Wanted to do some posts on DIY projects with a bit of how-to before it’s time to post flowers and fruit.
The most handy one was the DIY kerbing I did.
Background: The neighbour told me my yard used to be all uncut meadow for decades, so I wanted to return the majority of it back to this state. I wish I knew before I cut it. To achieve this I wanted to kerb the edges of the paths I’d built to have a border with the longer grasses and wildflowers.
Goals: I wanted to minimise cost as low as possible and had spare time. I couldn’t find any kerbing for less than €6/m and had almost 200m of path edging. I researched traditional shuttering methods and it looked like soooo much effort with shuttering boards braces and prep. So I invented a new method I could do quicker and cheaper. Unfortunately I didn’t take ANY photos of the process.
Materials:
-
Two 2x4s for each 16ft length you want to pour simultaneously. I would pour two lengths same day so 4 timbers.
-
Round plastic electrical conduit. This stuff is dirt cheap. Cut in to 2.5" lengths.
-
Sand, stone, cement for concrete. I was doing 1 bucket sand to 2 buckets stone to 1/3 bag cement.
-
Long screws like 6" plus.
-
Wheelbarrow to mix in. If you had a cement mixer you could pour so many more lengths per day but would have to spend more on timber to be able to shutter it all at once. I have a fat ass so opted for the exertion of hand mixing.
-
Plastic float (to level), edger (optional for rounded edges), hammer (to tap and settle concrete), drill (to drive the screws), pickaxe (for scalping turf).
Method:
-
Drill holes for the screws every 2ft along the timbers half way up.
-
Drive a screw through one timber, putting one of the 2.5" long plastic conduit sections over the screw, then continue the screw through the other timber so the conduit is sandwiched between them.
-
Continue this for each hole so a section of conduit is sandwiched at each. This will keep the two timbers braced together exactly parallel, so you can lift and place them as one unit.
-
Scalp the grass off where you want the kerb to run using the pickaxe. This is quick and easy because you only need to clear one pickaxe blade width and can just walk along the line scalping continuously.
-
Place the sandwiched timbers directly over the scalped ground where you want the kerb. If it’s the first section cap each end with a short bit of timber. If you are continuing a previous section leave one end uncapped and sandwich the previous bit of kerb between the timbers (can help to loosen then retighten the conduit screw at that end.
-
Pour in your concrete. A normal wheelbarrow mostly full of concrete should fill one 16ft length.
-
Tap the timbers all along with a hammer to settle the concrete. Flatten and smooth the top with the float tool.
-
Let it dry. If you want rounded edges use the edger to put an edge on after drying for 30min to 1h depending on how hot the day. It should be mainly firm but still able to push a fingerprint into it when it’s ready for edging.
-
Once it’s dry next day you can just remove the screws and the two timbers will just peel away, leaving only the kerb. You can oil the inside of the timbers before you pour to help this peeling off, I used sunflower oil. The timbers are the ready to be reused. The conduit stays in the kerb but I think it looks good and like it’s supposed to be there like it’s for drainage or something.
Comments: Honestly it took a few months on and off waiting for weather but it cost nothing and it got my fat ass properly strong by the end of it. With a cement mixer it could be so much less strenuous and finished infinitely faster. Hand mixing concrete is a proper workout! The kerbs were very bright white at first but weathered to their current state after a year. I prefer them now. In the summer the non-path bits get really long and there are wild flowers everywhere like spotted orchids and everything so the effect is really nice. Best thing of going back to meadow is now I only have to mow the paths, and it keeps vigour down on my trees which are spaced fairly close.
(I did the rounded corners in a similar way using conduit spacers, but the shuttering was plywood bent to fit a 90 degree corner of 2x4 timber, but that’s too hard to document here)