First time trying to edge my sidewalk. Grass was completely overgrown. Tried to use a string trimmer to cut it back a ways then used my electric edger. Have no idea how to do this properly, or keep a consistent line with the sidewalk.
by MellooFelloo
49 Comments
Keep doing it each time you mow. You have a lot to clear off, so practice and time will straighten it out.
4/5 for string use.
It’s never going to look good with a string. It’s not going to dig into the ground enough. And electric doesn’t have the power (ones I’ve used).
It appears that your dirt line is higher than the sidewalk so too much rain/water will cause it to slide like mud overlapping sidewalk….which creates a mess everytime. Best I can suggest is to create a border trench maybe 4-6″ into the grass, and pound it hard and spray it every week to make sure no grass ever grows there again.
It’s all about practice. Your lines more than likely will be shit in the beginning but you’ll eventually learn your device and the amount of pressure you need to put down, plus develop a steady hand. By season’s end you’ll be a pro
The wet/dirty part makes it look deceiving. Once that washes away and you keep up with it, it’ll be straight as a Home Depot 2×4. Kidding, it will look great.
They’re not terrible. Use your edger first and clean the lines up with your trimmer. Keep practicing, don’t go too wide or you’ll end up with ditches.
Sometimes you edge a few beers in…it happens.
With a straight edged spade and a plank to use as a straight edge.
I use an edger. Works great. Also use around mulch flower beds
Get a half moon hoe and do it manually with a wheel barrow. You need to remove a quarter inch of soil and grass. Only then can you use a string trimmer.
Gas edger
The more you do it the better it will look. I use a Stihl stick edger. On all edgers blades are consumables. Ride along the side of the concrete not on top of it.
String trimmer flipped 180 with edgeguard off.
You have to get to the edge of the walkway. You’re not there yet.
The ground is really high so it will be tough in the beginning. It will get better and easier. Take your time until you make straight lines.
Yeah the Tiktok guys make it look easy but even they will chew up that line every once in a while. Just keep practicing and maybe grab a dedicated edger if the clean line is not getting better. Most weeks I will refresh the edge with the string then when it gets a bit rough Ill do the next with the dedicated edger.
Rotary scissors tipped up on its side. Cleaner than an edger. Keep it up with every mow and it’ll be nice n crispy. The first time is gonna look nasty and make you question why you did it.
A steady hand, a long string in the trimmer, and practice
You could do it with a flat shovel, just takes longer. I agree practice with the trimmer youll get better. I got the edger attachment for mine now so Im not constantly changing string.
I can cut wood straight with a circular saw but I don’t because my table saw does the job cleaner, faster, and it looks better.
Get the right tool for the job. Buy an edger.
I do the edges once a year with a sawzall to clear out the dirt. the rest of the time i use a string trimmer.
Yeah , That’s Bad , Looks Like A Butter Knife Job .
I have found it’s best to establish or cut in your first edge when it is dry. If the soil/sod is wet or damp you will get similar results and having to go over more times
Edger, followed by string trimmer every time. Milwaukee has a combo with a high output battery for 299 right now and its pretty badass.
This is basically what everyone’s first time looks like lol.
One thing I had to learn was not to rush it. The more you do it the better you’ll get!
I used a flat bladed shovel from the lawn side cutting into the cement at a 45• angle. It gets the surplus firt away from the pavement and cleans the cut line well. It takes a couple times per summer, but by the following spring it stays pretty well defined. Weekly line trimmer maintenance is easy and quick.
It’s actually not bad. Looks like you got a lot of rain that washed some soil down to the edge making it look not clean. When I edge I dig a shallow trench along the edge of the concrete.
I use a string trimmer. At the beginning of the season I usually have to use my edge though.
https://preview.redd.it/2t1268tuf1ze1.jpeg?width=2252&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bfc07033689ac8eeac5a8c37371d48f52b87fd34
First mow of the year, I use a trenching shovel to create a nice edge around the driveway, patio, and walkways. Subsequent mows are simply with the trimmer or edger to keep the edge clean.
Edger attachment for my string trimmer, fist cut of the season takes a bit, but after that it’s as fast as I can walk
It’s a start, far from the worst I have seen. Looks like they need to be a little bit tidier and that comes with practice.
As others have said, keep at it.
Honestly not bad, just a lot of dirt still to cut back before the results you want. Keep going, you’ll get there.
I think the #1 way to make this look better is to shovel, spray and brush the sidewalk free of all that dirt and grass. A string trimmer can look okay, I’ve found that committing to a line and slowly walking it will look better than trying to go over it multiple times.
It honestly doesn’t look bad. There’s a lot of dirt that needs to be power washed off the sidewalk. Once that’s done, you have a really nice edge there.
Hard edge it once or twice.. use a string trimmer if necessary to clean it up.. the caked up dirt on the concelrete needs to be scraped with a flat shovel
Wheels on concrete. Blade next to, and set below line of pathway on the grass side. I go forward slowly and then run it backwards to get a much cleaner and complete cut.
I beat the shit out of my edger blades because I have them pressed right against the concrete to give me a good guide. Blades are cheap, and I love a clean uniform cut.
Goldenedge blade.
Not terrible at all. Will look “cleaner” once the moisture on the sidewalk dries
You still haven’t hit the edge of the concrete. You might consider one of those flat blades edging tools to find it, scrape away the excess, and use your edger going forward.
its like driving, look further ahead, not 6 inches in front of you, it will straighten things out and reduce the choppiness. also just looks like a lot of old dirt, a flat shovel or some brooms and time will fix that
Turn my string trimmer sideways. I edge the walks, drive and 200 ft of curb every time I mow. Takes me about 10 minutes.
You run the edger right down alongside the outside of the sidewalk. Have it literally skipping off the cement. Otherwise, just everything others have said. Follow up with string trimmer or even a shovel to clear the dirt on the sidewalk. After a couple times you’ll only need the string trimmer and the edger maybe 1-2 times per year. If you are real careful with the string trimmer you can bevel the face of the remaining grass and get it to grown right down to the cut edge.
Poorly.
I find that I get smoother lines if I’m walking on the grass with the wacker facing the sidewalk, I don’t know if there is any science to that, but made a difference for me.
My guess on the science is that my muscles are more sensitive to pushing than pulling. E.g when the wacker is facing the lawn it wants to pull into the grass and I don’t realize it, but if I’m in the grass, my muscles feel it and push back better.
I suppose if I did more pull exercise at the gym I wouldn’t have such a problem haha
Practice makes perfect. Try and get that cut as straight up and down as you can get it. You will get better at it over time.
Everyone starts off like this. Good thing the grass grows back so you get plenty of practice!
The worst and best thing is you get to try again next week!
It’s double bad since it probably hasn’t been cut back in a while, so it’s showing mud stain wet marks on the sidewalk. Once it dries as you keep the edge clear it’ll look better. And so will your cuts after a few more weeks of practice.