How To Lay Down Artificial Grass

Over the past few decades, artificial grass has become just as popular as natural grass, not only in the sports field, but also the home market. Perhaps best known for lining football pitches the world over, including some for major sports clubs, this material also enjoys considerable popularity amongst home-owners, for its combination of visual appeal and negligible maintenance. It is for this reason that DIY retailers make turf available in their home and garden department.

DIY enthusiasts should not, however, be fooled into thinking laying down turf is easy. In fact, while not impossibly difficult, the process is morose, and best left to a specialist company. Those who do wish to try their hand at laying their own artificial grass, however, might find the guide provided in the paragraphs below to be a particularly useful source.

Getting Started

Before laying down turf, home-owners should take some basic measurements of the area they want to cover. Once these figures have been ascertained, a layer of builders’ sand should be spread out across the area to be covered, to a depth of 35mm. This will serve as a base over which to lay the artificial grass. It is important that the sand be evenly spread and compacted, to ensure the turf is smooth and even when laid down, rather than lumpy and rough. Small mounds or slopes are acceptable, but these should stem from personal preference, rather than shoddy handiwork.

Once this bed has been created, a membrane layer of weeds should be created. This membrane should overlap the turf’s joints by approximately 300mm.

Turf’s Up

The next step is to actually lay down the turf. Artificial grass has a slight slant, and this should be pointed towards the reference point or building when laying down the turf carpet. This is to ensure the expanse looks smooth and even when viewed from the reference point. When laying out the turf, it is important to ensure the ends of each roll of grass are staggered, so that they do not end in a line. The edges of each roll should then be trimmed with a craft knife prior to the rolls being joined together. When joining, it is important to ensure every roll and blade is pointed in the same direction, to achieve a smooth and even look.

Once the rolls are laid down next to one another, the edges of the turf should be pinned down using ground pins. These should be laid out at 20cm intervals, and can be disguised by ruffling the edges of the grass around them so that they are covered by it. This same trick should also be employed to disguise the sealing line between each roll of artificial grass and the next.

Final Steps

Once the turf has been laid down, joined, and all the seams and accessories have been masked, the only thing left to do is to go over the entire surface with a stiff brush, so as to give it a fuller, believably natural look. Once this is achieved, the artificial grass is ready to be sat on, played on, or simply enjoyed from a nearby window!

By employing the method detailed above, home-owners or sports clubs investing in artificial grass are guaranteed a smooth, even surface which requires very little maintenance when compared to real grass, and is at once durable and weather-resistant. It bears repeating, however, that to ensure the artificial lawn is properly installed, it is best to resort to a professional. Plenty of companies specialise in laying down artificial grass, and home or sports club owners wishing to prevent inexperience-based mishaps are advised to resort to them, rather than attempt to lay down the grass themselves.