How to Lay Artificial Grass

Artificial grass turns a patchy, mud-prone garden into a green, low-maintenance surface that looks good year-round. No mowing, no feeding, no bare patches after a wet winter. The trade-off is the upfront work — you need solid ground preparation for a result that drains well and stays flat. This guide covers every step from digging out the old turf to brushing in the final layer of infill sand. If you want to know how much material to buy before you start, calculate grass, membrane, and infill quantities with the artificial grass calculator.

Tools and Materials Checklist

Before you break ground, gather everything you need. Missing one item mid-project means a trip to the builder's merchant with muddy boots, so check this list the day before you start.

Tools you will need:

• Spade or turf cutter
• Wheelbarrow
• Plate compactor (hire) or heavy hand tamper
• Straight-edge timber or aluminium screed bar (at least 2m long)
• Sharp Stanley knife with spare blades
• Tape measure (5m minimum)
• Stiff-bristled outdoor broom
• Garden rake

Materials you will need:

• Artificial grass (measured area plus 50mm overlap at all edges)
• Weed membrane (geotextile fabric, 100g/m² minimum)
• Sharp sand or granite dust for the base layer (approximately 50mm depth)
• Joining tape (self-adhesive or glue-applied, depending on your grass brand)
• Seam adhesive (outdoor-rated, flexible)
• Galvanised membrane pegs
• Kiln-dried sand for infill (4–6 kg per m²)

Most of these materials are available from any builder's merchant or landscaping supplier. Kiln-dried sand is sold in 25 kg bags at DIY stores — you will need more bags than you expect, so order generously.

Removing Existing Turf and Excavation

The first physical job is stripping the old lawn. You need to remove 75–100mm of turf and topsoil across the entire area. A flat-bladed spade works for small gardens under 15 m², but for anything larger, hiring a turf cutter saves hours of back-breaking work. Cut the turf into manageable strips, roll them up, and stack them to one side.

What you do with the old turf is up to you. Stack it upside down in an out-of-the-way corner and it breaks down into usable loam within 6–12 months. Alternatively, use it to level low spots in borders or offer it on a local community group — someone always wants free turf. If you are still weighing up artificial versus real grass, you can compare seed rates if you prefer a natural lawn before committing to this route.

Once the turf is gone, check the exposed sub-soil for any tree roots, sharp stones, or buried rubble. Remove anything that could puncture the membrane or create a lump under the finished surface. Rake the area roughly level. Perfection comes later with the sand base — at this stage you just want a reasonably flat, debris-free surface with a slight fall away from the house for drainage (a 1-in-80 gradient is ideal).

Laying Weed Membrane

Weed membrane stops anything from growing up through your artificial grass. Without it, perennial weeds like couch grass and bindweed will push through the sand base and create bumps in the finished surface. Use a proper geotextile weed membrane rated at 100 g/m² or heavier — cheap landscape fabric tears too easily and degrades within a couple of years.

Roll the membrane out across the excavated area, cutting it roughly to shape with scissors or a knife. If you need more than one sheet, overlap the edges by at least 100mm so there are no gaps for weeds to exploit. Pin the membrane down with galvanised U-pins every 300–400mm along the edges and at the overlaps. On windy days, weigh the membrane down with bricks or bags of sand while you work.

The membrane also serves a secondary purpose: it separates the sand base from the sub-soil beneath, preventing the two layers from mixing over time. This keeps the base stable and free-draining for years.

Building the Base Layer

The base layer is what makes or breaks an artificial grass installation. Get this right and the grass stays flat, drains well, and feels firm underfoot. Get it wrong and you end up with puddles, dips, and a surface that moves when you walk on it.

Spread sharp sand or granite dust over the membrane to a depth of approximately 50mm. Sharp sand is the most common choice because it compacts well and drains freely. Granite dust is a premium alternative that compacts even harder and resists washing out in heavy rain. Do not use building sand — it is too fine and holds water. And do not use Type 1 MOT crushed stone, which is designed for paving sub-bases and is too coarse and angular for artificial grass.

Rake the sand roughly level, then compact it with a plate compactor. A hired plate compactor covers a 20 m² garden in about 15 minutes. If you are working in a very small area — under 5 m² — a heavy hand tamper will do, though it takes considerably longer. After compacting, screed the surface flat using a straight-edge timber pulled across the sand. Fill any low spots, re-compact, and screed again until the surface is uniformly flat.

Check for flatness by laying a long spirit level or straight-edge across the surface in multiple directions. You want no dips deeper than 5mm. The compacted base should feel solid when you walk on it — if your footprints sink in more than a couple of millimetres, compact again.

