# Forum Home Renovation Landscaping, Gardening & Outdoors  Concrete mowing strip

## Green1

Hi Guys, 
I'm after some tips on a concrete mowing strip I'm contemplating. It's going along the back of a brick retaining wall so I stop whipper-snippering the paint off the wall! Plus there are some pool fence posts against the wall which create little corners the whipper-snipper can't reach.  
How thick should the concrete strip be? I was thinking of making it around 100mm deep and 100mm thick. Most of it will be underground. 
Also, do I need expansion joints and if so any tips about these?  The mowing strip will be about 10m long I think. 
Any tips appreciated. 
Thanks

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## dazzler

Hi Green1 
My only tip would be to use bricks mortared onto the ground than to use concrete. Much quicker IMO as you dont need to mix up nearly as much concrete, dont need formwork and dont need to clean mould off them if the area is prone to it. 
Other than that if using concrete make sure its lower than the grass so that only about every third cut needs whippering and make sure the formwork is strong so you dont get bulging along the length. 
have fun

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## Terrian

100mm thick and around 4 - 5m wide should be sufficient  :Smilie:  
ok, how about 100mm deep & 150mm wide then ...

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## Bleedin Thumb

What Daz said. Its easier to lay pavers or brick on a mortar bed. If you use a product -they call it envirosand  here-  basically recycled sand made from the fines of concrete and brick crushing to make your 1:4 mortar mix it will go off so hard you could drive over it with a car. And its cheap.

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## autogenous

There is some concrete products around you could look at also if the strip is straight.  
Is there is reconstituted limestone blocks or creme cement blocks in Queensland?  :Smilie:

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## mp0590

Mate, do it right the first time. Forget about bricks, pavers etc. They are good but require regulat maintenance and not to mention movement in some cases.  
I would recommend continuous concrete mower strips. Yes they are much harder to do but in the long run will be much better. The hardest part really is the formwork, you need form on both sides and I would recommend you use 75 ml skirting board and lift it with Brocken bricks to make the 100ml depth. They are cheep, flexible and strong enough to hold the concrete till its cures assuming you use enough pegs.. 100ml width is plenty enough for a mower strip, I made mine 250ml wide and put a stencil brick boarder over it with colour hardener. The border costs about $90 for 100lm and hte colour about $14 (Looks Magic though). 
As far as expansion joint is concerned you only really need to apply it where new concrete meets old concrete, but you absolutely should use a groover to cut control joints regularly.

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## rrobor

I dont see the issue here, why bother. Buy a descent mower thats easy to start and a good pair of edging shears and lifes sweet. When I cut grass I make sure there are clumps missed. It really upsets her indoors and she grabs the mower. OK I get the expletives, but thats better than cutting damn grass or edging it. Im far happier in the workshop.

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## Green1

Done months ago now fellas. Used thick clay pavers on a mortar bed, there is no foot traffic on it anyway as it is against a wall.  Then bagged it with dark cement. Only thing is the whipper snipper has taken off some render and the odd chip of paver her and there as well.  Too bad, it only took a couple of hours and it's out of sight and not a site!

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