by Jo | Mar 19, 2020 | Community
Following the government announcement on 23 March, it is clear we all need to do our bit to protect lives and keep people at home. We regret that we will be closing our showroom temporarily from 24 March. This means: We’re really sorry you won’t be able to order with us for the next three weeks If you need to contact us you can email us at sales@kebur.co.uk and we will do our best to respond within our reduced capacity. Kebur’s latest position on COVID-19 Updated: 25 March 2020 We have spent the last two days speaking personally to all customers with outstanding orders and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your immense support this week. The decision to temporarily close has not been one we have taken lightly. We understand that not receiving supplies can have a big impact on landscapers’ businesses and many of our customers who wish to be improving their gardens at this time. However, the Prime Minister’s announcement on Monday was clear. Covid-19 presents us with unprecedented challenges. We need to do everything we can as a nation to reduce pressure on the NHS and key workers and protect lives by staying at home. We are taking this extremely seriously as a business. If there is some way that we can help to reduce the risk of this virus spreading, it is our responsibility to do so. Whilst we are unable to guarantee the safety of our employees and customers, we will be closed temporarily and suspend deliveries and online orders. Gardens are of course exceptionally important to us...
by Jo | Feb 28, 2020 | Landscaping, Paving, Inspiration and ideas
A very common experience for us is being asked to landscape a building project or extension that is finished or nearly finished. With so much to think about, it’s easy to leave garden planning until later in your project. But this can cause problems. Our clients sometimes find themselves unable to achieve that zero-threshold they’d been dreaming of, walking mud all over their new flooring, or with very little budget left for hard landscaping. Time spent early on planning your garden will give you more options, so your new home will look great inside and out, and your money will go further. In this blog, Kebur Landscape Division‘s Craig Deeley shares his top tips on how and why to make your garden an integral part of your extension or new build plans right from the start. Why are gardens important? Outdoor living spaces can improve our quality of life, giving us a place to socialise, dine and have fun, especially in the summer months. As an extension of your living space, planning your garden is every bit as important as the inside of your home. With modern technology dominating so much of our lives, our gardens are also the ideal place to boost our wellbeing by giving us a fix of nature and a calming view every day from inside our home. Plants and trees are also essential for removing CO2 and pollutants like carbon monoxide from the air, so are vital to creating a healthier environment for us all to live in (see RHS Why should we green Great Britain?). Many studies show that money well spent on...
by Jo | Jan 17, 2020 | Landscaping, Paving, Inspiration and ideas
Are you planning improvements to your home or garden? If you’re looking for characterful flooring or have bi-fold, patio or French doors, why not create a seamless transition from your kitchen or conservatory through to your patio or terrace? Using the same natural stone or porcelain in your home and garden is the perfect way to create a feeling of space and harmony. Choose from our wide range of porcelain and natural stone paviours that are suitable for both internal and external use. Whether your home is contemporary or traditional and whatever your budget, look no further than our porcelain and natural stone paving. Outside inside porcelain Porcelain tiles are made by pressing and firing sand, clay and water to very high temperatures. This makes an exceptionally hard and durable product suitable for external and internal use. Many of our porcelain tiles are available in both a thinner tile with a smoother finish (9-11mm) for inside, and a slightly more textured 20mm tile for outside. Our porcelain is: ✓ Slip resistant ✓ Low maintenance and easy to clean including with a jet wash ✓ Frost resistant (external tiles) ✓ Fully rectified to ensure uniform size and squareness ✓ Resistant to stains, mildew and fading ✓ Easy to lay Discover outside-inside porcelain Timeless natural stone The individual texture, veins and details in natural stone bring unique character and warmth to any home. Smoother stones tend to be particularly well suited to indoor spaces. Our huge choice of high quality 20-25mm paviours is ethically sourced, and ideal for a wide range of contemporary and traditional styles. With the option to pre-seal your...
