DIY Tips for Installing Artificial Turf

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With the increasing accessibility of artificial turf, many Sacramento residents are choosing to install a synthetic grass lawn at their business or home as a DIY project. An artificial turf lawn can provide a wide range of benefits to your residence or workplace, from lowering long-term maintenance costs to boosting visual appeal all year long. However, there are certain mistakes that you’ll want to avoid while installing your turf. Fortunately, we have some tips for your DIY project to help make sure you can have the beautiful lawn of your dreams. 

Measure Your Lawn Carefully

The saying “measure twice, cut once” doesn’t just apply to carpentry. When purchasing synthetic turf, make sure that you’ve measured the area you want to lay the turf down on as closely as possible, so that you don’t end up over-spending and getting more than you need. If you’re not sure of the best way to do this, consult with one of the professionals at SGW on the right measuring methods.

Prepare Your Base Correctly

Artificial grass looks best when it has been laid over a smooth, even surface. Before installation, you’ll want to remove any sources of bumps or wrinkles like roots or rocks and excavate the soil about three to four inches deep. You’ll then want to fill in this empty space with basing material. This will help ensure that your turf has a smooth and level appearance. 

Install a Weed Blocker

In order to better protect against weeds growing up from underneath your turf, you can add a weed blocker. This layer of sheer black fabric fits underneath synthetic grass and offers an additional layer of protection that keeps weeds from growing through your lawn. 

Pay Attention to the Grain

Blades of synthetic grass have a natural “grain” or directionality to them. When you’re laying turf, make sure that the grain of every roll of turf matches up with the others. Otherwise, you may have an obvious seam in your lawn. We recommend laying the grain facing towards you so that it’s most obvious if you’ve made a mistake, allowing you to correct yourself before securing the lawn to the ground.

Stretch Your Turf Tight

When laying synthetic grass, you’ll want to make sure that it has been stretched tightly so that you don’t have any unappealing bumps or wrinkles on the surface. Knee kicker tools are commonly used in carpet installation to remove wrinkles, but you can use them for the same purpose when laying down artificial turf. 

Cut Seams in An S-Shape

Where seams of your artificial grass meet each other, cut the edges in S-shapes that match up with each other. This will help hide the seams and give your lawn a more natural appearance than cutting straight lines. 

Don’t Forget the Infill

Infill is critical for the drainage capabilities and appearance of your synthetic grass. Make sure that you get the right type of infill for your lawn’s needs, whether that’s silica sand, rubber granules, or a variety of other products. At SGW, the standard infill we use is 30# silica sand, applied with a drop spreader that evenly distributes infill over the turf. However, we offer a range of options across all infill types.

Hold Onto Your Scraps

Once you’re finished with the installation, hold onto any unused pieces of artificial grass that you have left. You can use these scraps for minor repairs and patches in the future, or as a reference if you want to buy more turf in the future. 

If you follow these tips and other recommendations from your turf wholesaler, you can enjoy a beautiful artificial grass lawn for your Sacramento home or business. At SGW Sacramento, we sell a wide range of artificial turf styles and installation supplies, enabling you to perform a DIY project that will enhance your property for years to come. We also offer installation how-to classes every second Thursday of the month, so you can learn to install artificial grass like the pros! If you have further questions about artificial turf or would like to take a class on installation, you can call us at (916) 797-0682. 

Artificial Grass Spring Maintenance Tips

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With spring right around the corner, the looming specter of spring cleaning is almost upon Sacramento residents. Thankfully, if your home or business has an artificial turf lawn, you can spend substantially less time trying to maintain it than if you had natural sod grass. As long as you follow these basic maintenance tips for the season, you’ll enjoy a beautiful lawn all spring long. 

Clear Off Your Lawn & Rearrange Furniture

To have full access to your artificial grass lawn, you’ll want to clear off any equipment such as furniture, children’s playsets, planters, and anything else you currently have on it. You’ll be able to clean and fluff your synthetic turf lawn much more easily, as well as have the opportunity to rearrange all of your equipment. Doing this will keep sections of your lawn from wearing out before the rest and will ensure that you won’t need to repair or replace them.

Clean Up Winter Debris

While most of California enjoys relatively mild winters, the winds and rain of the season can still cause leaves, twigs, and other kinds of debris to end up on your lawn. You’ll want to sweep this debris away before it can decompose, but be sure that you have the right kind of tools. You’ll want to use a broom or brush with soft plastic or synthetic bristles, rather than a metal tool that can damage your synthetic turf’s blades. After that, you can rinse your lawn to wash off any remaining dust or smaller pieces of debris you missed and let the drainage system carry them away. If you have pets, now would also be a good time to clean the areas they use as a bathroom. To prevent unpleasant odors from forming, spray the turf with a specialized deodorizer product. If you don’t have the right cleaners, a mix of water and distilled water vinegar will suffice. 

Check Your Lawn For Damage

Winter can cause damage such as buckles, sags, or tears to your artificial turf lawn. The seams of the lawn can also come undone or an edge can detach and start to lift, letting dirt and debris under your lawn. This rarely happens to professionally-installed turf, but lawns that were DIY projects are often more susceptible. If you do spot any damage, don’t panic; fixing small patches of synthetic turf or re-attaching seams are very easy repairs to perform. 

Rebloom Your Turf

Over time, the blades of artificial turf can start to lay flat, looking matted and impeding drainage. This occurs most often in high-traffic areas or spots that have lawn equipment resting on them for long periods of time. With your soft-bristled broom or brush, you can rebloom your synthetic grass and make the blades stand on end again. Simply brush against the grain of the turf, and the blades will begin to re-fluff and straighten up.

Weeding

It’s usually impossible for weeds to sprout up through artificial turf, especially if your lawn has a weed barrier installed. However, they can still grow along the edges of the lawn or where seams are disrupted. Since this time of the year is the rainiest season for California, you’ll want to be sure to pull up any weeds you spot before they grow larger and spread seeds. You can also treat the areas they grow in with pesticides if you feel comfortable doing so. 

Consider New Additions to Your Lawn

With the rainy season softening soil and flowers beginning to bloom, spring can be a great time for renovating or adding to your lawn. You might consider adding a new section of synthetic grass or decorative elements like flowerbeds and hardscaping. 

Whatever plans you may have for your Sacramento synthetic grass lawn this spring, SGW Sacramento has everything you need. We stock a broad inventory of artificial grass types and accessories as well as installation tools and supplies. We also offer classes on how to install artificial turf, so you can finally have the lawn of your dreams. Give us a call at (916) 797-0682 to learn more about our synthetic turf selection or to receive free samples.