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The Concrete Quest
 
A Biweekly Newsletter about Decorative Concrete            July 9,  2009
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What to Watch: Video on Concrete Garden Bridges

Garden bridge video

Scott Cohen describes the best uses and benefits of using concrete garden bridges in your backyard, and shows you an example of a bridge he created using a wood plank pattern.

Watch the video now.

Why Concrete Bridges are Better than Wood

Wood plank stamp

Although garden bridges can be made from different types of wood, why get stuck in the maintenance rut of staining and sealing a wood bridge year after year when you can build it out of concrete? A concrete bridge is structurally stronger than wood, requires little or no maintenance, and will never splinter. If you prefer the look of wood, you can stamp and color your concrete bridge to look just like wood planking.

See Wooden Plank Walkways from Concrete.


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Bridge the Way in Your Garden with Concrete

Hi ,

Concrete bridge over waterDo you have big leap-frog gaps in your garden or need a way to cross over a water feature? A concrete garden bridge may be the ideal solution. These functional paths perform double-duty by adding visual interest while improving transition and flow throughout your garden or poolscape. They also serve as wayfinders, guiding visitors to areas of interest. Get these pointers from landscape designer Scott Cohen of The Green Scene for how to bridge the gaps in your garden with concrete.

Jim Peterson,
The Concrete Network

Hire a structural engineer
Small concrete bridge
To make sure your concrete bridge is sound, hire a licensed structural engineer to determine footing needs, reinforcing steel requirements, spacing details, and maximum span length. Most concrete bridges should be about 4 to 6 inches thick.

Deciding on the width of your bridge
To determine how wide to make your bridge, consider the amount of traffic flow through your garden. Typically you'll need a bridge that's 3 to 4 feet wide for basic one-way foot traffic. If you expect two-way traffic flow and need to provide comfortable passing space, use a minimum width of 5 feet. Keep in mind that in order for a bridge to look proportionate, the wider you make it, the longer it should be.

Design tips for concrete bridges
Faux concrete drawbridge--It's easy to give your concrete bridge the look of wood or stone by using texture stamps and color. (See Stamped Concrete Pattern and Color Options.)
--Lightly tamp the head of a nail into the wet concrete mix after wood texture stamping. The recess left behind looks just like nail holes.
--Saw cut the concrete 1/4-inch deep between plank patterns for better definition.
--To mimic wood tones, color the base concrete a light tan or buff and apply two shades of darker brown or charcoal release agent.
--Add some "age" to your newly constructed concrete bridge by rubbing on some stain with a sponge.
--Create a faux concrete drawbridge to the entrance of your home by running chains from the top of the entryway to the end of the bridge.
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