Tools for Edging a Flower Bed

Excavation Tools

• Builders install masonry edging materials, such as clay bricks and concrete, and plastic edging materials, such as poly edging, within a shallow trench. Excavation tools range from the traditional, muscle-powered shovel for small projects to small excavation equipment, such as miniature loaders or backhoes, for large projects.

Tools for Installing Plastic Edging

• Usually made of vinyl or polyethylene, plastic edging sits within a shallow trench or rests directly atop the ground and attaches to plastic or metal stakes for stability. The installation of edging stakes requires pounding tools, ideally a soft-headed hammer such as a rubber mallet. Although household scissors suffice to cut through general purpose plastic edging, commercial-grade edging often requires stronger cutting tools, such as snips.

Tools for Installing Wood Edging

• Railroad ties and miniature picket fences are the most common types of wooden flower bed edging. Railroad ties and mini-pickets typically attach to stakes; railroad ties fasten to metal stakes and mini-pickets fasten to wooden stakes that imitate fence posts. Builders drive metal stakes with a sledge hammer and wooden stakes with a mallet. Following the installation of stakes, builders use hammers or power drills to drive nails or screws through the stakes and into the edging material.

Tools for Installing Masonry Edging

• Masonry edging units, such as concrete blocks or clay bricks, may be mortared or dry-stacked (installed without mortar). At a minimum, dry-stacking requires a mallet for leveling and tamping masonry units in place. Mortaring masonry units requires mortar mixing tools, such as a cement mixer or wheelbarrow and shovel, and spreading tools, such as a mason's trowel. The installation of solid concrete edging requires tools for building form work, such as saws, hammer and nails, tools for mixing concrete such as a concrete mixer, and finishing tools such as tampers, trowels and floats.