How to Lay Artificial Grass: A Guide

The 10th of April marks the beginning of National Gardening Week, so expect to see lots of people out tending to their shrubs and mowing the lawn over the next few days. If you’re looking for a low maintenance way of sprucing up your garden or yard, try laying some artificial grass.

Gone are the days when artificial grass looked about as real as a nine pound note - our range here at B&M looks and feels like the real thing. The only thing you have to sacrifice is that freshly cut grass smell!

Fitting artificial grass onto concrete

It’s easy to lay artificial grass yourself, especially on concrete, which we’re going to show you how to do today. So your old worn out back yard could be the small garden of your dreams in no time!

Shopping list:

• Artificial grass

• Strong waterproof adhesive

• Craft knife

• Wide yard broom

• Rubber gardening gloves

The good news about laying artificial grass onto a concrete surface is that it’s really easy to do. The first thing you want to do is sweep the area on which you wish to lay the artificial grass. This will remove anything that could get in the way of the adhesive, and will help to ensure a long-lasting and level finished lawn. 

Next, make sure that there are no large gaps in the concrete or between paving slabs. Small nicks are okay, as these will just be covered by the grass, however anything larger than half an inch will have to be filled in with the adhesive beforehand. Failure to do this could result in the grass becoming uneven over time.

Once the area is sufficiently prepared, simply use the adhesive to stick the artificial grass to where you would like it, and you have a beautiful garden that looks as real as they come. 

B&M Top Tip: when gluing your grass down, remember to leave drainage gaps every half a foot or so around the area.

Installing artificial grass to replace real grass

If your lawn has seen better days, or you just can’t stand mowing it, artificial grass is a convenient alternative. It’s actually pretty easy to fit artificial grass to an area that once had real grass on it.

Shopping list:

• Artificial grass

• Spade

• Building sand

• Craft knife

• Rubber gardening gloves

• Yard broom

• Jointing tape

• Club hammer

• Weed control fabric

• Ground pins

Prior to fitting artificial grass, it’s essential that you prepare the area properly, or you risk complications down the line. Be sure to remove any existing turf from the area, and dig up to around 40mm. It’s then time to use your building sand to fill up to around 35mm. This will serve as a base for your artificial grass. Make sure to use your club hammer to compact the sand to create a smooth base. It’s then time to roll out your weed control fabric over the top of the sand. 

B&M Top Tip: remember that artificial grass does not stand perfectly straight, and tends to stand at a slight angle. To get the best results from your artificial grass, place it so that it is leaning towards your house.

Roll out the grass to cover the area, and trim down any edges with your craft knife. Make sure that there are no blades of grass caught between the rolls. Then, use your jointing tape to join the rolls together, and disguise it by ruffling up the blades. Once you’re happy with the positioning of the grass, fix down the edges using your ground pins.

B&M Top Tip: brush your artificial grass with a stiff brush to give it a more natural effect.

 

If you’ve recently placed some artificial grass in your garden, or have revitalised your yard space in another way, we’d love to see it! Send your photos to the B&M community via Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.