How To Lay Artificial Grass?

Used as an alternative to natural turf, artificial grass can make a practical hard wearing alternative to lay as your lawn. There are many factors to consider, such as the location and size of the area to be covered and which type of artificial grass to use there. Carrying out the correct excavation and preparation of the area to be laid to lawn is essential. Finally rolling, cutting and gluing the surfaces needs to be done carefully to ensure that you have a nice smooth lawn.

Initially you need to find out if the terrain that you want to cover has adequate drainage. If the area is susceptible to retaining surface water all is not lost, as you can install suitable drainage below the surface using a crushed aggregate followed by a sand infill. Take an accurate measurement of the location to be covered and allow for a 100mm/4 inches overlap.

Not all artificial turf is equal; there are many factors to consider when you’re choosing which artificial grass to purchase. The colour and quality varies widely depending on its intended use. Two tone artificial turf is more expensive than regular turf but it’s much more realistic looking than the standard colours. For a regular lawn a pile height of 20mm/0.8 inches should be sufficient. Sports arenas usually have a pile height of 40mm/1.6 inches to lessen the chance of friction burns, if you’re going to have kids playing on the lawn you may want to take that into consideration. Your supplier will also be able to help you in selecting the grass blade density and the base infill that you will require.

Prepare the area by marking out the perimeter with treated timber stakes and tile battens. These will provide support and strength to whichever product you’ve decided to lay. Next you will need to excavate the area, remove any surface turf with a spade or you could hire a turf cutter for the day to speed the job up. Apply a good weed killer to kill off any remaining weeds and prevent their return before the end of the project.

If it’s necessary to install drainage below the surface do so now with a 70mm/3 inch deep layer of crushed stone topped with an infill layer of sand. If you don’t require any additional drainage you can skip the crushed stone and just use sand. Compact and level the ground with a vibrating or whacking plate ensuring that the surface is level. If you want to install a weed membrane do so now as it will prevent weeds from establishing themselves in the drainage holes of your artificial grass.

Now you’re ready to lay the artificial grass, roll it out and align the seams together. Using weights to prevent the synthetic grass from moving around at this point is advisable. Carefully cut around the edge of your marked out perimeter with a sharp Stanley knife. Ensure that you leave enough material to tuck down over the batten edge perimeter to cover it completely. Secure the edge of your new lawn to the battens with 35mm/1.5 inch galvanized nails.

It’s time to glue the surfaces together so carefully lift up the seams one at a time and lay the special adhesive tape on top of the weed membrane between the edges that need to be joined together. Secure the tape in to the ground using galvanized nails so that it cannot move around when you apply the adhesive and re-position the turf. Liberally spread the adhesive on the tape and gently fold the edges back into place together. Press the edges into place to ensure a clean join with no overlaps. Ruffle the edge of the newly joined pieces together with your fingers to make the edges look more natural by helping to conceal the join. When you’re happy with the join walk the length of it slowly and carefully several times, as this will activate the adhesive and help it to bond the materials together. Repeat this process of securing the joins together on each seam until you have completed the entire lawn. If you have any mishaps with the adhesive use a small amount of white spirit to clean it off.

Laying an artificial grass lawn should be within the capabilities of most people, but some of the materials involved can be quite heavy. Once it’s laid your new EverLawn® Artificial Lawn should last anywhere 30 years plus.

If you are still not 100% sure about laying artificial grass yourself please give us a ring on 01253 884410 and we will be happy to help.

Now you know how to lay artificial grass take a look at our full range of Artificial Grass here.