by Jo | Mar 19, 2019 | Landscaping
As well as putting together this season’s stunning paving collection, we’ve been busy working on a new account scheme for our valued trade customers. This week we’re excited to be launching Kebur Trade Pro. Having listened carefully to our regular customers during the year, we have come up with a package of support to make it even easier and better value to do business with us. Building on a firm foundation We think this is great news! It further builds on the competitive discounts, quick delivery and personal service that trade account holders tell us they already enjoy. We wanted to make these benefits clearer with our new Kebur Trade Pro account. And to provide additional support to reward loyalty. The new scheme is open to any trade customer and includes a next day delivery service on natural stone and porcelain orders by 12pm (subject to stock and delivery slots, Monday to Friday). Says Cliff Mosey, Business Partner, ‘the reality is that with our high levels of stock and large delivery fleet, we’ve tended to be very flexible with our trade customers anyway. Now we’ve decided to make next day delivery a firm offer that they can expect as standard’. Among other benefits, approved or accredited members of landscape trade bodies (such as the Association of Professional Landscapers and British Association of Landscape Industries) will have the option to include their profile on our website and access exclusive training and events. Going that extra mile We’re particularly excited about being able to offer an enhanced reward scheme, Trade Pro Extra, that goes that extra mile for our higher spending...
by Jo | Mar 8, 2019 | Landscaping
Each month we will be offering a free Ox Tool in our monthly photo competition giveaway. Simply post a photo of a landscaping project that you are most proud of and tag @keburgardens on Twitter or @keburgardenmaterials on Facebook to be entered into a draw. The competition closes on the last day of each month. Terms and conditions for the Kebur March Competition About the competition 1.1 Entrants who meet the entry conditions will be entered into the competition and one photo (winner) will be selected. 1.2 The competition will be drawn on the last day of each month and announced on Kebur Garden Materials’ Twitter and Facebook page in order to notify the winner. How to Enter To enter the competition, entrants will need to: For Twitter entrants: post a photo of a landscaping project that you are most proud of tagging @keburgardens in the post. For Facebook entrants: post a photo of a landscaping project that you are most proud of tagging @keburgardenmaterials in the post. https://www.facebook.com/keburgardenmaterials/. When and who can enter 3.1 The Competition opens at the start of each month, and closes at 11:59pm on the last day of the month. 3.2 Entrants can enter at any point between these dates. 3.3 Entrants can only enter the Competition once, but can like, share, comment, tweet and RT as many times as they like. 3.4 The Competition is only open to UK residents aged 18 or over, excluding employees and agents of Kebur Garden Materials and anyone professionally connected with the administration of the Competition. 3.5 Automated or bulk entries from third parties will be disqualified....
by Jo | Mar 1, 2019 | Landscaping, Inspiration and ideas
Thinking about how you can create a sustainable space with your landscaping project? At Kebur we strive to improve the sustainability of our business. We are continually looking at ways we can support landscapers and gardeners to have a positive impact on the environment. We want to share some ways you can select your materials carefully and boost your environmental credentials… Use recycled materials You may be surprised to know how many landscaping products are wholly or largely recycled in content, which is great news for those looking to reduce, re-use or recycle. For example, you can choose decorative stone such as slate paddlestones or marble chippings that are sourced from previously unused waste or by-products from industry. If you’re creating a deck, Saige composite decking is produced using 95% recycled materials and comes with a 10 year warranty. And we offer some stunning contemporary paving solutions using largely recycled content. Choose FSC To ensure you are able to enjoy forest products for years to come, look out for timber products with the FSC® logo. The timber used in these products is harvested to promote responsible management of forests. All our timber garden products supplied by Grange are FSC® certified, meaning you can enjoy fencing and garden structures with a clear conscience. Consider life-span Paying a little more for quality can mean your products last a lot longer. When choosing a lap panel, cheaper panels may have only three or fewer vertical batons to support them and may be more vulnerable to the wind. Paying a few pounds extra for a 6 foot lap panel with five vertical batons...
