriers are used in gardens, while on roads and sidewalks, they are predominantly metal structures.
Contents of the article:
- What are the purposes of curbstones?
- How to choose a curb
- Types of curbs according to standard
- Non-standard curb sizes
- The difference between a curb and a kerb
What are the purposes of curbstones?
Concrete curbs and kerbs can be found in neatly landscaped areas, city parks, and concrete fences separating recreation areas from gardens on embankments. The design differs from road borders in length and elevation. Lengths vary from 0. 5 centimeters or less to half a meter or a meter.
Cuts can be used to landscape residential gardens, to separate houses, cottages, self-built homes, or other areas. They create walkways and paths, and separate and conceal flowering and planted trees and flowerbeds. Without this structural solution, any landscape design would be incomplete.
Advantages of curbs:
- Distinguish between site zones.
- Change the road surface.
- Various designs and shapes.
- Durable and reliable material.
- Used in areas with extreme cold and heat, moisture-resistant.
- Can be installed in self-built homes for urban and garden landscaping.
- Available in various colors and configurations.
- Safe and easy to clean.
- Impossible to damage the structure during use.
- Withstands heavy loads.
- Can replace part of the curb.
The disadvantage of this building material is its weight. To complete the work, labor and trucks are required.
How to choose a curb
To determine the necessary boundaries for garden paths, reinforce the road surface, prevent the destruction of winding sidewalk elements, or simply add precision to the site, it is necessary to know the final purpose of the building material in order to purchase curbstone of the required dimensions.
To improve the territory of parks, squares and city gardens, ordinary stones with colored pigments, private forms, and ship stone with grooves for lawn mowers are used. Corrugated curbs have areas for the lawn mower to move. Where the paths are curved or circular, concrete structures are accepted as 1 meter long and concrete structures as 0. 5 meter long.
For private homes, you can choose gray, white or other colored borders for tile and landscaping designs. Colors do not fade in the sun or when exposed to moisture. To save money, they are purchased gray and painted with paving paint. To lighten the color, the structure should be repainted every 2-3 years.
On soft ground, boundary stones with a wide base should be used to prevent subsidence.
Types of curbs according to standard
It is correct to say edging stones because edging stones are not used to classify road or footpath medians. They obstruct the unpaved part of the road or the pedestrian path itself. The material itself is concrete or reinforced concrete, and with the addition of reinforcement, the road fence must be large in size and small in height, be resistant to mechanical load, impact and destruction and comply with GOST 6665-91.
Standard edging stones are a mixture of sand and fine gravel, with the type selected depending on the climate of the installation site. In addition, lower quality varieties are used in the north than in the south or in areas with an average climate. Curbs vary depending on type, location and purpose.
Location – one-sided and two-sided views. The first is used in a stepped arrangement, when one side of the fenced area is higher or lower than the other. It is rectangular and inclined at the top. Double-sided views are used to subdivide the area created by a narrow or rounded top. Used to visually separate walkways and lawns.
Purpose – This type of road curb can be divided into three types.
- Used in gardens to create landscape designs using fine-grained concrete and edging flower beds and paths. Stones are selected by color and size, small in weight and height. Thanks to this design, soil and garden debris do not fall onto the path.
- It is designed for paving, is larger than garden use and is easy to install. This material decorates pedestrian paths near country houses, prevents the destruction of the edge of the path, gives the area a clean look and separates the pedestrian area from the ground.
- Road applications, large and tall building materials have strong and reliable performance. Used to protect the road surface from footpaths, heavy concrete is used in preparation. This design provides protection and prevents cars from hitting pedestrians.
There are six values for the standard shape of a curb stone, GOST 6665-91.
Non-standard curb sizes
In addition to the standard shapes and sizes of border stones, at the customer’s request, you can create your own curly options in the form of columns, flowers, etc., with a choice of color in addition to size. Creating custom-sized borders takes a lot of time, but the result is a custom landscaping solution.
The stone must have a strength index of at least B 23 and frost resistance of at least F 190 in order to be used for a long period of time and comply with GOST.
Making garden borders does not require the involvement of a construction company. Fences can be made independently from metal, wood or polymer. Materials can be purchased at home improvement stores. Shapes can be made from vases, lamp reflectors and thin pipes.
You can make a mixture of cement sand, pea gravel, plasticizers and cold water and create shapes using metal sheets, planing boards or other dense materials. Plastic curbs are offered for pedestrian paths, which are inferior to concrete curbs in terms of performance characteristics, but are economically compatible.
The difference between a curb and a kerb
If a person has never encountered a curb fence, he has not wondered what a curb is and what a curb fence is. However, if you are carrying out construction work on site, you need to know the difference, otherwise the site will consist of a series of “expectations” and “realities”. There is no difference between the production of borders and border stones. The difference lies in the installation method.
Curbs are used to separate one area from another, to separate pedestrians from a highway, to separate soil from a garden path. The stones protrude and rise above the surface and surface boundary.
The use of borders in gardens and public areas is different from fenced surface borders. Curb barriers are easily crossed by pedestrians and prams, while curbs have to be negotiated.
