Dry, ready-mix concrete is easy to use, but its cost can sometimes be prohibitive for homeowners on a tight budget. It is possible to mix your own concrete if you understand the concepts involved and use the right equipment. For a standard concrete mix, combine 2 ¾ parts stone and gravel aggregate, 2 ½ parts sand, 1 part cement, and ½ part water in a gas or electric concrete mixer. Determine the square footage of the area you are pouring concrete over to determine how much sand, gravel, and cement mix you will need.

A Tool Shed of San Jose offers all of the equipment and tools you need to lay down concrete around your home. We have concrete mixers, bull floats, power trowels, electric concrete vibrators, cement wheelbarrows, and more. Visit our website to see all of our tool and equipment rentals, or call us at (831) 359-4769 to speak with one of our equipment rental experts. 

Establishing a lush, healthy lawn requires proper planning, attention to detail, and a bit of elbow grease. It also requires the right tools. Because you only need to seed your lawn twice a year, you can save a lot of money (and a lot of space in your garage) by renting your tools instead of buying them. To help you keep your lawn looking great year round, here is a look at some of the essential tools you will need to plant your lawn.

Grass Seeder

The key to having a magazine-quality lawn is spreading an even layer of grass seeds during the recommended planting dates . A manual or motorized grass seeder is the best way to quickly and evenly seed your lawn. Your equipment rental provider will have various types of seeders to choose from based on your budget and the size of your lawn.

Lawn Aerator

Although a lawn aerator is not required, it is an essential piece of lawn equipment that can have a big impact on the health and appearance of your grass. Lawn aerators poke thousands of tiny holes in your lawn, which increase the soil’s ability to hold moisture and make it easier for young grass roots to grow strong.

Hand Tools

There are some essential hand tools that every homeowner should have in their garage or tool shed. If not, you can get the tools you need from your equipment rental provider. In terms of lawn care, a rake, shovel, garden hoe, and pickaxe will help keep your lawn looking great.  

From push-behind mowers and hydraulic drive tillers to rakes and shovels, A Tool Shed has everything you need to keep your lawn looking great all year round. Visit our website to see all of our lawn and garden equipment rentals, or call us today at (831) 359-4769 to find the equipment rental location nearest you .

Join us at the Kiwanis Turnaround Scholarship Benefit Thursday, May 21st. There will be a silent auction, live music, wine tasting and more! The event runs from 6pm – 8pm at Villa Ragusa (35 South Second St. Campbell, CA)

Before you gear up for summer, enjoy the last days of spring while you can. Besides the cooler temperatures, spring is also the best time to prepare your lawn for the long, warm summer days ahead. Use a rake to clear your lawn of leaves, twigs, animal droppings, and other unsightly debris. You will also need to apply a spring lawn fertilizer to help your grass grow strong and healthy into the summer and fall months.

For more tips on caring for your lawn this spring, watch this video series. In it, a landscape horticulturist from the National Gardening Association provides tips, tricks, and techniques for taking care of your lawn in the spring. 

A Tool Shed has all of the tools and equipment you need to keep your lawn looking great. From gas-powered lawn mowers to hand tools like shovels and rakes, we have the best selection of rental equipment in San Jose . Visit our website to see our entire selection of rental tools and equipment, or call us at (831) 359-4769 to speak with us directly. 

There are advantages and drawbacks to tilling your garden, but then again there are also advantages and drawbacks to not tilling your garden. While tilling helps to get garden beds started quickly, not tilling improves soil quality in the long run. Depending on the soil condition where you live, you might not have a choice. That’s because areas with heavy clay require tilling to break up the soil before converting to a no-till system.

If you decide that tilling is best for your garden, come to A Tool Shed to find the right rototiller for your needs. We have a large selection of gardening and landscape equipment for rent , including tillers, aerators, levelers, seeders, and more. Visit our website or stop by one of our six equipment rental locations in San Jose and the surrounding areas to see everything we have to offer. If you have any questions, please call us today at (831) 359-4769. 

Your lawn probably looks the saddest it has all year, but it certainly doesn’t have to stay that way, especially with spring arriving in San Jose. With the right advice (and the right equipment), you can turn your lawn into a lush, green haven that will be the envy of the neighborhood. A Tool Shed supplies all the gardening and landscape equipment rentals you need, and we’d like to offer all of the advice you need as well. Here are some of the best tips for getting your lawn ready for spring and summer.

Cut Your Grass Low

If you have a warm-season lawn such as Bermuda, St. Augustine, or Zoysia grass, you will need to move that old, brown grass low to remove the dead stems and leaves that accumulated during the winter months. Heavy thatch prevents water and nutrients from reaching the roots. If you are not sure how to change the setting on your rental lawnmower, the staff here at A Tool Shed will be happy to show you.

