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How to lay artificial grass
Installing artificial grass is a breeze with our DIY guide. You might be wondering what to do when those artificial grass rolls arrive but if you make sure you have the right tools and materials and follow our instructions, you’ll soon be looking at a lush artificial lawn.
Weeds are a problem is you have natural grass. You certainly don’t want them with your new artificial lawn! If you install weed membrane before you lay the grass you’ll prevent any weed growth.
How to replace natural turf with artificial grass
1. Measure your area
Work out the width and length of the area you want to cover with artificial grass, considering any joins you may need to have. If you are still planning your project and need help measuring your area, head over to our planning page.
2. Gather your tools and equipment
Gather the tools and materials that you will need to install your artificial turf. These will include:
- Turf cutter
- Stanley knife or craft knife
- Tape measure
- Hammer
- Roller or planks for compacting
- Joining tape
- Grass glue
- Weed membrane
- Ground pins
- Sharp sand
3. Remove the existing surface
This can be done by hand if it is a relatively small area being fitted with artificial grass. For larger areas, use a mechanical turf cutter to remove the existing turf and soil. However, it must be taken into account to never build your base layer on top soil!
4. Compact the ground
Confidently compact the ground by using a vibrating plate or roller. These can usually be hired from equipment hire centres for inexpensive prices. A cheaper alternative would be to use planks.
5. Place grass edging down (optional)
Should you desire to use timber or other edging, place this down now. Ensure that edging is not higher than the final grass line, to allow the water to run-off the turf.
6. Lay your sand or stone base
Place down a minimum of 40mm of sharp sand or granite dust and spread evenly. If the sand is too dry, add a little wet sand.
7. Compact the ground again
Confidently compact the ground by using a vibrating plate or roller, or indeed the planks you may have used.
8. Roll out your underlay and grass
Carefully roll out your grass underlay first. Then on top of that, roll out your artificial grass, being careful to not disturb the weed membrane underlay. Remember, your artificial grass has a directional pile, so it will all need to face the same way if you have any joins.
We recommend laying the grass with the pile leaning towards your house or main area so that it looks more natural.
If you are installing a performance pad, put this down in between the underlay and grass layer.
9. Let the grass settle
It is advisable to now let your fake grass settle for a minimum of three hours and if possible, overnight. This will stop the grass from wrinkling or creasing.
10. Join any pieces together (if required)
In order to compose the joins of your grass, use our high-quality outdoor tape and glue, following the instructions on the products. Lay the tape (shiny side down) and apply the adhesive, before pulling the grass edges together and applying some weight to them. This can be achieved with plant pots, stones or other heavy materials.
11. Trim the edges
After the settling process is complete, cut and trim the artificial grass, using a sharp Stanley knife, ensuring the grass is cut neatly around the edges until you have achieved the desired shape.
12. Pin it down
When fitting our artificial turf, pin it down using our landscaping pins. Should you be using a timber frame, you will need to utilise flat-headed galvanised nails.
13. Brush the grass up and relax!
Finally, the fibre may be relatively flat from being rolled up, so be sure to brush against the pile with a stiff brush to bring the grass fibres straight and upright. Then sit back and enjoy your artificial grass lawn!
How to lay artificial grass on concrete or paving slabs
Can I Lay artificial grass on concrete?
1. Measure your area
Work out the width and length of the paved or concrete area you want to cover with artificial grass, considering any joins you may need to have. If you are still planning your project and need help measuring your area, head over to our planning page.
2. Clear the area
When installing and laying artificial grass on concrete, ensure that the concrete area has been brushed and cleaned down thoroughly. It is important that all debris is removed, in order to assess whether the surface is level enough to lay the artificial grass on the concrete surface.
3. Roll out your Performance Pad
When laying artificial grass on concrete, we recommend using one of our Performance Pads – particularly for larger areas as this will cushion the area. Roll this out onto the area to be covered and join with glue and tape.
4. Lay your turf
Roll out your turf onto the area you wish to cover. It is best practice to leave around 50mm of grass on either side of this to trim off. Leave your fake turf to settle for around three hours, which will prevent any wrinkling or creasing.
We recommend laying the grass with the pile in the same direction leaning towards your house or main area so that it looks more natural.
5. Make your joins
Should you need to make any joins, use our quality tape and glue-which come with simple instructions. If you are fitting artificial grass on a wooden surface, such as decking, a combination of adhesive and carpet tacks will easily fix your turf down.
6. Trim the edges
After leaving to settle, cut your turf using a sharp knife-and make sure you take particular care to leave a perfect edge!
7. Secure your grass
When coming to secure your artificial turf, you have two main options. You can dot and dab adhesive to the solid base and to the back of the grass. Alternatively, for a more decorative look, you can loose-lay your grass and weigh down with garden accessories, such as furniture or plant pots.
Looking for an artificial grass installer?
If you’re not confident enough to lay artificial grass yourself or would just like an expert to do it for you , get in touch with one of our approved artificial grass installers.
Temporary artificial grass installation
Only looking to install your grass on a temporary basis? Follow our simple guide to temporary artificial grass installation!
Frequently Asked Artificial Grass Installation Questions
We’ve put together answers to some of the questions we get asked most when our customers are getting ready to install their artificial lawn.
Can you lay artificial grass on soil?
You can install artificial grass on soil but it does require some preparation to do so. You will need to clear the area of weeds and grass and remove around 3 – 4 inches of soil and add a sub base – a geotextile membrane and sharp sand to provide a level area. You must never lay artificial turf straight onto a soil base.
Can you put artificial grass on top of real grass?
Laying artificial grass directly on top of real grass is not recommended. Not only will you give a greater risk of weeds growing up through your new grass, you’ll more than likely have a very uneven surface.
What do I put underneath artificial grass?
There are various types of sub-base you can use with artificial grass and it will depend on the surface you are laying the grass on. Most likely you will use a sharp sand for creating a flat surface and a weed membrane. An artificial grass underlay will also add extra comfort to an artificial lawn.
How do I prepare the ground for artificial grass?
If you are installing artificial grass on a traditional lawn, you will need to dig down up to 4 inches, lay a weed barrier and then level off the surface with sharp sand.
Can you lay artificial grass on stones?
You can lay artificial grass on stones but you may want to hire a wacker plate to get a compact flat surface before you start the installation process.
How long does it take to lay artificial grass?
How long it takes to lay artificial grass will be determined by a number of factors including the surface you are laying the grass, the size of the new lawn, and the amount of people helping with installation. Small gardens can be done in 1 -2 days. Putting artificial grass on a balcony might take 1 – 2 hours!
What sand do you put under artificial grass?
We recommend that you use a sharp sand, also known as coarse or grit sand, for the best results as it is both free-draining and gives a level surface.
What sub-base to use for artificial grass?
Sharp sand is a great choice as a sub-base, as is granite dust for a surface that will both be level and allow rainwater to drain through it.
How long does artificial grass take to settle?
It can take up to eight weeks for a new artificial grass lawn to settle.
How do you lay artificial grass on gravel?
To lay artificial grass on gravel we would recommend the use of a wacker plate to thoroughly level the surface before you begin the installation of your grass.
How do you cut curves in artificial grass?
To cut curves in artificial grass you will need to plan ahead, and have a very sharp knife, cutting the turf from underneath. Once you have shaped the grass, you will secure it as normal.
If we’ve not answered your questions here then get in touch, our experts will be more than happy to help you.
