An excellent landscape solution for decorating a site is a brick curb

Adding a brick curb is one of the best ways to improve the aesthetics and usability of your landscape. This classic feature gives your outdoor space a sense of elegance and order while also demarcating the boundaries of your driveways, paths, and garden beds.

Brick curbs are a long-lasting solution for your landscape because they are strong and resistant to bad weather. They are available in a range of hues, forms, and dimensions, so you can alter the appearance to fit your overall design concept.

Brick curbs have a functional use in addition to being aesthetically pleasing. They aid in limiting erosion and maintaining the neatness of your landscape by keeping plants, mulch, and soil inside garden beds. They also offer a distinct boundary, which can facilitate yard maintenance chores like mowing.

Brick curb installation is a reasonably easy project that even a novice do-it-yourselfer can finish in a weekend. Your outdoor space will look better with a professional-looking edge that you can make with some simple tools and supplies.

A brick curb is a great option if you want to give your garden some structure or just improve the curb appeal of your house. It stands out as a unique alternative for any landscape design because of its blend of beauty, toughness, and usefulness.

Brick Curb Benefits	Installation Tips
Durable and long-lasting	Use a level to ensure even placement
Enhances the aesthetic appeal of your landscape	Compact the soil before laying bricks
Low maintenance and easy to clean	Space the bricks evenly for a neat finish
Prevents soil erosion	Secure the bricks with a concrete base
Versatile design options	Fill gaps with sand or mortar for stability

What is it?

A brick curb is a set of small-piece ceramic stone products used as a decorative element in landscaping. Curb stones are formed of viscous clay, added plasticizers and other ingredients, and then fired in a specific order.

Any solid small-piece material with a glazed surface or unique products with a textured surface or chamfer intended to create curbs may be used as a brick curbstone.

Several manufacturing companies have been manufacturing fired clay products with a semicircular, figured, or wood- or crushed-stone-like texture on the front surface in recent years.

Special border tiles are also available on the market. These tiles are created by firing clinker materials at temperatures higher than 1300 o C, which causes the particles to sinter and forms a glassy structure with little porosity.

Differences from other species

When compared to counterparts meant for flanging design on a personal plot, brick borders differ greatly in several ways:

• When compared with concrete curbs, the products have a low porosity coefficient, which affects the water absorption rate.
• Unlike rubber or plastic curbs, ceramic stones are made of natural materials, can be used on playgrounds, do not irritate the respiratory tract.
• When compared to products made of natural granite, clay bricks do not create a radiation background and are several times cheaper.
• Unlike metal borders, the material is not subject to corrosion, has increased resistance to a humid environment and chemical reagents.
• If the consumer has difficulty choosing a brick border or wooden bars, he should remember that wood is subject to decay, and clay material does not support the growth of bacteria.

Brick border stones, in contrast to all the other borders mentioned above, have the lowest impact strength and are more brittle; even a small mechanical impact from a hard metal object can destroy them.

Scope of use

Brick borders are frequently used for the following reasons when landscaping a personal plot or when enhancing urban park areas:

1. Design of curbs for pedestrian paths, squares or parks with hard surfaces.
2. Fringing of bicycle paths or other dedicated traffic lanes inside cottage villages or courtyard areas.
3. Fencing of flower beds, garden beds, lawns and other areas with green spaces.
4. Strengthening of paving stones around private residential buildings.
5. Fencing of small architectural forms, flower beds, fountains and other elements of landscaping.
6. Framing of the planting area of ​​ornamental or fruit trees, including those planted along pedestrian areas with paving stones.

Additionally, if there is a variation in the site’s relief, brick curbs can be used as a component of building structures to help design cascades or landscape steps.

Regulatory acts

There are no explicit references to brick curbstones in Russian regulatory documents, despite the fact that they are hardly ever utilized for the construction of federal, regional, or city roads.

At the same time, the following standards’ requirements serve as a guide for manufacturers producing these small-piece materials:

• SP 82.13330.2016 "Improvement of territories".
• SP 475.1325800.2020 "Parks. Rules for urban design and improvement".
• GOST 530-2012 "Ceramic brick and stone".