Aerate Your Soil

Once you give your lawn a haircut, you will need to aerate it. Your local equipment rental store has aerators that you can borrow for the day. This machine uses steel tubes to take plugs of soil from the lawn. This allows water, air, and roots to penetrate compacted soil, which promotes healthy growth throughout the spring and summer months .

Stop Weeds in Their Track

Ideally you should apply a pre-emergence lawn weed preventer in late winter, but it’s never too early to battle weeds at the source. You can rent a seeder to disperse lawn weed preventer evenly. A word of caution; if you are sowing grass seeds this spring, don’t put down a pre-emergence treatment, as weed preventers keep grass seeds from coming up too.

From push mowers and aerators to seeders, edgers, and tillers, A Tool Shed has everything you need to keep your lawn and garden looking its best this spring and beyond. Visit any one of our six equipment rental stores in San Jose and the surrounding areas. For additional information about our tool and equipment rentals, call us at (831) 359-4769. 

If you love cooking as much as you love being outside, build an outdoor kitchen and bring your two passions together! With the right materials and the right knowledge, you can have the outdoor kitchen of your dreams. In this video from HGTV, you’ll learn what you need to build a beautiful outdoor kitchen. 

You can find everything you need to get the job done at A Tool Shed . We carry a huge selection of hand tools and power equipment for rent, including nail guns, circular saws, table saws, and more. Visit our website to see everything we have to offer, or stop by one of our six equipment rental locations in San Jose and the surrounding areas. If you have any questions about our tool and equipment rentals, call us at (831) 359-4769. 

Do you ever wonder how your neighbors get their lawns to look so perfectly manicured? Chances are your most landscape-savvy neighbors are using a lawn edger. The thin strip of grass that lines your driveway and walkways and surrounds your flower bed and patios is just as important (if not more so) than the large expanse of green inside it. Riding mowers and push mowers are too wide to get a crisp edge around your lawn. Here are some tips on how to use the lawn edger you just got from your local equipment rental store .

Safety First

First and foremost, consider your safety and the safety of those around you before you operate a lawn edger. Wear long pants and closed-toed shoes when edging your lawn. Before you take the edger home from the equipment rental shop, have the staff show you where the safety guards are located and make sure they are working properly. Also, never use a lawn edger at night unless the area is well light by good artificial light.

Watch Out for Obstacles

When edging, point the blade between the edge of your sidewalk or driveway and the grass. Keep the blade away from trees, mailboxes, flower bed edging, and other obstacles, as these objects can wear down the edging blade. Also look out for rocks and other pieces of debris as you move along. A lawn edger can sometimes shoot small pieces of debris outwards after running them over.

Choose an Edging Material

To give your lawn a professional finishing touch , choose an edging material to fill in the outline you just made around your lawn. Concrete and brick pavers are very durable and will give your lawn a formal, professional appearance. You can also use unconventional edging materials, such as seashells, bottles, or even roofing tiles.

Here at A Tool Shed in San Jose, we have gas lawn edgers available for rent for as little as $33 per day. We also have a large selection of gardening and landscape tools that will help you keep your property looking great. Visit our website or call us at (831) 359-4769 to learn more about the tools and equipment rentals we offer . 

April is here, which means it’s time to start taking care of your lawn and garden after coming out of the winter months. Even though some homeowners prefer to re-seed their lawns during the fall, early April in Southern California is moderate enough to apply new seed to your lawn before the warm temperatures set in. In this video, you will learn how to re-seed your lawn, including what fertilizers and compost mixtures to use and how often to water your lawn. 

If you need tools or equipment to care for your lawn this spring, come to A Tool Shed Equipment Rentals in San Jose. We carry all of the lawn and garden tools you need to maintain your home’s landscape. From hand tools to heavy-duty equipment, you can rent it all from us! Call us today at (831) 359-4769 to find the location nearest you . 

Spring is finally here, and that means lawns and gardens throughout San Jose are about to become a lot more vibrant. If your lawn took a beating during the winter, you may be thinking about planting new grass seeds to bring it back to life. However, some experts recommend that you wait until early fall to sow the grass. It’s almost impossible to keep new grass seed moist in the summer without nearly constant watering. In the fall, between August and October, the soil is warm, but daytime temperatures are moderate, waking watering less of a problem.

Whenever you decide to re-seed your lawn, you can get everything you need to complete the job at A Tool Shed Equipment Rentals. With locations in San Jose and the surrounding areas, we are your source for lawn and garden equipment rentals in Southern California . We have seeders, tillers, edgers, and more. We even carry hand tools! Visit our website or call us at (831) 359-4769 to find the location nearest you.