by Jo | May 4, 2018 | Landscaping, Community
With National Gardening Week in full swing, it’s great to see so many activities celebrating our outdoor spaces. We are hearing more than ever about the power of green space and gardens to improve our social, physical and mental wellbeing. School gardening projects have been shown to boost confidence and creativity, and to break down social barriers for children with learning and/or behavioural difficulties. Studies also show that stress levels and mood are directly related to the amount of green space in people’s area. And for those with stress and depression, garden-oriented rehab programmes have been shown to significantly reduce the number of GP visits. Gardening is not only great for boosting endorphins, the body’s natural ‘feel good’ hormone, the physical activity means it burns the calories too. No wonder then that doctors are starting to recognise ‘horticultural therapy’ as an effective prescription. As you might expect, we at Kebur are passionate about helping people benefit from gardens and nature, so it has been a great privilege to help some recent local projects to do just this. This March, we donated materials for a forest school canopy at St Peter’s Primary School in Farnham. The canopy allows children from across the school to benefit from learning outdoors in a natural environment whatever the weather. Last month, we were impressed with the number and range of nominations for the Kebur Community Challenge, our annual competition, in conjunction with Eagle Radio, for £2000 worth of materials. It has been great to see local groups wanting to improve their green spaces for so many reasons; for healthy eating, play and risk-taking, contemplation...
by Ian Metcalfe | Nov 9, 2017 | Landscaping, Paving
Cliff and Ian recently visited Kebur’s porcelain suppliers in Italy and Spain to check out the manufacturing process, the product ranges and to strengthen our partnerships. In Italy most of the many producers are based in or near the Sassuolo area, just south of Modena in the province of Emilia-Romagna. In Spain it’s very similar with a high concentration of factories in the Castellon area just north of Valencia. Whilst there are many tile producers, a relatively small proportion currently produce the 20mm thick tiles suitable for exterior paving. In all the factories we visited, the manufacturing process is very similar. Technicians scan real wood, stone or concrete pieces that they want to recreate as porcelain tiles. The scanned images are then manipulated or “photoshopped” to produce a series of designs for the tiles. The carefully selected raw materials of clay, sand and other minerals are mixed and stored in silos. Different colours are produced to form the appropriate coloured bodies for each specific type of tile. The silos then feed large presses that press the tiles in molds at around 600kg per cm². At this stage the formed tile is solid but can be snapped like a biscuit. The tiles are then dried to remove the moisture, before moving on to a conveyor system where a glaze is applied and then digitally printed, with the ink penetrating through into the top layers of the paving. This relatively new digital printing technology has hugely improved the quality of the final appearance of the tiles in recent years. Robots transport the tiles in giant racks from one stage to the next....
by Jo | Oct 30, 2017 | Landscaping, Inspiration and ideas
You don’t have to spend a fortune or all your spare time on your garden. If yours needs a pick-up in time for Christmas, these easy weekend projects won’t break the bank and will still leave you time to enjoy a cosy Sunday roast… 1. Paint your fencing The British weather can have a damaging effect on any garden so all timber needs a bit of TLC from time to time. A simple coat of wood treatment can prolong the life of your fence and leave it looking much fresher. With a range of colours on the market, you can transform the look of your garden, all for relatively little cost. 2. Refresh with decorative aggregates Make your garden easier to maintain by replacing grass with decorative aggregates. This space has been given a contemporary facelift by switching lawn for a local gravel and elegant grasses, which are great for drought resistance and don’t need regular mowing! Gravel provides better drainage than paving and is a great value option for large spaces. Photo by Oxford Garden Design – More exterior ideas 3. Add a garden structure for a focal point Focal points help guide your eyes through your garden, entice you into the space and add your personal character and style. Sit and stand in places where you are most likely to look at your garden and visualise where you would like to lead the eye. Consider statement planting, a winding path and seating or timber structures. This path leading to a pergola creates an appealing place to relax. 4. Clean up your driveway or patio Natural stone can be prone to build up of stains, mould, algae and residue that can be difficult to shift...
by Jo | Sep 29, 2017 | Landscaping
To mark FSC® Friday, we thought we’d share this short video, which is a great reminder of how many products are timber-related and why we should think about protecting our forests. Choosing responsibly sourced timber is a small action we can all take to protect the future of our forests and the wildlife in them. We at Kebur are proud to be offering all our Grange products – including fencing, trellis, gates and structures – as fully FSC® certified. Next time you are looking for a timber-related product, from construction or landscaping timber, to paper or toys, remember to look for the FSC ® logo....
by Jo | Sep 11, 2017 | Landscaping, Garden case studies, Paving, Inspiration and ideas
Creating the perfect garden requires careful thought about the look and feel you want, working with your existing space, light and budget, and usually over-coming the odd challenge to make things happen! We asked Christine from our sales team what makes her new garden special… What were your main considerations when designing your garden? We moved to our new home December 2016. The only room that needed any attention was the outside room, better known as the garden. It was unkempt, unloved with no real appeal. There were many discussions about what we wanted from our garden. As it’s southeast facing it attracts sun most of the day. We discussed our ideas with Dan Grimes, a landscaper who uses Kebur. We wanted an open feeling, somewhere to sit, sunbathe and most importantly relax in the evenings and weekends. Nothing too fussy and reasonably low maintenance. Each time Dan came around, our planned patio area was getting larger – we’re really glad it did! Why did you choose the products? The slabs we wanted needed to be low maintenance, bright and good looking. We had a budget, discussed and weighed up which would be the best options to suit our requirements. Kebur had just launched their new porcelain range. Although they were at the higher end of our price bracket, we liked the fact that they didn’t need sealing, are very easy to keep clean, hard wearing, anti-slip and keep the same appearance from new. We chose the beautiful Thunderstorm porcelain which has a lovely detail that looks very like veining in natural stone. What was it like having the work...
