Help laying artificial grass!

Monokne

Hi all

I am looking to lift 100 40cm x 40 cm garden tiles and replace with artificial grass.

The garden was tiled by a professional but I imagine lifting them will be easy enough. I have tried jamming a shovel down the side and lifting that first tile to make the rest easy but cannot quite manage it. Any tips on how to get the first tile up? I am sure the rest will be easy once there is a gap. Pic so you can see what I'm working with.

1.jpg

A couple of people who have artificial grass already have told me that once the tiles are up, all I'll need to do is lay a layer of weed membrane in the space and then put the grass on top, hammered in with a few galvanised nails, as the subbase already laid for the tiles will provide a fine base for the grass.

Does anyone know if this is true or if I need to do anything else?

I usually get professionals to do this type of thing but money is tight and it sounds like a relatively simple job. I have a place that will cut the grass to size for me - its a 4m by 4m square so no complex edges or anything.

Any hints or tips welcome.

I do not know anything about laying artifical grass, someone in DIY might have a better idea but if the pavers are on a bed of gravel and sand and the drainage is ok then I'd say maybe go ahead with your plan. You'll defintely find instructional videos on YT and as for lifting them, I find a mattock or pick axe is a handy tool to have in the garden for that kind of leverage.

Monokne

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122321531#Comment_122321531

Mattock sounds like a great idea!

Yeah the drainage should be fine I think. It is built on a slope.

kippy

If you don't mind breaking a single tile get the lump hammer out, break first tile, lift it, then you'll be able get in under the rest from there. Even if you can access and one of the four edges of a tiles you should be able did a small hole beside it, and get underneath it with a trowel or flat edge.

Looks a fair straight forward job once you get them up and the group below tidied up prior to weed course.

standardg60

That's a top notch patio job and could well be laid on concrete which is why you may be struggling to lift it.

Why bother would be my question, just get a 4m x 4m piece of artificial grass and roll it straight out on it, you can glue it down at the edges if you wish.

rje66

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122321770#Comment_122321770

This

Monokne

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122321770#Comment_122321770

Is that a done thing? What type of glue would you use?

I have a hard time picturing that and not thinking it'll look entirely unnatural? Surely it would just look like a mat?

TheSunIsShining

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122321802#Comment_122321802

Would second this. And gives the benefit of you still having your patio if you ever want to lift the artificial grass and revert to it.

rje66

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122321981#Comment_122321981

That's what artificial grass is, a mat, effectively.

The supplier will have glue. Cut with sharp stanley knife blades from the bottom side, if that makes sense. Rolls are 4m wide and if you have joints work them in in the least visible spot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA_Azp5lMYc

here ya go

SuperBowserWorld

Hmmm

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/jul/31/plastic-lawn-backlash-fake-grass

hello2020

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122321770#Comment_122321770

I did the same...just put the grass on top of paving slabs... artificial grass is like a green mat n many places are using it in balconies etc over concrete...

Monokne

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122322561#Comment_122322561

Nothing really in that tbh, if you read the whole thing.

Monokne

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122322837#Comment_122322837

Did you put foam underlay under it? Was it easy enough to glue down? Any pointers welcome

Monokne

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122322336#Comment_122322336

thanks will watch.

hello2020

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122323017#Comment_122323017

i kept it simple as it was for my front garden which is quite small.. to avoid any grass/weed growing between the paving slabs , just lay down a weed membrane on top of the paving slabs then artificial grass mat on top. as i had to use two pieces of grass , used tape and glue to to stick the two pieces together .. have kept few heavy plant pots on top of the grass on 4 corners which stops it from moving.

have seen DIY videos suggesting nails to fix the grass in place which i may do in future when laying down in my back garden.

Monokne

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122324567#Comment_122324567

thanks!

raxy

Is the existing patio completely flay? If there are bumps between the tiles they could be felt through the grass.

We got a crowd in to do ours & instead of lifting the paving & laying a base they glued it to the paving. It was awful, the paving was uneven & missing tiles which was why we were getting the grass. You could feel when you walked on the edge of a tile. We made them take it away & did it myself after.

If yours is flat it might not be an issue or you could spread some paving grit/sand to fill any dips.

hello2020

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122324651#Comment_122324651

did u do it for large area and how much did it cost you ?

raxy

I did about 30m2 & cost roughly €1250.

Did mine 7/8 years ago so probably cheaper now because the grass has come down in price.

hello2020

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122325367#Comment_122325367

thanks.. grass is cheaper but labor cost has gone up considerably

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122322561#Comment_122322561

much as i dislike artificial grass, the OP is not looking to replace real grass with fake grass!

SuperBowserWorld

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122325494#Comment_122325494

Just pointing out some problems. Maybe plant real grass. 😁

Monokne

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122324651#Comment_122324651

It is flat but I am going to lay an underlay down and then the grass on top anyway.

Monokne

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122325494#Comment_122325494

Exactly.

My kids have a large climbing frame & swing. Currently I have about 8 1m squared rubber mats dotted about to keep the area safe. But it's ugly.

I also have a young dog who loves lounging about on soft surfaces. So for the safety of the kids, the joy of the dog, and the look of the garden - fake grass will do the job.

Monokne

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122325518#Comment_122325518

We had real grass. Just not worth the hassle, especially where this is going to be used and what will be on top of it.

raxy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122327212#Comment_122327212

When I was looking into this I seen some comments on the sponge/underlay smelling because of dog pee, just so you're aware. You may need to think about the edge of your grass as well. With the underlay & grass, if you're not running it up to a border the edge may look a bit funny with a lip where the underlay ends.

Monokne

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122327302#Comment_122327302

A friend of mine has 3 dogs and a whole artificial lawn. He recommended a product for the smell. I was conscious of that.

I checked out some vids of people who've laid it on concrete. The 1 cm just isn't high enough to look like a real lip thankfully.

Monokne

Hi all! Just wanted to say thanks for all the pointers - in particular those who suggested just laying it on the concrete. I put a thick foam underlay down with the grass on top and it looks really good. I'm very happy. More importantly, my kids love it. Until now I had various foam mats under the climbing frame and swing. It was quite unkempt looking and some were quite firm to the touch. This is much softer. It's a big hit!

Here are some pics of the finished product.

PS you're not seeing things - there's a little fresh cut grass scattered over the top of the grass, a friend of mine told me the smell helps dogs recognise the artificial grass as grass so we just threw a little on top. I think she got it!