How to Replace Your Existing Lawn
Step 1: Make sure the area drains suitably.
Step 2: Use a Turf Cutter to remove your lawn and excavate to a depth of 70mm, then weed kill the area.
Step 3: Where there is no edge or a wall to butt the grass up use some tantalized wooden battens (75mm x 25mm) securing with either wooden stakes or support with concrete to create a boundary around the perimeter. Alternatively, create a concrete block edge to establish a frame around the area to be covered with artificial grass.
Step 4: Get rid of any unnecessary bumps or left-over debris, then carefully level off the area you wish to cover leaving natural falls. Lay a geotextile membrane as a lining for the sub-base before adding hardcore stone. A geotextile has strong tear resistance and is an ideal stabilising membrane. This will not only prevent weeds but will also stabilise the sub-base prior to artificial grass being laid.
Step 5: Apply a 50mm layer of type 1 hardcore, compacted, followed on top with 25mm of builders sharp sand to your levelled area. The sand is only there to blind the top of your sub-base, so should be firm. Too much sand will cause dips, humps and bumps when you eventually lay your grass over the top. Alternatively use a depth of 75mm 0-6mm granite dust, which is an ideal base aggregate for a sub-base.
As an approximate guide:
1 tonne of type 1 hardcore filling a depth of 50mm with a cover of 10 square metres.
1 tonne of builders sharp sand filling a depth of 25mm will cover 25 square metres.
Step 6: Once level compact it with a heavy roller or wacker plate. The area needs to be porous, but firm.
Tip – To level the area use screed rails or a wooden batten 2″ x 4″ x 2 metres, sliding the bar left and right pulling towards you across the surface.
Step 7: Lay the Saygrass weed membrane over the area you wish to lay your artificial grass. This should be fixed to the perimeter area with fixing U pins.
Step 8: Unroll your fresh, new artificial lawn. Stretch over your coverage area and leave rolled out for 24hrs. This will allow the pre-rolled grass time to settle with any creases time to come out and the pile to settle after being rolled. The warmer and sunnier the weather the quicker this process will take. Once settled carefully cut the boundary with a sharp trimming knife.
Creases – Due to the molecular structure of the material artificial grass does sometimes crease when rolled. Creases will fall out. The grass is not classed as faulty if delivered or installed with creases. The grass will decrease quite noticeably daily, especially in warmer weather conditions. Sometimes this can take a number of days.
Step 9: Always make sure you check the pile direction of your artificial lawn. Try laying your lawn in the opposite direction to check the shade from one angle to the next. You may find you like the way your new artificial lawn lays when you turn it around. Always check this before making those final close-fitting edge cuts.
Step 10: Anchor your artificial lawn to the ground around the edges with U pins approximately every half metre. Alternatively, where a boundary has been created with the tantalized wooded battens simply use galvanised screws or grip nails to secure the edge of the grass to the top edge of the wooden battens. The thickness of the pile will hide the head of the nails. If a concrete block edge has been used the grass can be fixed using our Wet fix Adhesive, applying the adhesive directly onto the block edge. 1 tube per 4 linear metres of edge.
Step 11: Once you’re happy with the results, brush the pile with a stiff broom. For some of our grasses, we recommend kiln-dried silica sand to be added to the surface of the grass after laying. This is especially recommended where there is high footfall and regular play activity. If kiln-dried sand is recommended, usually 25kg per 3 metres square, simply disperse over the total surface area then brush in with a stiff broom.
