David Bunn
Editorial example from Capital Gazette, Maryland USA - Summer 2002
New business squirts out curb appeal
Concrete edging gives gardens new look
By LIZ BABIARZ, Staff Writer
Star-shaped tubes, square-shaped tubes or squiggly-shaped ones — it didn’t matter to David Bunn what shape the clay took as it came squishing out of the press. He was happy just to watch.
As a kid, Mr. Bunn loved his Play-Dough Fun Factory. He never would have guessed that as an adult he’d own a business that recalled his favorite childhood pastime.
Mr. Bunn, owner and operator of a Kwik Kerb business, specializes in continuous concrete edging, a technique of contouring a garden and separating it from the lawn. He lives in Crownsville but can travel almost anywhere with his equipment.
Just as the Play-Dough is squeezed out of the press, Mr. Bunn uses a machine called the Edgemaster to press concrete into the shape of a border. He believes this type of edging is an important ingredient in creating an attractive garden.
Continuous concrete edging is an alternative to plastic or metal edging that can be used as a garden border, common in other parts of the country but relatively new to Maryland.
The Kwik Kerb business started about 15 years ago in Australia and has been in the United States for about seven years. It is immensely popular in Florida, where almost every home has a garden with a concrete border.
Joe Pasko of Pasadena, one of Mr. Bunn’s customers, said he had never seen anything like Mr. Bunn’s borders until he went to a home show where they were on display. He became the first on the block to have the work done.
The borders are durable and can stand up to damage by mowers. They also retain mulch, garden soil or gravel so it doesn’t wash away.
A horticulture consultant at the University of Maryland had heard about curbing but didn’t know much about it.
It usually only takes one to two days for Mr. Bunn to complete a job. First, using a sod cutter, Mr. Bunn clears away grass and soil for the border. Then, he lays dry-mix cement in a semi-solid form similar to Play-Dough. Finally, the cement is covered with a thin, slurry concrete, containing the coloring chosen by the customer, and then is hand-stamped with a pattern.
The company also recommends a UV seal every three to four years to maintain the color.
Each concrete border has a 7-inch-wide base and is available in six curbing shapes or profiles and 40 colors.
The cost of Mr. Bunn’s regular edging typically runs about $7 to $8.50 per linear foot, depending on color and pattern choices. "KerbLight" edging, concrete edging with an integrated light within it, costs about $14 per linear foot.
Jennifer Johns, one of Mr. Bunn’s customers in Glen Burnie, can see the popularity of concrete curbing growing in her own neighborhood.
"My house looks 100 percent better," said Mrs. Johns, a resident of Glen Burnie. "A lot of my neighbors have stopped by to tell me how much they love it and to ask how they can get it. So many people keep coming, I had to ask (Mr. Bunn) for fliers. I expected to see (the edging) all over my block soon."