Artificial grass

Ace Modder · 22 Dec 2015 at 11:58

Hi

What do you need to do to install artificial grass?

We have 2 dogs and they like dirt and grass.. However my house does not, I also do not need/want the hassle of having to clean them everytime they come in from the garden.

brendy · 22 Dec 2015 at 12:02

Get a contractor in, dont do it yourself! haha.
I had my front garden done, took less than a full day and still looks grand over a year later, wouldnt have dared try to lay it myself as you need to think about flattening the surfaces and drainage etc.

Mercenary Keyboard Warrior · 22 Dec 2015 at 12:17

Its a compacted sand bed, then the artificial turf is laid over that and more sand brushed into it to weight it down.

nothing a competent DIYer couldn't do. The "turf" can be bought online but I would get quotes myself and see. You can order samples online so you can spec what you want as opposed to getting differing quotes based on different surfaces

MBauer80 · 22 Dec 2015 at 13:58

Do you mean plastic grass when you say artifical grass??

One More Solo · 22 Dec 2015 at 15:37

We laid ours at the front ourselves, results are pretty decent but the area was an awkward slope which certainly made it more challenging. Got a few wrinkles which need to be sorted out but either way it looks better than the patchy weed-ridden gardens the neighbours have (plus ours would be an overgrown mess by now as I hate mowing). We dug out the soil and laid it on compacted sharp sand, not had any drainage issues despite having clay soil.

GinG · 22 Dec 2015 at 15:59

Out of interest those who have gone artificial how does it feel underfoot / maybe sunbathing on it? I think my only experience is years ago when it used to be really spikey.

I enjoy mowing the grass however it seems the rear garden struggles a bit with drainage and as such gets a bit boggy which when having a dog is a nightmare!

brendy · 22 Dec 2015 at 16:02

GinG said:
Out of interest those who have gone artificial how does it feel underfoot / maybe sunbathing on it? I think my only experience is years ago when it used to be really spikey.

I enjoy mowing the grass however it seems the rear garden struggles a bit with drainage and as such gets a bit boggy which when having a dog is a nightmare!

The newer stuff is definitely more realistic, it is hard wearing so will never feel exactly like the real thing but not overly príckly. It all depends on budget, you can go from butchers window to proper putting green soft grass quality.
This is my front garden, all grass remoed to allow 2 cars to park side by side so only wanted a half moon shape to tidy it. Back garden will be getting done too though as it worked out really well.

Ace Modder · 22 Dec 2015 at 16:11

what kind of costs can I expect for a 3m x 8m area, which is grassed and flat already.

brendy · 22 Dec 2015 at 16:17

Depends really, labour isn't awful, a couple of hundred would do it, its the actual grass that costs the lions share iirc.
The guy that did ours, removed all waste from the property and tidied after himself, Ive heard of others who do the job and leave.

Lopéz · 22 Dec 2015 at 16:35

GinG said:
Out of interest those who have gone artificial how does it feel underfoot / maybe sunbathing on it? I think my only experience is years ago when it used to be really spikey.

I enjoy mowing the grass however it seems the rear garden struggles a bit with drainage and as such gets a bit boggy which when having a dog is a nightmare!

Mine doesn't feel spiky.

Lopéz · 22 Dec 2015 at 16:36

MBauer80 said:
Do you mean plastic grass when you say artifical grass??

It is made of plastic but nobody calls it plastic grass here.

GinG · 23 Dec 2015 at 07:59

That looks really good brendy, think in the New Year I may start looking at the costs to do the back garden.

Maccapacca · 23 Dec 2015 at 08:40

A mate has had his back garden done.

They did everything from removing the old turf and soil. Laying a sand layer. New edgings. Lay artificial grass.

Cost him 6k but it's probably a good 100 sqm. Looks great

brendy · 23 Dec 2015 at 08:59

GinG said:
That looks really good brendy, think in the New Year I may start looking at the costs to do the back garden.

Cheers, The fences have now been painted black etc now so its a little more contrasting and looks better imo. I think the key to making it realistic is leaving it for a while without lifting any debris off (bar obvious large chunks of bark or litter). it helps with its appearance.

MAPeX · 23 Dec 2015 at 10:15

I laid some artificial grass at my sisters house earlier this year. The photos are in the "What man jobs have you done today" thread. http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18433753&page=24 7th post down and a few more after

Mysterae_ · 23 Dec 2015 at 10:28

We had a quote for the back garden (roughly 8m x 12m) which was over 3k

. Not a chance!

I've heard that dog wee can really stink in the summer if there isn't enough rainfall to wash it away from the artificial grass.

Mercenary Keyboard Warrior · 23 Dec 2015 at 12:11

Mysterae_ said:
We had a quote for the back garden (roughly 8m x 12m) which was over 3k . Not a chance!

I've heard that dog wee can really stink in the summer if there isn't enough rainfall to wash it away from the artificial grass.

If only there was some mechanism to deal with this situation

I will get my thinking cap on and design something that would allow someone to transport liquid so some sort of long thin connection should I need a constant flow or some sort of container should I need a specific amount at a certain place

Its partly true if you read reports, the reality its probably little different to dry grass thats been soaked in dog wee and left to dry. Maybe a bit more moisture can get stuck in the sand but easily dealt with by a hose down should needs be, and you can in theory use more chemicals to deal with this situation than you can with grass.

Mercenary Keyboard Warrior · 23 Dec 2015 at 12:14

MAPeX said:
I laid some artificial grass at my sisters house earlier this year. The photos are in the "What man jobs have you done today" thread. http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18433753&page=24 7th post down and a few more after

What post number as I cant see it

MAPeX · 23 Dec 2015 at 12:24

Mercenary Keyboard Warrior said:
What post number as I cant see it

#1847

Mercenary Keyboard Warrior · 23 Dec 2015 at 12:34

MAPeX said:
#1847

Looks good

I'm working on the idea of artificial grass at home right now
Placement of our house, neightbours, fact its almost perfectly flat and fences means a decent chuck of the grass is in fact 100% moss.

Artificial grass

Tea Drinker