DOES FAKE GRASS INSTALLATION NEED TO BE DONE BY A PROFESSIONAL TRADESMAN?

To save on costs many people decide to undergo the project themselves. Although it can be quite daunting, it is simpler than you think. Here are a few pointers to help you on your way.

REMOVE YOUR EXISTING GARDEN LAWN

You can either do this with a spade or hire a turf cutter to remove easier.

BUILD A TANALISED TIMBER FRAME.

Once you have your area cleared you now need to build a timber frame using minimum 2” x 1” baton. All you do is line the batons around the edge where you want it and drive timber stakes into the ground on the inside of the edge baton. Fix the edge to your desired height using galvanised screws and then cut the top off the stakes level with your edge using a saw.

LAY YOUR BASE.

Put a minimum 3-inch layer of hardcore and compact using a wacker plate. Try to make it nice and smooth. This really needs to be just below the top of the edge baton. Once you have compacted down, a layer of sharp sand is put over this. Again you compact and smooth off to create the final finished base. It’s not really something that needs to be overly thick; it’s just to take the lumps out of the hardcore and prevent feeling it underfoot. 2-4 cm is perfect.

REMEMBER YOUR GEO-TEXTILE MEMBRANE.

A weed barrier is laid directly on top of the sand and overlapped to ensure that your new fake grass is protected from weeds. It’s a minimal cost and 100% needed. Secure this with small galvanised nails to the edge batons.

INSTALLATION OF YOUR NEW ARTIFICIAL LAWN.

Your new artificial lawn is now ready for installation. The best look is when the pile direction is laid coming towards you. So if it’s the back of your house, then where you most look at it from. If it’s the front of your house, then from the road as this will look better. It’s always best to stand back and look before you make any cuts from either end. Once laid and cut into place simply use small galvanised nails or screws and secure into the batons every 30-40cm. Once laid give it a good stiff brush up and that’s it. Sit back and enjoy you new fake grass for many years to come.

HOW TO LAY ARTIFICIAL GRASS

If you’ve received your delivery and want to know how to install artificial grass, please read the following instructions that apply to your install.

TEMPORARY ARTIFICIAL GRASS INSTALLATION

If you have a small area where you wish to use artificial grass just for cosmetic purposes or as a temporary installation, here are 3 methods you can use:

1. Lay the artificial grass out, cut to correct size and ensure it’s nice and flat. Then place plant pots, garden ornaments or furniture to hold it down. If outdoors ensure it’s held down firmly enough to counteract the wind.
2. Lay and cut the artificial grass as above but instead of leaving it loose, use double-sided adhesive tape to hold it down. Again, consider the wind factor if outdoors.
3. If double-sided adhesive tape will not work and the surface to be covered will accommodate stapling (such as medium density fibreboard or plywood surface) then use a staple gun.

INSTALLING ARTIFICIAL GRASS ONTO CONCRETE OR PERMANENT BASE

1. First of all assess how much grass you will need. 
2. Make sure that the surface to be covered is clean and smooth ready to receive the artificial grass. A self levelling compound available from any DIY store can remove surface imperfections that may show through to the top surface especially on thinner pile height products. Alternatively, you might choose to use our Drainbase product to provide a perfectly level and flat base that also allows for drainage or some shockpad underlay that helps to remove any imperfections in the surface and provides more cushion underfoot.
3. Lay the artificial grass on to the clean and level area to be covered. Allow approximately 50mm of artificial grass to trim off to make that perfect edge i.e. in doorways or up a wall. Leave for around 2 to 3 hours to settle. This helps stop any wrinkling or creasing.
4. Cut and trim your artificial grass, using a sharp Stanley knife making sure are no gaps between walls and grass.
5. Make the joins using the correct type of seaming tape and glue – only quality outdoor tape and glue should be used. 
6. To fix your grass down, simply use our easy application cartridge adhesive around the perimeter of your grass.
7. If installing on to a wooden surface such as decking or suspended floors a combination of adhesive and carpet tacks can be used.

REPLACING NATURAL GRASS WITH ARTIFICIAL GRASS

1. First of all assess how much grass you will need. Mark off the area to be measured – it can help to mark it with some sort of spray can as this helps to show exactly how the grass will lie. Note: We sell in 3 widths: 2 metres (6 feet 6 inches) or 4 metres (13 feet 1 inch) that are able to batch match and 5 meters only (16 feet 4 inches) so try to stay within these measurements to reduce the number of cuts/ wastage that you have. If you are setting boarders, please also set them under the manufactured rolls sizes to allow for any manufacturing tolerances e.g. if you are ordering 4m wide grass, set your boarders at a maximum of 3.95m. Also consider that if your garden is larger than 5m wide, you will need to have a join which also means that a small measurement on the width will be lost when trimming the stitch to create a seamless join e.g. joining a 4m piece and 2m piece is unlikely to provide 6m in width – if performed correctly this would likely create one large piece at 5.9m wide.
2. Dig the grassed area out to remove the grass sod and as much soil as is necessary to get the height that you need. If you have quite a clayey garden you will want to dig down further and replace this with hardcore to allow for better drainage. Bare in mind that depending on the pile of your grass, you will want to dig down at least 100-150mm below the level of your flags or edging. E.g. if you are choosing a 40mm grass and have a clayey garden, you may want to dig down 150mm allowing for 100mm harcore, 25mm of granite dust and a 25mm recess – leaving 15mm of grass pile showing above your edging.
3. Compact the ground, using a vibrating plate .
4. Some will choose to apply a geo-textile weed barrier at this point or as the last layer before the grass – some landscapers may even apply a one at both stages.
5. Lay the sub base. This material is designed to level the area and aid drainage. Typically a 6mm stone aggregate is used (exactly what landscapers use under paving bricks). Between 75mm and 100mm should be enough. This can also be a good point to stop and put in place timber edging if you plan to use that – eg. an edge board (tanalised timber & wooden pegs). Ensure it’s not higher than the final grass line, otherwise water run-off will be hindered and the timber frame will always show through.
6. Spread and compact the sub base. Ideally use the vibrating plate mentioned in point 3.
7. Lay the base material – granite dust between 15-25mm depth is likely your best option. This also needs to be compacted and levelled using the vibrating plate. You can also use sharp sand for this purpose but landscapers are tending to use granite dust more recently as it provides a firmer base. Note: Ideally there should be a very slight slope on the base.
8. If you haven’t already applied your weed barrier, do this now.
9. Lay the artificial grass on top of the granite dust/ sand (as opposed to dragging it onto the base material) and leave for around 2 to 3 hours to settle. This helps stop any wrinkling or creasing. At this point also check the grass for any faults. In the rare case that there is a fault, please contact immediately for a resolution before the grass has been installed.
10. Cut and trim your artificial grass, using a sharp Stanley Knife.
11. Make the joins using the correct type of seaming tape and glue – only quality outdoor tape and glue should be used. 
12. Sand infill is not required in any of our products but some customers may choose to add this if they believe their area will receive high traffic. You may also be adding Zeofill deoderizing sand so do this here. Rake and spread the infill evenly, taking care not to over fill the surface. Note: Application of sand is best on a dry day. Remember that the infill will eventually compact so you should consider adding a final layer when settled.
13. Apply any natural stone, paving or log roll edgings you’ve selected. If you’ve chosen not to use edgings, then apply landscaping nails every 40mm or so.