Before you start

Tools check list

• Garden tools, Rake, shovels, stiff broom
• Notched trowel
• Cutting knife with spare blades
• Vibrating compactor
• Drop spreader or fertiliser spreader(optional)-shovel is ok
• Straight edge
• Tape measure
• Leveller tools
• Hammer

Materials Checklist

• Artificial turf
• Joining tape with glue or Ezi-strip joining tape
• 75mm of road base for front verges with fine layer of cracker dust on top
• Or 75mm of cracker dust for non-trafficable/car parking areas

Please read instructions thoroughly before you begin.

Preparation

• Spray your existing lawn with a weed killer and allow a suitable time for it to take effect. Re-spray if required. Remove all of the dead grass, weeds, and debris.
• The ground should be dug out to 100mm and compacted and levelled. If suitable the base should be graded to allow for horizontal drainage to a garden area.

Base Construction.

• Spread and level 75mm cracker dust, lightly water and compact with a vibrating plate compactor. Fill any depressions, compact and ensure surface is level.
• The completed base should be at the correct height when considering the addition of your artificial turf and the overall height required.

Installing the Grass

• The artificial turf should be rolled out outdoors to allow fibres to straighten whilst the base is being finished.
• We recommend to roll out the turf in the full sun to make it more user friendly. Ensure the grass is installed with the fibres/pile in the same direction.
• Trim off the manufacturing strip on each side of the grass (cutting 2 stiches in on the rubber backed side). Always use a Stanley knife to cut the grass from behind.

You can use either joining tape with glue or Ezistrip joining tape to join the grass.

The following steps apply when using Ezistrip adhesive tape.

• Lay out the grass carefully on the base where it will lie. In preparation for joining the grass the separate pieces should be positioned close to each other. The grass pieces should be trimmed along the ribs to be joined to ensure that the standard rib gaps are maintained. The sides of both grass pieces at the seam should be rolled back approximately 200mm and temporarily secured. The Ezistrip should be centred at the seam location at an equal distance from each piece of grass. The Ezistrip can be secured by nailing the tape to the base by using 100mm galvanised flathead nails or galvanised pegs.
• With the grass pieces rolled back and secured, the protective slit on one side of the Ezistrip can be removed . Carefully fold the edge of one piece of the grass onto the Ezistrip in a straight line. Remove the remaining protective film and join the other piece of grass. Work slowly down the seam and ensure the rib gap is correct and that no fibres are trapped on the tape.

The following steps apply when using seaming tape and glue.

• Trim off the manufacturing strip on each side of the grass (cutting 2 stiches in on the rubber backed side). Always use a Stanley knife to cut the grass from behind. Lay out the grass carefully on the base where it will lie. In preparation for joining the grass the separate pieces should be positioned close to each other with 2-3mm gap. The sides of both grass pieces at the seam should be rolled back approximately 300mm and temporarily secured. The 300mm seaming tape should be centred at the seam location at an equal distance from each peice of grass. The seaming tape should be held in place at each end with an appropriate weight.
• The grass pieces should be trimmed to remove any manufacturing strip and trim along the ribs to ensure that the standard ribs gaps are maintained. Before applying adhesive to the seaming tape try and test run to ensure the grass pieces will be able to be joined with the correct rib gap.
• With the grass pieces rolled back and secured, the adhesive can be applied to the seaming tape. The notched trowel should be used to apply adhesive to the entire seaming tape. The glue will be tacky in 2-3 minutes and ready for use. Carefully fold the edges of both pieces of grass onto the glued tape and line up the edges with correct gap. Work slowly down the seam and ensure to fibres are trapped in the glue. Some movement of the grass is possible as the adhesive is still workable.
• Repeat the above process by trowling more adhesive and joining along the length of the seam.
• The grass should be trimmed to fit the area. Depending on the application grass may be secured at the edge by using either timber edge or Installation Pegs.

Infilling the Grass

• Ensure the grass pile is upright to allow most effective infiltration of the infill material. Hand or power broom the fibres upright.
• The grass should be firstly in filled with fine layers of silica sand. A drop spreader is the most suitable way to apply infill material or you can use a shovel in a light application. Each infill layer should be brushed in by either a stiff brush or power broom to ensure even and deep spread of the infill material.
• The final infill layer of rubber graduals should be spread in the same manner. One 25kg bag of rubber graduals will cover 30m2 approximately.

Tips

• Do not install artificial grass in wet weather (keep grass and sand dry)
• Grass is perforated for vertical drainage but allow horizontal drainage also.