Following are some brief facts and instructions for the care and maintenance of a new curb:

1. Your new curb is a cement product. Most cement products take 28 days to cure. During this time you will need extra precautions not to damage your curb. Take extra precaution to keep pets, children, and objects away from the curb. Use gardening items such as rakes, shovels, and other gardening tools with caution. You can begin using lawn mowers after 7 days of installation.

2. During the first couple of days, the curb will be soft, although hard to the touch, and can crumble or be scratched if sharp objects come in contact with it or if someone/something puts excessive weight or pressure on it.

3. Sod laying, sprinkler work and landscape work may be started 24 hours after installation; however, caution must be taken. Never allow a tractor, truck, or any other equipment to run over your curb.

4. During the first 24-48 hours you should avoid direct sprinkler impact on the curb. Irrigation, backwash from pool, condensation lines, or rain can damage the curb. Such actions will most likely discolor the curb. If it begins to rain within 6 hours after we leave the job, try to cover the curb with plastic.

5. Efflorescence, a white powder substance, is a natural occurrence. It can appear on occasion and does not look good on curbing. It is generated from water sprinklers and can also appear after a rainstorm or if there is moisture in the ground. The intensity varies depending upon the type (hardness) of water and volume of water that gets on the curb. Adjust your sprinkler heads to minimize the amount of water spraying on the curb. If efflorescence appears a solution of 50/50 vinegar and water with a light brushing will remove it. You may have to do this a few times to completely remove it.

6. Some fertilizers and chemicals will stain the curbing. If you feel you might have sprayed the concrete, you may hose it down shortly after you have finished spraying with light or minimal pressure.

7. Colored Curbing may look "splotchy" for up to 30 days while it is curing. This will go away and is not to be confused with efflorescence. Concrete is darker in color when it is first laid and will lighten up as it dries.

8. 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, 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 curb.

9. There will be a small amount of concrete on the ground after installation. It is difficult to remove this concrete while it is still wet. Our installers take great care to remove as much of this as possible after they are done installing.  There may be some fine pieces left that are usually not even visible once your grass begins to grow up against the curbing.  Since we do not include a return trip in our price, we ask that you take a few minutes to remove any of the excess concrete that may have been too wet to pick up.