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Artificial Turf Installation Guide
Preparing the area
Mark Off the Installation Area. Using an outdoor spray can marker, mark off the boundaries for your lawn. Remember that Grass comes in either 12-foot or 15-foot widths. Plan your installation with this in mind, to have as few seams as possible with your layout.
Remove Existing Sod and Landscaping. You can do this with a manual shovel, or a gas-powered sod puller (you can rent one at most rental centers) or have a local landscaper remove the existing sod and any landscaping you want removed from your installation area.
Close the Sprinkler System. Your Synthetic lawn won't need watering. If you have a sprinkler system in the installation area, cap the sprinklers and turn off their valves.
Compact the Existing Ground. You need to fully firm up the ground that will be the foundation for your turf. You can use a sod roller, or a vibrating plate compactor, which you can rent from your local hardware store or most rental centers.
Apply Weed and Grass Killer. Apply a high-quality weed and grass killer to the lawn installation area. To help prevent the future growth of weeds it’s a good idea to put down a mesh weed barrier (this is not always necessary in arid or dry climates).
Installing the crushed stone base
Lay the Sub-Base. Lay down a top 1" to 3" layer of ¼” minus crushed stone (It is also called road base, chat or decomposed granite). With this sub-base, your goal is only to make your base firm and level. If your soil is especially unstable, you may need more than 3 inches of sub-base. If you are not sure, ask an expert in your area - a local nursery, landscape center, or rock yard.
Spread, and then Compact the Sub-base. Use the vibrating compactor again to firmly compact the sub-base. Check for Surface Depressions. You should fill in and re-level any based depression that is more than 1/4" deep. Even though Synthetic Grass drains water vertically through drainage holes built into it, we also suggest giving the base a very slight slope, away from any buildings, to avoid any pooling at all.
Preparing and installing the turf
Roll Out the Grass. Position your lawn strip-by-strip and be as accurate as you possibly can be. Be sure you don't cut off any turf that you actually need! Also, try to avoid dragging the turf. The grass is very tough, but until it's installed properly, dragging it can damage the underside or the blades.
Cut the Grass to Size. Use a very sharp blade in a quality utility knife. First, to make the turf easier to handle, cut off larger pieces of excess material. Then make sure the turf is still properly positioned where it needs to be and trim the edges more precisely.
Seam the Grass. Where two pieces of turf meet, you will need to make a seam. There are 2 options for this process.
We recommend using a seaming kit - adhesive and seam tape (found on our “Seaming Kit” page) More detailed instructions will be included with the seaming kit but the basic process is as follows: Roll back the edges where the 2 rolls will be joined together. Weigh the edges down to keep them out of the way while preparing seam tape. Pour the adhesive over the seam tape and lay the turf edges back over the adhesive to form one seamless piece of turf. Allow to dry for one hour.
You can also use 60d-6” nails secured 1” from the edge of the seam alternating every 3” along each side. Nails can also be used around the perimeter of the turf spaced every 6” - 12.” (particularly if you are not planning on using an edging or curbing) The nail heads should be level with the turf backing to prevent turf from dimpling.
Installing the Infill - if your product requires infill
Infill helps weigh the turf down and stabilize the fibers to keep them upright and prevent matting. Infill can be sand, rubber or a combination of each. Here’s what you need to know:
Rubber is softer than sand and is considered the premium infill particularly for play areas or sport and recreation areas where children or adults might be falling a lot. On a sloped installation, rubber infill has a tendency to rise to the surface of the grass blades more readily than sand does.
Most installers use sand infill. It is less costly and more readily available. It is perfectly suitable for landscape applications. If you choose sand infill you can find sand at your building supply store. You will need to use a 10-20 mesh Round Silica Sand.
The process for installing either is the same:
Apply the Infill. After the adhesive has dried, trim off your grass so your lawn fits exactly as you want. Then, using the standard seed-drop spreader, apply the infill (in the same manner as you would to spread fertilizer). The average infill amount is usually 2 to 3 pounds per square foot. The infill helps weigh the turf down and stabilize the fibers to keep them upright and prevent matting.
As you spread the infill, make one entire pass on the on the surface of your new lawn and then sweep the infill deeply into the fibers with a stiff bristle push broom. Repeat this process until all of the infill has been spread and fallen in between the synthetic blades.
Optional Edging. Depending on your yard and your landscape concepts, you might install edging around your new lawn. Options are incredibly varied and include extruded curbing, 4" x 4" timbers, natural stone, rock, metal edging and plastic edging. If you are not going to apply an edging, we suggest you hammer landscaping nails every 6” to12” along the perimeter of your synthetic lawn to prevent the edges from lifting.
Enjoy your Gras Turf Synthetic Lawn!
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