These regulatory documents state that curb ceramic stones must meet the following fundamental specifications:

• Compliance with the declared brand and real compressive strength.
• Ensuring modular overall dimensions.
• Frost resistance.
• Percentage of water absorption.
• Requirements for the design of the front plane.
• Density and weight.
• Environmental class.
• Fire resistance.
• Durability.

Each manufacturing company that produces these ceramic products creates its own technical specifications, according to the regulatory documentation.

Prototypes are tested on lab benches after manufacturing, and a certificate of conformance to TU is granted for the product based on the test results. The quality certificate that is affixed to every batch contains the unique number of this state-issued document.

Technical characteristics

The majority of brick curbs that are commonly available in the construction industry possess the subsequent technical attributes:

1. Most often, the products of this category do not have voids, that is, they are made in a solid version.
2. Compressive strength grade – from M150 and above.
3. Product length – 250 mm.
4. Width of the ceramic curbstone element – 120 mm.
5. Height of a single product – from 65 to 138 mm.
6. Weight – from 3.9 to 7.8 kg.
7. Density 1600 – 1900 kg/m3 .
8. Water absorption – no more than 5%.
9. Frost resistance – from F100 and above.
10. Fire resistance – high.
11. Flammability class – G0.
12. Environmental friendliness class – high.
13. Durability – from 25 years and more.

Since most ceramic bricks are made with lower strength and resistance to aggressive environmental influences, you should consider these qualities before purchasing curbs.

A brick curb is a great way to accentuate your site’s design while also adding usefulness and charm. It gives lawns, walkways, and garden beds a clean, unified appearance. Brick curbs are a smart and fashionable option for boosting the beauty and organization of your outdoor space because they are timeless, low maintenance, and adaptable to any design style.

What bricks are used for fencing??

The following kinds of small-piece stone products work well for creating brick borders:

• Single, one and a half or double solid clay brick.
• Facing solid ceramic stone with a carbonated surface.
• Small-piece clinker material.
• Fireclay brick.
• Engobed products.

Therefore, it is essential to choose only fired products for the flanging installation on the job site. Curbs cannot be made with the current semi-dry vibration pressing method of viscous clays without firing.

Materials for brick structures

The following supplies are used in factory settings to make curbstones out of brick:

• Fat quarry red clay, purified from foreign impurities.
• Fine aggregate – washed river sand from quartz rocks with a granulometric composition of 3-4 mm.
• To ensure the required firing technology, you will also need sifted fine peat.
• Clean water for preparing a viscous mass.
• Plasticizers for increasing frost resistance of products.
• Heat-resistant dry pigment for giving the desired shade of the material.
• Cement grade M200 and higher for sprinkling the filled form around the perimeter.

Brick curbs require a powerful closed or tunnel kiln, forms to obtain blanks with the necessary dimensions, and plywood tampers or a press to set the curbstone to the necessary density in addition to the materials listed above.

Technology for creating curbstones

It is advised by experts to buy factory-made materials only for decorating the flanging of brick. If this isn’t feasible, you can make small components by hand as long as you follow every step outlined in the process chart:

• Clay raw materials must be tested for the concentration of fatty substances in its composition. For this, a certain amount of water is added to the dry material until a doughy mass is formed.
• A ball with a diameter of up to 100 mm is formed from viscous clay.
• The ball is dried in the sun in warm weather for 3-4 days,
• After drying, it is necessary to throw the experimental product from a height of at least 1000 mm and look at the nature of its deformation. If an even cake is formed from the impact, the clay is ready for molding. If there are cracks along its perimeter, it is necessary to mix the material with sand.
• Upon completion of the preparatory work, the clay is soaked in clean water to remove foreign impurities for 24 – 48 hours.
• After saturation with water, the raw materials are mixed with sand, plasticizers, peat, pigments to achieve a homogeneous mass.
• Viscous plastic material is tightly placed in pre-prepared forms on a pallet.
• As a press, you should use a sheet of laminated plywood and a load with a mass of 20 – 50 kg.
• After molding, the product is removed from the mold and dried for 1 – 2 weeks in the sun until the moisture content of the brick curb drops to 15% (the concentration is determined by weighing the workpiece).
• After drying, a round hole with a depth of 600 to 800 mm is dug in the ground, at the bottom of which short pieces of profile angle, I-beam or channel are placed.
• A fire is made between the steel products, on which a steel barrel is placed.
• Samples are laid out on the bottom of the barrel and covered with a lid.
• The flame under the barrel must be maintained for 12 to 20 hours, depending on the desired brand of the future product.
• After firing, the finished product is removed and cooled at room temperature.