by Jo | Feb 27, 2019 | Landscaping, Paving, Inspiration and ideas
Are you planning a patio project and don’t know where to start? This early Spring weather may be inspiring you to look for garden and patio ideas. If so, you need look no further than your doorstep. As we’ve been compiling our Kebur Porcelain and Natural Stone Collection brochure for this year, we’ve been bowled over by the quality of photos we’ve received from our very own landscaping customers. We wanted to share some of our favourite images of these landscaping projects with you. We think you’ll agree they show just what beautiful gardens can be created when you use the talents of your local landscaper. Black Limestone The intense darkness of Black Limestone contrasts beautifully with the white render to create a striking and contemporary look. The deep colour of Black Limestone can be achieved and maintained using a colour-enhancer sealant such as Dry-Treat Intensifia. Photo courtesy of RE Landscapes Andhra Grey Limestone The subtle colour variation of Andhra Grey Limestone adds interest to this low maintenance garden design. And we like the way the 900x600mm paving slabs create a linear look that really work to lengthen the space. Photo courtesy of Winslade Landscapes Rusty Slate Natural Rusty Slate with its varied colour tones makes a stunning backdrop for naturalistic planting in this characterful garden. Because it is designed on the diagonal, the paving and path create a feeling of space that invites you to explore. Photo courtesy of Poison Ivy Garden Design Silver Grey Sandstone Trade Pack We love how the grey tones...
by Ian Metcalfe | Feb 22, 2019 | Landscaping, Paving
Our pre-sealing service was set up in November 2017 and has been going from strength to strength ever since. Our customers are becoming increasingly aware of the benefits that having your natural stone pre-sealed with high quality Dry-Treat™ sealant can have in protecting their investment and saving money in the long run. The rapid rise of porcelain paving has threatened the marketplace for higher end natural stone. However, at Kebur we still love natural stone and have extended our range this season. Porcelain isn’t to everyone’s taste and is perhaps not suited to all settings. But by pre-sealing your natural stone, customers can have a product with outstanding natural beauty and character along with reduced maintenance. Antony Vincent is the head technician at our dedicated pre-seal facility and describes the pre-sealing process. “In short, the crates of stone are unwrapped. The slabs are checked for damage and marks, cleaned up if necessary and left in racks to dry”. He continues, “Once dried, the slabs are moved and prepped on the sealing table. A mist coat, followed by two or three heavier coats are then applied at certain periods depending on the type of stone. The slabs are moved back into the drying racks to cure for 24 hours before being packed ready for dispatch”. Antony goes on to describe the main challenges in his role being, managing the working space he has and the length of time it can take some of the slabs to dry before he can seal them, a problem exacerbated by cold and damp weather. The advantages from having your stone pre-sealed by Kebur start at...
by Jo | Feb 15, 2019 | Landscaping, Paving
This Spring, we’re excited to be adding three new choices to Kebur’s popular Natural Granite range. Black Granite, Arctic Storm and Arctic Mist are all hard-wearing, versatile stones and will bring something unique to any back garden: Arctic Mist Granite: this stone has a light grey colour with smokey veining. Available in a 600x600mm size format Arctic Storm Granite: a stunning natural stone, this has a dark grey colour with white streaky veining. The 1000x500mm size format really shows off its character Black Granite: is a consistent dark graphite colour throughout. It retains its colour well. You can choose from three standard Contempo sizes (900×600, 600×600 and 600x400mm), a linear plank format (900x200mm) and matching sawn setts (200x00x50mm and 100x100x50mm). Due in stock from early March. All the new granite paving is 25mm thick with sawn sides and a flamed surface. Mix and match them to give a contemporary look. The black granite setts will define edges or features beautifully. We expect these to be popular when used alongside our porcelain paving as well. Just a reminder that we offer a professional pre-sealing service for all natural stone. Although granite is really durable, we highly recommend sealing it with a breathable sealer to prevent installation problems. We can take away the hassle and worry of doing this yourself and pre-seal your stone with Dry-Treat Stain Proof ready for laying straight...
by Jo | Feb 1, 2019 | Landscaping, Paving, Inspiration and ideas
We’re so pleased to be introducing a truly individual flamed and sawn quartzitic Indian sandstone to our Kebur Contempo Natural Stone Collection this season. We think you’ll love Pearl White Flamed and Leather Sandstone, a smooth natural sandstone paving, as much as we do. Brexit may be on the horizon (or not) and in these uncertain times, some may be sitting back waiting to see what will happen. Whatever this summer holds, we will still want to enjoy our gardens. So we are determined to continue bringing new natural paving stones to our collection so our customers can enjoy a great choice and really add that wow factor. Hardwearing Indian sandstone paving Quartzitic Indian sandstone like this is hard to come by in the UK yet it offers a fantastic and durable alternative to a honed or riven sandstone. Available in a choice of finishes and size formats, the contemporary Pearl White Sandstone will bring warmth and character to any garden: Pearl White Flamed Sandstone has a predominantly beige colour with subtle veining that adds character and retains its colour well over time. Available in the three Contempo sizes (900×600, 600×600, 600x400mm), these paving slabs have sawn sides with a flamed finish for consistent texture. Pearl White Leather Sandstone is similar in appearance to the Flamed Sandstone but with a smooth, leather finish. It is available in a contemporary 900x600mm size format, perfect for a linear laying pattern. Pearl White Leather Sandstone is also available in matching sawn sandstone setts (200x100x40mm and 100x100x40mm), which will complement natural stone and porcelain schemes equally well. We love its neutral tones, variety...
