The DIYer’s Step-by-Step Guide to Installing Artificial Grass

Want to adorn your lawn with turf but don’t know where to begin? We offer some tips on installing artificial grass and why to consider professional help. Artificial grass has been around for decades and has always been valued for the lasting beauty it offers to homes and businesses all over the world. Designs these days are considered much more resilient and realistic too, thanks to innovations in the manufacturing process. Without a trained eye, it is almost impossible to tell the difference without inspecting the installation up close.

Do-it-yourself installations are also possible with the product, with many homeowners opting to take on the process themselves. While it does require a level of expertise and quite a lot of labour, depending on the surface of the ground, it can be done with the help of one or two people. Below, we take a look at the differences between real grass and synthetic turf, as well as the steps to installing the product on your own.

Key Differences Between Installing Artificial Grass and Tending to a Live Lawn

There are a few important things to know about installing artificial grass, especially if you are transitioning from a live lawn. There are several reasons why people opt for synthetic turfs. Often, they struggle to keep up with the maintenance of real grass, since it requires watering, de-weeding, mowing and fertilising. With a busy lifestyle, frequent vacations, or even physical limitations, real grass can be quite frustrating. Artificial grass, apart from keeping clean and occasionally brushing it out to fluff up the blades, is low maintenance in comparison.

Not all gardens have the right kind of conditions for grass either – some may be too shady or have soil that is not the right pH balance or fertile enough for a lush lawn. Budgeting for both options looks different too. Turf may have a higher initial cost but is considered a money-saving investment as you will save on water, fertiliser and gardening services. In terms of environmental impacts, some people think of installing artificial grass as more eco-friendly because it does not require a lot of watering, and won’t need to be sprayed with pesticides and herbicides that may pollute water runoff when it rains.

The 4 Main Steps to Installing Artificial Grass at Home

There aren’t really any downsides to installing artificial grass. It’s certainly not for everyone since some people love gardening and value having real grass to which they can tend. Others may fear that the process of installing the turf is difficult, but there are countless detailed online videos and tutorials to guide you through the process. In essence, the installation requires four main steps:

• Step 1: Preparation, Tools, and Equipment – Once you have looked at a few products, your first step is to measure out the perimeter of the area you want to cover. You can then roughly work out what this will cost. You will also need to have some essential equipment, such as a spade, pickaxe, roller, turf adhesive and infill, seam-joining tape, your weed-protecting barrier and a utility knife. Levelling tools and a soil compactor are of great help too. If you do not already own these items, be prepared to pay quite a bit for them.
• Step 2: Assessing and Prepping the Surface – If there is grass, debris or weeds in the area, you will need to remove it and excavate the area until it is level. If you are working with a hard surface like concrete, there is no need for a sub-base drainage system. It is important to know that installations on hard, level surfaces are simpler and faster. Replacing real grass, however, takes much more time and effort.
• Step 3: Installing the Turf – Once the surface is prepared, you will need to lay down a weed barrier and secure it. Next comes the sub-base which you can drag into place, and finally, you can roll out the lawn into the correct position. You can then secure the lawn’s perimeter with landscape staples, nails or cement borders. Where two seams of different rolls meet, they must be secured to joining tape laid out on the ground beneath the seams, to ensure the seams do not lift or separate.
• Step 4: Laying the Infill and Brushing the Lawn – Lastly, silica sand infill must be evenly spread across the lawn with a hard-bristled broom. This fluffs up the fibres but also weighs the grass down and adds anti-microbial properties that prevent odours and bacteria.

It’s easy to underestimate the process when it is broken down into these steps, so it is important to remember that depending on the area you want to cover, it can be quite labour-intensive and costly. Ultimately, installing it with professional assistance is usually cheaper, faster and yields a better final result. This is why we always recommend consulting our professionals when it comes to installing artificial grass. With exceptional products, phenomenal installation guarantees and years of experience, our indoor and outdoor flooring solutions are unparalleled in the industry.

If you want to know more about our synthetic lawn range or get a custom quote today, click here.