If the aforementioned algorithm is applied correctly, brick curbstone quality won’t be worse than factory-produced goods.

Pros and cons of use

Brick curbs have become more commonplace in landscaping project territories according to landscape designers in recent years. The numerous benefits of these products account for their rising demand:

1. Attractive appearance of the finished structure.
2. High maintainability – if one stone is damaged, the entire section does not need to be replaced.
3. High strength of the material.
4. Resistance to environmental influences.
5. Resistance to temperature changes
6. Possibility of use in water-saturated soils.
7. Low own weight of piece materials – installation can be carried out by one person, without the use of construction equipment.
8. Durability, resistance to mold and bacteria.
9. Fire resistance of the structure.
10. Low price of standard clay products.

However, there are some notable drawbacks to using ceramic curbstones of this type:

• Any ceramic product is characterized by increased fragility – a brick curb cracks even from a slight blow with a hammer
• Complexity of installation of piece materials, which is accompanied by increased labor costs.
• The need to create a solid foundation to maintain the straightness of the flanging.

In spite of these drawbacks, ceramic edging is becoming more and more common in our nation, and an increasing number of homeowners are choosing these materials for their landscaping.

Cost in the Russian Federation

Since hundreds of different manufacturing companies offer individual ceramic materials for edging on private plots on the national market, there is intense competition among them.

Brick products are therefore available for about the same price at any construction market:

• Ceramic curb with dimensions of 250 x 120 x 65 from 15 rubles./piece.
• Ceramic curb with dimensions of 250 x 120 x 88 from 22 rubles./piece.
• Ceramic curb with dimensions of 250 x 120 x 137 from 26 rubles./piece.
• Fireclay products – from 55 rubles./piece.
• Clinker stones – from 65 120 rub./piece.
• Engobed brick borders – from 90 150 rub./piece.
• Facing products with a chamfer and glazed front surface – from 35 70 rubles./PC.
• The average discount, subject to ordering a machine from the factory (12 – 14 pallets, without intermediate storage at the dealer’s premises) ranges from 10% to 25% for the entire volume.

Ceramic fencing installation costs are determined by:

• scope of work;
• designs;
• physical and mechanical properties of soils.

Typically, a customer contacting a construction company is presented with the following costs:

1. Standard installation of ceramic stone for framing paths – from 150 rubles./P. m.
2. Installation of curbs along a radius or curved path – from 200 rubles./P. m.
3. The need for installation from the curb line with a lot of trimming – from 250 rubles./P. m.
4. Construction of a permanent foundation made of ASG and cement-sand mortar – from 150 rubles./P. m.

Depending on the type, chosen element, order volume, delivery shoulder, multiple of a pallet or body of long-length trucks, as well as the company’s internal pricing policy, the prices listed above may differ slightly.

A cheap and easy way to improve the aesthetics and usability of your outdoor area is to add a brick curb to your landscape. Brick curbs add a classic aesthetic appeal that complements many garden styles in addition to offering a tidy and orderly border for lawns, garden beds, and pathways.

Additionally, brick curbs are a long-lasting investment for your home because they are strong and resistant to a variety of weather conditions. Their timeless style can go well with both traditional and modern landscapes, guaranteeing that your garden will continue to look lovely for many years to come.

Installation is not too difficult, and with a little forethought and work, you can give your outdoor spaces a gorgeous, well-coordinated look. A brick curb is an excellent option if you’re looking to stop soil erosion, define walkways, or just add some elegance.

All things considered, adding a brick curb to your landscape design is a useful and fashionable fix. It guarantees durability, improves aesthetic appeal, and offers a flexible solution to suit different landscaping requirements. For a polished and long-lasting look, think about incorporating a brick curb into your upcoming landscaping project.

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