by Jo | Jul 28, 2017 | Inspiration and ideas
If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to keep your children entertained this summer, why not create a place for activity and adventure right in your own back garden? Who doesn’t love a sand pit? Using railway sleepers, you’ll have one built in no time. Build a sandpit from railway sleepers You will need: Untreated railway sleepers Timber-fast landscaping screws Play sand Fabric membrane to stop weeds from growing into the sand and allow water to drain if it rains Choose your spot Make sure your sandpit it is positioned somewhere flat, away from hanging trees that could drop leaves in the sand, and that it is visible so your children can be supervised. If you want to build the sand pit directly on to decking, make sure that the area is strong enough to hold the structure and as well as sand and children. Five simple steps Dig up any turf and flatten the area using a rake so that the sand pit can sit straight on the top of it. Measure and cut the railway sleepers to size using a circular saw, hand saw or chainsaw if you are confident enough and lay the pieces around the perimeters of the area you have prepared. Be careful and get help because the sleepers are heavy. Fix the sleepers together using Timber-fast landscaping screws. Depending on the size and depth of sandpit required, the railway sleepers can be placed on edge or laid flat in two layers, with staged joints in a brick bond pattern. Screw them together to ensure that the structure is firm enough for children to...
by Ian Metcalfe | Mar 22, 2017 | Landscaping
Porcelain paving advice Since the launch of our Contempo Porcelain earlier this year, we have had a lot of interest from customers and many of the landscapers have been cracking on with some impressive installations. We are always happy to talk to you about preferred laying methods and the advantages of porcelain as a paving material. Just call or ask in our office for details and view our full range of porcelain paving on display. Reward on Cement Purchases At Kebur we supply the Hope Professional Grade Cement. A strong, durable cement in plastic bags with consistent colour, great workability, frost protection and reduced bleed. Hope Cement have a Reward Loyalty scheme which means you collect points on bags of cement you buy. Build your points to collect rewards in the shape of vouchers from John Lewis, River Island, Red Letter Days, iTunes, M&S and many many more. Simply download the very user friendly app from the App Store or Google Play and start building your points. Simple to use, all you have to do is select Kebur Garden Materials as the stockist, Professional Grade Cement as the product and upload a picture of your receipt. And as an added bonus in April, Hope Cement will be giving away a Ford Transit Custom Van to one lucky Hope Cement App user. For any further questions please call us on 01252 517571 or email us on...
by Ellie Sawdy | Feb 22, 2017 | Landscaping, Paving
Our Kebur Contempo Brazilian Slate Paving is now available in store and online. This gorgeous slate comes in two different colours blue and grey. Both colours come in contemporary sizes 900 x 600, 600 x 600, 600 x 400. This slate has a lightly riven surface with sawn edges. Brazilian slate is strong, with low water absorption and frost resistance ensuring the stone looks good for longer and requires little maintenance. Our Brazilian slate is laid in our outside display area in both colours, we would always recommend customers to come and have a look at the paving laid. For any further questions please email us sales@kebur.co.uk or call on 01252...
by Ellie Sawdy | Jan 26, 2017 | Uncategorized
Bradstone have released some exciting new products for 2017! Bradstone’s porcelain range originally included the Mode and Madera collection. This year they have an additional 10 styles. One of the new additions includes the Madera Antigua, this beautiful wood effect porcelain paving have an uneven and irregular profile which give a strong replica of aged wood. As well as their new porcelain additions they have also brought out the Metallico range, using Bradstone’s Next Generation Concrete, they have produced a patio slab which is intense in colour and maintains its original good looks. All of Bradstone’s new products are available to order in store and on-line, to see their full range please visit our website or pick up their brand new brochure. For any further questions please call us on 01252 517571 or email us...
by Ellie Sawdy | Jan 10, 2017 | Landscaping
Its here! Over the last year Kebur have been carefully selecting the finest porcelain from Spain and Italy for our new Contempo Porcelain range. We have the items available to order in store and online. The range features a number of different colours and styles including a wood effect paving and French Limestone replicas. This 20mm thick porcelain stoneware tile is especially designed for outdoor use. Its high resistance to breaking load and stress, as well as its extraordinary slip-resistant features, make this an ideal tile for outdoor areas, both public and private. Unlimited Durability: Anti-icing and fireproof High resistance to chemical and atmospehric agents Not affected by moss or insects Easy to maintain and clean. Does not absorb stains. Fade & scratch resistant Our porcelain is currently a stock item, our 2017 brochure will be available soon. For any further questions please contact us on 01252 517571 or email us sales@kebur.co.uk ...