Unrolling and Positioning the Grass

Artificial grass has a pile direction — the fibres lean one way, like the nap on a carpet. Every roll you lay must face the same direction, or you will get visible colour differences where adjoining pieces reflect light differently. Before you unroll anything, check which end of the roll the pile leans toward and plan your layout so all rolls run the same way.

Unroll the grass across the prepared base and let it settle for 2–4 hours. This acclimatisation period allows the backing to relax and any creases from storage to flatten out. On a warm day in direct sun, the grass relaxes faster. On a cold day, it may take longer — do not try to force it flat.

Position the grass so it overlaps all edges — fences, walls, raised beds — by about 50mm. You will trim this overlap away later for a clean finish. Use a sharp knife with a fresh blade for trimming; a dull blade drags the fibres and leaves a ragged edge. Cut from the back of the grass (the rubber side) rather than the front — it is easier to see the line and the blade does not catch the pile.

Joining Seams

If your area needs more than one width of grass, you will have a seam to join. Good seams are invisible. Bad seams are the first thing everyone notices, so take your time here.

Start by pulling back the edges of both pieces of grass by about 150mm. Lay joining tape along the gap, adhesive side up. Apply outdoor seam adhesive to the tape in a steady zigzag line — follow the adhesive manufacturer's instructions for spread rate, as too little means a weak bond and too much squeezes up through the join. Press one edge of the grass down onto the tape, aligning it carefully. Then press the second edge down, butting it tightly against the first so the fibres intermingle and the backing edges just touch without overlapping.

Weight the seam with heavy objects — bricks, paving slabs, bags of sand — along its full length. Leave the weights in place for at least 24 hours while the adhesive cures. Resist the temptation to check the seam early; peeling it apart before it has set weakens the bond permanently.

Once cured, brush the seam area with a stiff broom to blend the fibres across the join. From standing height, a well-made seam should be invisible.

Infill and Brushing

Kiln-dried sand infill is the finishing step that transforms the grass from a loose carpet into a stable, weighted surface. Spread the sand evenly across the grass at a rate of 4–6 kg per square metre. For a 25 m² lawn, that is 100–150 kg of sand — roughly four to six 25 kg bags.

Use a stiff broom to brush the sand into the pile, working against the direction of the fibres. This pushes the sand down to the base of the pile where it settles around the fibres. Brushing against the pile also lifts the fibres upright, giving the grass a fuller, more natural appearance.

The infill serves three purposes. First, it weighs the grass down so it does not lift or ripple in wind. Second, it supports the fibres in an upright position, preventing the flat, matted look that un-infilled grass develops over time. Third, kiln-dried sand reflects UV light back through the fibres, which slows UV degradation and extends the lifespan of the grass. Most manufacturers specify infill as a condition of their warranty, so skipping it could void your guarantee.

Drainage and Aftercare

One of the most common questions about artificial grass is whether it drains. The short answer: yes, and better than most natural lawns. Artificial grass has a perforated backing — either punched holes or a porous membrane — that allows rainwater to pass straight through at rates of 50–60 litres per m² per hour. The compacted sand base beneath acts as a soak-away, dispersing water into the sub-soil.

On heavy clay soils where natural drainage is poor, consider adding a 25mm layer of 10mm pea gravel beneath the sand base. This creates an additional drainage channel and prevents the sand from becoming waterlogged during prolonged wet weather.

Day-to-day maintenance is minimal. Sweep the grass with a stiff broom every few weeks to remove leaves and debris and keep the pile upright. Rinse it with a garden hose after muddy use or pet activity. In autumn, clear fallen leaves promptly — a thick layer of wet leaves blocks drainage and encourages moss growth on the surface.

There are a few things to avoid. Do not place a barbecue directly on artificial grass — a dropped coal or a hot drip tray will melt the fibres instantly, leaving a permanent mark. Use a fireproof mat or set the barbecue on a paved area instead. Avoid parking vehicles on the grass unless the base has been specifically engineered for vehicle weight (standard garden installations are not). And keep sharp garden tools away from the surface — a strimmer will shred the fibres in seconds.

Related Projects

If you are transforming your whole garden, you might be tackling more than just the lawn. A paved patio or path often sits alongside artificial grass, and the paving slab calculator helps you plan materials for that. For the grass itself, the artificial grass calculator covers membrane, adhesive, and infill quantities so you can order everything in one go. Thinking about indoor surfaces too? Vinyl flooring uses a similar approach to surface preparation, though the materials differ. And if you are laying paving alongside your new grass, the paving installation guide walks through sub-base, bedding, and jointing step by step.

Artificial grass installation is a solid weekend project for any confident DIYer. The key is in the preparation — strip deep enough, compact thoroughly, and screed flat. Get the base right and the grass practically lays itself. Skip the base work and you will be relaying it within a year.