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If you’re installing retaining walls with the aim of creating a seamless and unified design in the Indianapolis or Northwest Indiana region, you may want to spare a second to think about coping. Here we’ll look at how coping can help you achieve the look you’re going for with your retaining walls.
Why Coping Matters
Coping on a retaining wall provides a pleasing finish and has a number of different practical purposes. Traditionally coping is used to protect the wall from the elements, ensuring that rain and moisture do not seep down into the wall and cause structural damage. Because Unilock wall stones are so durable, this is no longer an issue. However, if you’re considering extending the lifespan of your existing walls built from natural material, Unilock coping is essential.
As well as protecting vertical structures, retaining wall coping serves the purpose of providing additional surface area for housing potted plants or allowing your retaining wall to double as comfortable additional seating. In addition, coping extends beyond the edge of the wall, providing a ledge that can be used for installing concealed lighting.
Maximizing Appearance
Your choice of coping will have a powerful influence on the overall aesthetic effect of your landscaping. Luckily, you can easily customize the appearance according to both color, material, and even texture. Choose coping that matches the retaining wall for a blended effect, or include color variation or contrast for something more striking.
Two examples of such coping include Ledgestone and Estate Wall and come in many shades that are widely appropriate for use. Ledgestone is universally compatible with most architectural styles and its three subtle colors, Buff, Grey and Blue, provide a complement to most color schemes. Estate Wall, meanwhile, has the ageworn appearance of natural rock. Its soft, earthy colors include the cool/warm tonal variations of Sierra and the rich dark browns of Coffee Creek that can be matched to highlight specific tones in your wall verticals, pavers or surrounding landscape.
Check out this related read for more on making your functional retaining wall a landscape feature!
Maximizing Comfort
If your retaining walls are going to serve the double function of additional permanent seating, you’ll want to make sure that the coping you select is comfortable as well as visually attractive. Comfort can be attained in one of two ways: by providing a smooth, flat surface that can be used as a seat, and by ensuring an edge that does not snag on clothing or scrape the backs of the legs of people using the additional seating. Both Brussels Fullnose and Ledgestone present such a finely textured surface. The rounded edge of both also makes them ideal for such a purpose.
Getting the right help
Rather than settling for a yard with which you aren’t thrilled, consult a Unilock Authorized Contractor to help you design and install your retaining wall systems and your selected coping. He or she can assist you with choosing the various features needed for your yard as well as highlighting those that you prefer. The added value to your property as well as the increase in your quality of life make the investment well worth it.
The title image features a seat wall built from Estate Wall in River with Sandstone Brussels Dimensional Stone banding and Buff Ledgestone coping.
