Artificial grass – to DIY or not to DIY

So, you’re done with mowing the lawn, dealing with stains and dead patches, and paying for excess water use. You’ve heard about the numerous benefits of artificial grass – how it’s basically no maintenance; budget, environment, kid, and pet friendly; and aesthetically appealing. Now that you’ve opted to install some of your own, you may be thinking that the only thing left to decide is whether to do the installation yourself or get in the professionals.

But, artificial grass installation is not as simple as rolling out some of the green stuff. There are several steps and special tools needed to ensure that the installation is correct and that you get the most out of your artificial lawn.

It's not impossible to install artificial grass yourself, but it’s generally advisable to hire experts, as faults in the installation can lead to a number of issues, including poor drainage, damage, and weeds.

The main concern with installing artificial lawn is that the base be done correctly. That means digging out the old grass; compacting the soil using specialised equipment; and then laying down the correct base material like stone, sand, or gravel. There’s also a knack to measuring, cutting, and seaming the grass itself to ensure even, accurate placement. Then, once you’ve sorted out the base and correctly placed the artificial lawn, you’ll need to add some infill and treat the grass to a thorough brushing to get the grass to stand up correctly.

While it may be easy enough to care for artificial grass post-installation, it can be tricky to undertake a DIY fitting. Unless you’re confident in your abilities, you may want to call in some professional installers to ensure not only that the work is done correctly, but that you only ever reap joy from the experience of owning artificial grass.