Artificial Grass Prices

Laying artificial grass on concrete needs a slightly different approach to if you’re installing it over soil. The good news is that it’s much less labour intensive, as you don’t need to do any digging or levelling.

Ideally, your concrete base should be in good condition, and have an adequate fall on it to provide efficient drainage. If it doesn’t, you might have to do some repair work or drill some drainage holes first.

When you’re ready to start, begin by cleaning your concrete base. Use a jet wash or a hose and brush to dislodge and disperse any dirt or plant growth. Once it’s clean, leave it to dry completely.

Then, you need to fit an underlay - usually it’s made of foam. This will provide padding to make your artificial grass softer and more comfortable to walk on. It will also help to level out any slopes on uneven parts on the concrete. Make sure it’s a good-quality underlay that’s permeable – if it’s not, you could end up with damp artificial grass and nasty smells as it will hold moisture. Roll out the underlay and cut it to shape, taping any separate sections together.

Next, use an adhesive to secure the underlay to your concrete. Make sure you leave gaps in the adhesive to allow water to drain off easily. Leave the glue to dry, then you can start laying your grass.

Roll out your grass like you did with your underlay, cutting it to shape and joining any separate sections together with artificial grass tape. Then glue the grass to the underlay. Leave it dry, give the grass a brush, and it’ll be ready to use!

Laying artificial grass is a popular project – it’s a great way to create a smart, low-maintenance garden. There are plenty of professionals around who are experts at installing artificial grass, but it’s possible to DIY too if you’re feeling confident.

Lots of homeowners choose to replace their existing turf with artificial grass, so lay it on soil. To do this, start by clearing the area of any greenery or turf. Then remove any extra soil to a depth of about 40mm. You might want to leave the centre of your area slightly higher than the edges for a more natural look.

Next, you need to add a weed membrane and a sharp sand sub-base. It doesn’t really matter which one of these you do first, but you might find it easier to lay the weed membrane first and then use the sand to weigh it down, to a depth of about 35mm. Use a rake and plank to make the sand level, and compact it with a plank and heavy hammer. It doesn’t need to be completely flat – gentle slopes are fine. The weed membrane should overlap joints by 300mm.

After you’ve done this, you can lay your grass. Roll it out, trim it to size and fasten it in place. Make sure the ends of the grass rolls are staggered so they don’t end in a line. Lay the artificial grass with the pile (the strands) leaning towards the house so it looks nice and full when you’re looking out from the house. If you’ve decided to use edging boards, you can nail the grass into the tops of the boards. Or, if you haven’t, use ground pins to anchor it into the soil. Brush the grass and you’re done!

If you’re covering a larger area with artificial grass, you may need to join sections together. You can do this using self-adhesive joining tape, or joining tape and a separate adhesive.

Steps to join artificial grass

1. Unroll your two pieces of artificial grass, ensuring that the pile is running in the same direction. Fold over each piece by about 300m.
2. To get the perfect seam, cut at least 3 tufts back, ensuring that you don’t trim any grass blades.
3. Either remove the backing on your self-adhesive tape and unroll it down the centre of the join, or roll it out ensuring that the shiny side is down then fix at either end with adhesive.
4. Fold over the grass onto the tape and bring each piece together, ensuring there’s a 2-3mm gap at the seam.
5. Where the pile runs over the edge of the seam, fold over the artificial grass.
6. Apply a small amount of adhesive under the edge of the first section of grass with a mastic gun, then add some to the front edge to stick the second piece.
7. Bring the seam together, ensuring that you don’t get any grass blades stuck. Place a plank with some heavy objects on over the join to ensure that it dries securely.

It’s not that difficult to join artificial grass, but if you have any doubt leave it to the professionals. Get in touch with a few artificial grass companies who will be able to tell you how much it will cost to lay artificial turf for you.

How long your artificial grass will last depends on its quality and how well you look after it. Most types of artificial grass should last at least 10 years. But if you buy high-quality grass and take good care of it, it could stay looking good for up to 20 years. There are a few things that impact how long your artificial grass lasts:

• Blade material

  Artificial grass is made up of lots of individual blades, just like real grass. The blades are made of plastic and are sewn to a backing material. To help keep your artificial grass looking great for longer, a blend of blades made from nylon and polyethylene are best. Nylon is extremely resilient, but isn’t very comfy to walk on, so adding the polyethylene which is still very strong helps to keep it feeling nice underfoot.

• Backing material

  The backing material holds all the artificial grass blades together. It’s made of two layers: a membrane that the grass is attached to, and a section that’s usually made of latex or polyurethane and bonds everything together. When you’re choosing your artificial grass, ask for samples – try to pull away the backing material. If it comes apart easily, steer clear of that type of grass.

• The artificial grass’ use

  The lifespan of your artificial grass will depend on how much traffic it gets. It’s best to invest in strong nylon or nylon-blend turfs where it’s going to get walked on regularly, such as on a pathway to a door. Of course, if the artificial grass is more ornamental, a lower-quality product will last a long time.

