Brick edge to lawn

[lindos90]

We are hoping to edge our lawn with some reclaimed bricks and have had a couple of quotes for the work, but in doing so its thrown up a few questions. I wondered if anyone here could advise please.

The bricks would be set at ground level, with current patio one side and lawn on the other, making all one level, made up of different materials.

One builder said we would need to use blue engineering bricks (rather than the reclaimed ones we have) due to possible frost damage.

I have seen lots of examples where 'ordinary red' bricks have been used to edge a lawn and just wondered how it was done. Are they 'special' bricks that do not absorb water, or is it possible bricks have been treated to make them less porous?

The plan if possible is to reuse bricks we already have, which are cleaned up, as this will match the garden wall and the house (hence why I'm not too keen to use the blue engineering bricks)

Could I maybe buy something like this
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bond-It-Waterseal-litre-Waterproofer-water-repellent/dp/B008DCUCMI

or am I being a bit stuborn to want bricks that are simply not up to the job?

Also the quotes have ranged from including a 2" to a 9" concrete foundation, would I really need 9" of concrete for a single row of bricks which will be supported both sides

Any suggestions gratefully recieved (and sorry for sneeking in two questions

 

[r896neo]

Reclaimed house bricks will spall in the long term but thats sort of part of the look. Engineering brick would be pretty bullet proof but look very contemporary and are quite hard visually.

I would use reclaimed brick and just deal with the fact that in 10 years some of them will be a little tatty here and there. They will last 25 years plus but may be a bit crumbly and spalled in places after that long. It depends on the quality of the bricks and you just cant tell when using reclaimed.

I would use them in my own house with no concern.

I usually bed them direct on 4 inches of concrete and then point with plastering sand.

Here are some before pointing

http://www.sjsmithhomeandgarden.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Reclaimed-brick-mowing-strip-2.jpg

Concrete block pavers can be used instead as they will not spall.

 

[Nige F]

As above - if they spall they still don't look too bad . My boy has a wall made of reclaimed stocks, some have spalled and it looks rustic. Next door has a matching wall of LBC flettons loads have spalled and it looks C-rap

 

[seneca]

quick question about bricks edging my lawn. Even though the bricks were around 1cm above the height of the lawn and there was a 3cm space between the bricks and the lawn (from where I dug the trench to put the bricks and mortar in) the lawn has moved over a season and closed the edging gap and is now on top of the brick edging. Is it normal for lawn to move so much and climb over the edging? Is the only way to stop it creeping over the entire bricks to cut it with an edging spade (half moon type)? The amount it has grown during the summer, I reckon I'll be doing it quite often from now.

Another thing I noticed since putting the edging in is the lawn grows much thicker and taller next to the bricks. After mowing It looks like a thick, green border to the lawn. I often have to go over it again with a strimmer in order for it to get shorter and match the main lawn. These are thing to take into consideration when edging - I expected brick edging to be lower maintenance, but it's proving to be just as much work as before!

 

[wrathkeg]

I am not sure why you left (or want) a space between the lawn and the edging. The idea is that one abuts the other so that you can put your mower wheel on the strip and it will cut the lawn to the right height. As for the moving lawn if it is just grass that it growing over the bricks then you could take that off with a strimmer if you have one where the head can be put vertical. If the strip is at the right height then you shouldn't have to do this often if at all. If the whole lawn (including soil) is going over the strip the problem might be more serious.

 

[seneca]

I never intentionally left a gap or was it part of any design - I had to dig out a strip wider than the bricks in order to lay them as edging (about three times as wide as the edging in order to lay mortar and bed the bricks in.) I then intended to fill the gap with soil and seed, but the gap seemed to close itself over 6 months. I should mention that I have a very high water table where I live and the lawn is always damp a few cm below the top. Everyones lawn on my street is the same - we all have serious drainage issues, but no one has had anything done about it because putting drains in is a lot of hassle and it doesn't bother anyone enough. In fact most are glad, as plants thrive and rarely dry out or gardens need a lot of watering! I have thought of hiring a hollow tine aerator and try to improve things, but not sure if it's worth doing, or would make much difference.