by Jo | Jan 18, 2019 | Landscaping, Paving
As we move into a new year and the new landscaping season approaches us quickly, we are pleased to announce some exciting additions to our natural stone paving collection. First let’s start with our popular Sandstone and Limestone Trade Pack Range. Indian Sandstone and Limestone Trade Packs When we first launched this product range five years ago, it was always with the view to offer a budget range of sandstone and limestone patio packs to give our trade customers more choice when it came to price. We learnt a lot quickly and realised after visiting our suppliers in India that we could really offer a competitively priced product that did not compromise on quality. We looked at how our suppliers processed the stone and even changed suppliers that we felt did not come up to standard. This meant we had to pay more for the product, but it also have us peace of mind that we were getting value for money and could pass this on to our core customers. The Kebur Trade Pack range quickly developed a reputation for quality that could be relied on. The range now consists of six different sandstones and five different limestone patio packs with many of the popular colours now available to buy in single slab sizes as well. New to the range this month are: Tumbled Black Sagar Sandstone, which has warm mid and dark grey colour tones with a soft tumbled finish Kota Blue Limestone, which has cool blue/ green colour tones Coming next week is also the Antique Yellow Limestone, which has a warm yellow/ grey appearance...
by Jo | Oct 15, 2018 | Landscaping
How we maintain a great range of quality landscaping materials Kebur’s Director, Cliff Mosey, is responsible for sourcing all our landscaping materials, ensuring they meet our customers’ needs. Fresh back from international stone and porcelain trade fairs in Italy, and supplier visits in the UK, we asked Cliff what this work involves. What are the main things you look for when sourcing garden materials for Kebur? When we choose and monitor suppliers, we’re always thinking about three things. The first is value; finding products that offer excellent value for money whilst meeting our customer’s needs. Key to this is understanding our supply chain and each product’s technical specification so that we can ensure quality is good and prices are fair. This also includes thinking about the wider impact of production. For example, all our Grange fencing has Forest Stewardship Council certification, and we work personally with our stone suppliers to monitor their working conditions and practices. Secondly, we expect our suppliers to be reliable; this means holding good stock levels so they can be responsive to demand. In the last couple of weeks, for example, we have been talking to our fencing suppliers to make sure they have sufficient stock and manufacturing capability to cope with any severe weather this Autumn or Winter. Finally, our aim as a company is to always offer our customers plenty of choice. We know it’s really important for landscapers and home-owners to put their own stamp on their garden project, from the design and size format of paving, to different laying methods. We are look for suppliers who can fulfil a...
by Jo | Sep 24, 2018 | Landscaping
Despite what you might think, the most important part of our soil could be the space between the soil particles. About half of the total mass of soil is made of up interconnecting cavities or holes. These holes fill with both air and water. The amount of air and water in these spaces varies by season and location, but averages about 50% each. Maintaining the spaces between the soil particles is essential for healthy plants to grow because they: Allow mineral nutrients dissolved in water to reach the roots of plants Support the structure of the plant Allow water to pass through so the plant can take it up through the roots without sitting in water and rotting Hold oxygen that sustains the bacteria and fungi so they can break down organic matter, making nutrients available to the plants With all that in mind, it’s no surprise that one of the biggest risks to plant health is compaction of the soil. To give plants the best chance in your garden, here are three simple steps you can take to avoid over-compacting and protect those spaces between the soil particles: Avoid trampling on wet soil and be careful about driving vehicles or heavy machinery across it, especially if the soil is clay. If you are a hard landscaper, be mindful that your repeated footfall or machinery could harm the health of soil when you work in wet weather. Make sure you have plenty of organic matter. This helps to create larger soil particles so the spaces between them become larger too. Adding a regular layer of mulch...
