Steel Landscape Edging Installed — Steel and Aluminum Bed Edging
Plastic edging heaves, kinks and pops up every spring. A steel edge set right is a straight line between lawn and bed that holds for years.
Steel landscape edging installed by JMB Builders is a metal strip set in a cut trench at the lawn line, staked, with the top held just above the soil so the mower wheel rides it and the trimmer never touches the bed. Steel for straight runs and gentle curves, aluminum where the curves are tight and the ground is wet. We install it on new and existing beds across the Twin Cities metro, priced per linear foot.
- Priced per linear foot, by the run
- Steel or aluminum, your choice by the shape of the bed
- Old plastic edging pulled and hauled
- Quote from photos, reply within one business day
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
Send photos and hear back within one business day — or book a free in-home estimate.
Edging has one job: keep the lawn out of the bed and the bed out of the lawn, with a line the mower can follow. Black poly edging does that for about two seasons here, then the frost lifts it, the mower catches it, and it waves along the bed in a line no one meant. Steel edging is a heavier strip that stakes into the ground every few feet and holds its line through freeze and thaw. Aluminum is lighter and bends tighter, does not rust, and is the pick for a bed with tight curves or a wet spot.
The install is a cut trench along the bed line, the edging set in it with the top a little above the soil and below the mower deck, stakes driven through the loops into undisturbed ground, sections joined with the connectors they come with, and the trench packed on both sides. Corners are bent on site or made with the manufacturer's corner pieces. On an existing bed the old plastic edging is pulled first and hauled, and the line is recut, usually a little simpler than it was.
Steel edging goes in with a new rock or mulch bed, or on its own along beds that already exist, or around a tree ring or a gravel path. It is also the edge that holds pea gravel and crushed granite in a path, which plastic does not.
What you supply
- Which beds, tree rings or paths get edged and roughly how many feet
- Steel or aluminum, and the finish: raw steel that rusts to brown, painted black or green, or mill aluminum
- Sprinkler heads and buried wires marked along the bed line
- The bed line you want if it is changing; we mark it with paint for you to approve first
What JMB supplies
- Old plastic or poly edging pulled out and hauled
- Bed line marked with paint and cut with an edger or sod cutter
- Steel or aluminum edging in the thickness and height that suits the bed, with stakes and connectors
- Corners bent on site, sections joined, top set just above grade
- Trench packed both sides and the lawn edge raked out
- Rock or mulch raked back to the new edge, and photos in your job folder
How it is priced: per linear foot
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- Total feet of edging across all the beds and paths
- Steel vs. aluminum, and painted vs. raw finish
- Curves and corners vs. straight runs along a foundation
- Old edging to pull and haul first
- Whether the bed line is being moved and the old lawn strip cut out
- Rock or mulch to add where the bed grew or the old edge sat
Send a photo of each bed from the lawn and a rough length. If the bed shape is changing, a quick sketch on the photo is enough to quote it.
How long it takes
Foundation beds and a tree ring or two: half a day. Edging all the beds on a lot with old plastic to pull: one day.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized reply within one business day. Prefer a look in person? A free in-home estimate is always an option.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Steel edging on foundation beds
Straight runs along the house with square corners, in a heavier steel that holds a line the mower rides. The standard install for rock beds along a foundation.
Aluminum edging on curved beds
Island beds, tree rings and sweeping bed lines, where aluminum bends smoothly without kinking and will not rust. Set the same way with stakes every few feet.
Edging to hold a gravel path
Steel both sides of a pea gravel or crushed granite path, set tall enough to hold the gravel and low enough to step over. The edge is what keeps a gravel path where it was built.
Replace plastic edging with steel
The old poly edging pulled, the line recut straight, and steel staked in its place. Usually done with a top-up of rock or mulch along the edge where the old strip sat.
Steel Landscape Edging Installed — Steel and Aluminum Bed Edging: questions, answered
Is steel edging better than plastic edging?
Yes, by a wide margin in Minnesota. Plastic edging is pushed up by frost, kinks on curves and gets chewed by the mower, and most of it is waving above the grass by its third spring. Steel is heavier, stakes deeper and holds a straight line for years. It costs more per foot, and it is still the cheaper edge over the life of the bed because it is installed once.
Steel or aluminum landscape edging?
Steel for straight runs and gentle curves, where its weight and stiffness hold a crisp line. Aluminum for tight curves, since it bends without kinking, and for wet spots and anywhere you do not want rust. Raw steel develops a brown rust finish many people like; painted steel and aluminum stay the color they came. We suggest one per bed from your photos.
Does steel edging heave in winter?
Much less than plastic. It is staked into undisturbed ground below the trench and the stakes resist lift, and its weight keeps it down. A section can lift a little in a wet spot over a bad winter and is tapped back down in spring. The problem spots we see are where someone set it shallow or skipped stakes, and we do neither.
How high should landscape edging stick up?
Just enough above the soil to stop mulch or rock from spilling onto the lawn, and low enough that the mower deck clears it and you can step over it. Set too high it is a trip edge and the trimmer line wraps on it; set flush it does nothing. We set it to the mower, and we set it a bit taller where it holds gravel in a path.
Can you install edging around an existing bed without redoing it?
Yes. The line is marked and cut, the edging set and staked, and the rock or mulch raked back to it. Plants near the edge are worked around. If the old plastic edging comes out first, the strip where it sat usually needs a little rock or mulch added, and we bring some.
Can you edge the whole yard at once?
Yes, and it is the cheapest way to do it since the price is by the foot and the setup is the same for one bed or ten. Beds, tree rings, the mailbox bed and a path edge in one visit is a one-day job on most lots. Send a photo of each spot and a rough length for each, and the quote comes back as one number.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners, builders and dealers. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough: a reply within one business day, or ask for a free in-home estimate. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
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Read morePage reviewed October 1, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All landscaping pages
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