Hi Jason,
this sort of edging is very popular in the US, but there's only one real 'seller' over here, and that's 'Keyform' from
Marshalls.
This "Keyform" utilises a pre-formed plastic restraining strip that is, literally, nailed to the ground with the aid of 300mm steel pins. Each restraining strip is 4m in length, and can be cut to size as required. Longer runs can be created by linking together adjacent sections with a special joining member that slots into each piece.
I'm actually in the process of building a page describing it's use and Marshalls have allowed me to feature pics of their product, but I'm still waiting for confirmation from the US companies that I can show their products to give a fuller picture of the whole range. Maybe next week! :)
I've also heard from a new UK seller, Hauraton Kaskade and they have just launched a rigid and a flexible edging restraint onto the market, selling it under the name of "Linefix" Edgings. The flexible strip is used for curves, the rigid for straights. You can email them for more info via
haur.kask@btinternet.com
Anyway, why aren't they popular in the UK? There's aquite a few reasons, but the main one is cost. They are relatively expensive compared to concrete bed and haunch, and can take longer to set up correctly. Personally, I wouldn't waste my time with them, but I do appreciate their use in specific conditions, especially areas subject to heavy freeze-thaw cycles.
This is an excerpt from the page under construction...
The great advantage of this type of edge restraining system is that it allows soil to come right up to the edge of the pavement. However, as can be seen from the cross-section drawing above, this is only a relatively thin covering of soil, as the sub-base should extend beyond the edge of the pavement. In fact, if the sub-base is extended to 200mm beyond the pavement edge, this is considerably more spread than the typical 100mm width of haunching concrete
While Keyform and similar products undoubtedly have their uses, they do not have much of a market in the UK for a number of reasons...
- we are not often affected by adverse freeze-thaw cycles
- establishing the pre-formed strips at the correct level can be time-consuming
- creating arcs and curves is complicated
- not suitable for use with kerbed edges
- concrete is relatively cheap and simple
- lack of product promotion within the trade
Follow up the UK leads, if you wish, but 'phone your local BM and get them to quote you a price before you commit. If you can hang on a week or so, the new page will be up by then. :)