• Good installation

  One of the main things that will help your artificial grass last a long time is effective installation. If artificial grass is laid badly, it might suffer from poor drainage and weeds which will reduce its lifespan. It’s always best to get your artificial grass installed by a professional since they’re trained in fitting it to a high standard.

How much artificial grass costs depends on the quality of grass you choose, how big the area to be covered is, and whether you choose to have it installed or do it yourself. On average, you should expect to pay between £25 and £70 per m² to have artificial grass installed by a professional. That means a 30m² artificial lawn would cost between £750 and £2,100. So what will affect how much artificial grass costs?

The quality of the artificial grass

The quality of the artificial turf makes a big difference to the price. The lower end of the price range might not be quite right for a garden, since they often look extremely fake, and won’t last as long. Somewhere in the middle of the range should give you a good, long-lasting look without breaking the bank.

Quality of the sub-base

If you’re laying artificial grass on an existing lawn, this will need to be dug up to level out the area and add a weed-resistant membrane, creating what's called a sub-base. On average, the materials will cost £247 to make a sub-base.

Whether you’ll need waste removal

If you’re digging up the existing lawn or removing paving slabs to create a new sub-base, you might need a skip. A typical 4-yard skip will set you back around £220.

Whether you’re doing DIY

If you fancy having a go at laying your own artificial grass, you’ll of course save on labour costs. You’ll need to weigh up the benefits of DIY against the risks that the finish might not look as good or the grass might not last as long. But if you choose an average-quality artificial grass at £15 per m², 30m² of artificial grass will cost £450 not including the underlay as well as joining tape and adhesive.

While you might see some people hoovering their artificial grass, it’s not recommended. Using a household vacuum cleaner on your artificial grass could suck up and remove the blades of grass, creating patches and making it look as bad as a balding natural lawn. Also, artificial grass blades are made from tough plastics like nylon and polyurethane. The blades could easily clog up your hoover and damage it, so it’s best to steer clear of using it to clean your artificial turf.

What can I use instead of a vacuum cleaner?

A good old rake or broom can get rid of leaves and debris from your artificial grass, but you may miss smaller pieces like pet hair or sand and gravel. If you have a leaf blower, you can use this on a low setting – but be careful as you could blow away the sand infill that keep your artificial lawn looking springy and fresh.

Luckily, there are artificial lawn power brooms available to buy, and this could be a good option over hoovering your artificial grass. They are electrically powered brushes that push away dirt rather than sucking it up, and they can even plump your lawn to keep it looking at its best.

Even if you don’t hoover your artificial grass, it’s still likely that over time some sand infill will get carried away. To keep your lawn bouncy, ask your installer to top up the sand every now and again or have a go at doing it yourself.

On a hot summer’s day, we often seek our garden lawn as a cooling place to sit and get some relief from the sun. However, since artificial grass is made from plastic, lots of people ask whether it gets hot, or whether it stays like natural grass. The answer is, it’s somewhere in between.

Of course, we all know to stay in the shade in midday sun and this is when your artificial grass will be at its hottest. Unless it is an extremely hot say and your lawn is in direct sunlight, you should still be able to walk on your artificial grass. The best thing to do is test it using the back of your hand before anyone walks over it with bare feet or children go to play on it.

In the shade, artificial grass should always maintain a cool temperature, although it will never have that refreshing feel of cold grass on a hot day. It will also cool down extremely quickly as the day goes on, so if your grass does get too hot it shouldn’t be unusable for too long.

Artificial grass has to meet high safety standards and most are UV stabilised, which means that they can withstand high temperatures without melting or getting extremely hot. It’s worth remembering that hot countries like Dubai use artificial grass, so the occasional hot day in a British summer should be enough for artificial grass to handle!

Choosing artificial grass instead of natural turf can save you a lot of time on garden maintenance. However, even artificial grass needs the odd clean every now and then to ensure it stays looking good and lasts a long time, so here are some top tips.

Regular maintenance

There are several ways to keep your grass in good condition. Try brushing your grass with a broom or plastic rake regularly to dislodge any dirt or debris. You could also use a leaf blower to remove any leaves, or a low-pressure hose to get rid of wetter dirt.

Hopefully the weed membrane under the artificial grass will do its job, but if you do get any weeds you can use a water-based moss and weed killer – make sure the maximum pH is 8. When the weeds have died off, remove them as you would with any leaves or debris.

Cleaning stains on your artificial grass

If you spill a drink on your artificial grass, grab a paper towel and dab at it rather than rubbing it, as this will just work the stain into your grass. Rinse it with some water if necessary.

If you notice a stain that’s been there for a while, mix a teaspoon of detergent with a pint of water in a bucket. Using a soft cloth or sponge, rub the solution onto the stain until it’s gone, and rinse with clean water.

If the stain is sticky, water might not be enough to get rid of it. Try using a toothbrush to brush away the residue.