Our curb is always done with a finish. Any finish must be maintained to retain the quality of the product. Curbify uses oil based sealers. The finish will inevitably lose its protective qualities over time. As such we use a multi coat application to provide excellent adherence.
Your first coat of sealer included with every product, is provided in 2 applications. The first is a hyper thin coat, and the second a thin coat. These thin coats act as primer coats, penetrating deep into the concrete for a strong hold. Thinner coats also help prevent blushing. The rising of calcium in water rising out of the concrete.
The coat must dry and then a final coat of sealer can either be applied by us or the customer within two weeks. Without a final coat, there is high risk of Delamination. Please maintain your concrete.
Delamination – The peeling of your surface coat from the concrete due to low adherence
Subsequently, after a primer coat, decorative coats can be applied for extra cost such as; tints, Gloss, or Mica Powders. These products are not penetrative and are only used for subsequent coats. After dyes are applied, a final coat should be applied to protect the finish.
The finish will wear in the suns UV rays over time, and should be serviced bi-annually. By service we mean fix the dings and reseal the concrete. Without treatment there is further risk of delamination and finish inconsistencies.
Resealing
Curbify offers a premium resealing service. However if there is no damage to the curb, you can certainly opt to save money and reseal yourself. Here is some advice.
Before sealing your concrete, make sure it hasn’t been exposed to too much water or rain the day before. Seal above 10 degrees Celsius, and below 30 degrees Celsius. Clean the surface with a brush or light pressure wash. Blow dry with a air blower. Ensure curb is clean. Do not use high pressure washing up close at high pressure, this will cut through finish. Allow to dry.
Paint an oil based sealer onto your concretes finish with a brush or a roller. Be aggressive to agitate the previous layer. Let dry over 24 hours.
Curbify resealing services fix all minor inconsistencies, including small cracks. If the curb is in major disrepair, further evaluation may be required.
Dethatching
Over time a healthy lawn will begin to outgrow its curb. The thatch will grow on top of itself and it will try to overtake the curb. This takes years. But since we don’t want your curb to disappear, dethatching your lawn every two years gives the lawn room to breath and room for more thatch to grow, preventing the problem. If not, then edge the front edge of the curb out every few years to prevent the lawn from climbing the front.
Weeds and grass may travel up the crack joints, but some RoundUp from Home Depot takes care of this easy.
Crack Repair
Curb is a string of concrete strung across the land, it moves as the land does, and Alberta is marsh. Unfortunately cracks do happen in odd places. We place our cut joints every 18 inches to prevent these issues, as well as strategically at end points and drains.
In the event of cracks we do not provide warranty. However we always fix them with our resealing package. Cracks are easily filled with repair mortar and colour before resealing. We cannot guarantee they wont open up again. However most issues avail themselves after a project goes through its first Albertan frost heave. Land rises and falls as the water freezes and thaws. One preventative measure to this is having crush placed before installing the curb. If this curb is highly decorative, we suggest this measure.