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.