Top 5 Tips for Artificial Grass – Measuring, Ordering and Installing Artificial Grass

Installed correctly, artificial grass looks fantastic, offering a beautiful and practical space to be enjoyed all year round.

These Top Tips are to help share best practices for measuring, ordering and installing artificial grass so that you can make a more informed decision and plan ahead for minimum stress and maximum enjoyment.

Pile Direction Is Paramount

Perhaps the most important consideration to make when measuring for, ordering and installing artificial grass is the pile direction.

All artificial grass has a slight ‘nap’ which is the direction that the fibres align. Artificial looks at its best and most natural when looking in to the pile rather than across it.

By understanding this, it allows you to make the correct decisions when it comes to measuring, ordering and installing your artificial grass.

When measuring the space, consider where the main viewing angle will be – perhaps it’s the kitchen window or possibly a patio area. This will then allow you to determine the grass dimensions according to how it shall be viewed. For instance, if your area is 6Mx3.5M, viewed most from the shorter side of the rectangle, then you would order a 4M wide x 6M long piece*. However, if the view is from the longer side of the rectangle, you would order a 4M wide x 3.5M long piece* and a 2M wide x 3.5M long piece* to both be joined together.

By tailoring the direction of your artificial lawn according to where it will be viewed from most, you will be able to better enjoy and appreciate your year-round-perfect patch of grass.

* Not taking in to account allowance for cuts and wastage.

Let The Grass Settle

As silly as it sounds, allowing the artificial grass to acclimatise before installing it makes a huge difference to both fitting it and how it looks.

Once the area is prepped and the grass is next to be fitted, roll the grass out and place into position ensuring it is flat. Allow the grass to settle overnight, or at least a few hours in warmer weather. 24 hours is ideal.

Allowing the grass to settle like this helps to iron out creases and gives the backing chance to warm up slightly to give it some extra flexibility which works wonders for stretching the grass to the edges with the right amount of tautness.  

If the grass is installed before it has chance to acclimatise, it may be installed nice, taut and crease free, but once it has warmed up some of that tightness may relax which could cause creases.

Consider Drainage

Amongst a plethora of other benefits, Artificial Grass is a fantastic solution which many homeowners turn to to combat a constantly water-logged lawn or where pets ruin natural turf so real grass is no longer an option.

In these scenarios, not only is artificial grass going to look so much nicer, but a little thought in to what goes beneath the grass can enhance the practicality of the lawn even further!

By using permeable aggregates in the sub-base and laying course, water will be able to permeate more quickly. Not only does this reduce or remove the issue of a water-logged lawns, but for pet owners, pet urine can more easily filter through the aggregates to reduce the likelihood of smells building up, as well as giving the ability for the grass to be hosed down for easy maintenance.

For more information, see our Blogs; Artificial Grass Sub-Base – MOT Type 1 v 20mm Stone and Artificial Grass Laying Course – Grit v Grano

Stay Sharp

Installing Artificial Grass typically involves plenty of cuts; such as around the edges and when joining two pieces together. A simple but effective tip is to ensure that you have a stock of fresh blades to hand.

Having a sharp blade allows for more precise, accurate cuts to achieve a better finish. A dull blade will create more effort in the cut itself and is more likely to slip and cause injury.

Allow For Cuts and Wastage

When measuring and ordering your artificial grass, you should allow a little extra to account for cuts and wastage and give an element of flexibility when fitting.

By adding an extra 100-200mm, you will give yourself the ability to adjust the grass in situ when installing. If you were to order the exact dimensions and one side runs out of line, you may be left with an unsightly gap, or if you have an uneven edge, such as a wall or rock border for example, you need to give yourself the flexibility to make mistakes and tailor the grass to the space.

By ordering slightly extra, you give yourself margin for error and avoid the risk of needing to completely re-order another piece if it doesn’t fit or the cuts didn’t go to plan.