by Jo | Dec 13, 2019 | Landscaping, Paving
Cliff and Ian recently visited some of our granite, limestone and slate suppliers in Southern India to take a close look at their latest production methods and improvements in working conditions. In this blog, we’ll be asking Cliff about what he learned from the trip… Why the visit to India? Indian natural stone has long been a favourite choice for garden paving. The Indian market offers us a huge range of characterful stone for every style, from our popular Natural Sandstone Trade Packs to contemporary options like sawn Black Granite or Pearl White Sandstone. With so much competition in India’s stone regions, suppliers are under constant pressure to keep prices low. Over the years we’ve been importing natural stone, we’ve found it’s really important for us to personally visit the factories and quarries it comes from. Doing this allows us to work with suppliers to make sure our products are the best quality and ethically produced. The good news is that every time we visit India, we see improvements to working conditions and facilities in the whole of the supply chain, from the processing factories right through to quarries. Where did you visit? We visited a number of quarries and factories in the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana regions where we source our Black Granite, Copper Slate and some of our Limestone paving. As the finishes vary on these products, we were looking at range of production processes, from machine cutting edges to brushing and flaming surfaces. How do you make sure Kebur natural stone is high quality? Visiting the quarries and factories gives us the opportunity to scrutinise...
by Jo | Nov 29, 2019 | Landscaping, Paving
There are many grouting products on the market, from simple sand and cement mortar, to two-part epoxy resins like GftK VDW. Each has some important differences which mean they are not simply interchangeable. When selecting the best grout for our own landscaping jobs, our team of installers always considers a number of factors: the type of paving, the base and bedding layer, aesthetics, lifespan, weather conditions and of course the budget. If this all sounds like a lot to think about, don’t worry. In this blog, Kebur Business Partner David Booton takes you through the pros and cons of each type of grout on offer, leaving you more confident in choosing the right product for your project. Some general rules about grout Each of the five types of grout below tends to have certain properties which we’ll go through. However, each manufacturer’s instructions will vary. So do always read these carefully before buying and applying a product. You can generally use any grout on a permeable sub-base, but only a few are suitable for a non-permeable base. Porous and sawn natural stones can be prone to staining and picture-framing when applying any jointing compounds or grouts. These problems can be very disappointing and costly to put right. We strongly advise that the best way of protecting porous stone like honed sandstone and granite is to pre-seal your paving before you install it. 1. Single part polymeric compounds For a versatile option that you can use with most types of paving, consider single part polymeric compounds like Joint-it and EasyJoint. They are quick and easy to apply by wetting the...
by Jo | Nov 1, 2019 | Inspiration and ideas, Wildlife
Planting a hedge in your garden can have many benefits; shrubs and hedges can add privacy, security, visual interest and protection from the wind. Box has been a traditional choice to define formal garden areas. However, with the recent increase in box blight and imported pests, many gardeners are looking for other options. In this blog, our friends at the Blackwater Valley Countryside Trust share their ideas on wildlife-friendly alternatives to box hedging. Box plants are evergreen, slow-growing and can be clipped into neat shapes, such as balls, pyramids and spirals. This makes them a firm favourite in modern gardens where space is at a premium. However, blight and box tree caterpillars are proving an increasing problem. Box blight is a rapidly spreading disease that causes bare patches to leaves and stems. Privet The humble privet is a great option instead of Box because its young growth provides valuable food for brilliant green privet moth caterpillars. These transform into one of Britain’s largest moths. If you hold back on cutting, you will be rewarded with small panicles of creamy white flowers which bees love. Later, birds will be attracted to the dark berries and they will also enjoy the cover of its twiggy growth. Even a neatly sheared privet hedge is loved by sparrows in suburban gardens. Lonicera nitida Lonicera nitida offers similar advantages to garden wildlife. Known as ‘Poor Man’s Box’, its small evergreen leaves mean it can easily be shaped into neat edging or grown into eye-catching topiary shapes. Clipping will expose the tiny scented honeysuckle flowers and purplish/black berries as a food source. Lavender...
by Jo | Oct 18, 2019 | Landscaping, Paving
We often get asked by landscapers and garden designers about the finer points of finishing a porcelain project. Because of its superb durability, porcelain paving is low maintenance and doesn’t need any additional treatments such as sealants during installation. However, there are a few differences between laying porcelain and natural stone. If you’re thinking about laying porcelain paving, we recommend reading our porcelain product guide thoroughly to understand the basics. These include laying on a full bed of mortar over a compacted sub-base, using a slurry primer and ensuring a minimum joint width of 5mm. In this blog, we thought we’d expand on this and share some of our top tips for achieving that top-quality finish in your porcelain paving jobs. How do I cut porcelain paving? Porcelain is exceptionally hard wearing, but it can chip when being cut. You don’t want your attention drawn to unsightly dinks around the edges of your tiles. Our advice is to use a dedicated porcelain diamond blade. Score when dry, add water and cut completely through both ends. then work slowly through the rest of the cut. This way you should achieve a beautiful clean finish. Can I get a curved edge on porcelain paving? Curved edges are an all-important element of many great garden designs. But some people think that these can’t be achieved with porcelain. However, cutting on a curve is straightforward if you have a handheld grinder with the correct blade and are confident using it. Always let the weight of the tool do the work and never force it or it will crack. Alternatively, bespoke cutting services are...
by Jo | Aug 23, 2019 | Landscaping, Paving, Inspiration and ideas
We’ll be showcasing some of our favourite products at this industry-leading event on 17 and 18 September at Battersea Park. Why not keep abreast of the latest landscaping knowledge and join us for a preview of our collection of natural stone and porcelain paving and accessories the show’s extensive programme of free seminars up to date ideas on landscaping design and techniques your chance to meet with industry-leading designers and contractors Register now for a free ticket and visit us on Stand...
by Jo | Aug 9, 2019 | Landscaping
We’re delighted to be sponsoring the Hard Landscaping category in this year’s Small Project Big Impact awards. These awards celebrate the talent that goes into creating beautiful gardens for under £25k. Smaller projects often get overlooked in the industry media. Yet these landscapers tend to face real challenges from limited space and/ or budgets. Hard Landscaping only category Excellent core skills A lovely finish Excellent value for money Efficient use of products A great level of technical ability Under £25k If any of your projects match these criteria, enter this category. As well as industry recognition for your hard work, winners receive a prize package supported by leading suppliers in the industry. These include a generous £1000 worth of Kebur materials! Hurry, applications end 30 August. Enter...
by Jo | Aug 2, 2019 | Inspiration and ideas, Wildlife
The estimated 24 million private gardens in Britain are thought to cover an area bigger than all of our national nature reserves combined. But many newer properties simply don’t have all the natural nooks and crannies that our insects need. And pollinating insects like bees are vital to the survival of many plant species. So even if your garden is small, it can be an important link to the countryside, and offer a much needed home for wildlife. Our friends at the Blackwater Valley Countryside Trust have been checking out the bug hotels created by children at RHS Hampton Court Garden Festival. Here are their ideas on how you can create your own at home. A perfect project to keep children busy in the garden this summer… Walking round Hampton Court Flower Show, it was cheering to see that today’s youngsters are definitely getting the garden bug – in more ways than one! Schools’ insect hotels were certainly drawing the crowds. The ingenuity which had gone into the construction was admirable and every house was certainly different. The basic principle was the same; to build a shelter for insects in order to improve the biodiversity of the garden. How to create your own bug home Start with a box frame filled with different layers of material. Kebur pallets are ideal (our yard usually has a good supply that you can pick up for free) Cover it with a waterproof roof Create insect holes from objects you have at home. Whatever you use, one end has to be sealed. The young architects at Hampton Court were experts in recycling all...
