What are if any problems with Using and Laying Fake Turf?

[John1]

I have been thinking very seriously of placing fake turf over the path that runs across the yard at the back of our house. The concreter did a terrible job in one area it severely cracked and looks terrible as it butts up against the tiled patio and is not level. I will repair it as it will cost to much to have it all relayed or surfaced. The trouble is that the path instead of being a meter is 1200mm so my problem is do I lay a meter wide which is a common width, and place something along the bare edge, or do I bite the bullet and buy the 1800mm wide and cut of the excess off as the garden butts up against one side and the house and patio the other side. To get the turf made to width is well over that of getting the 1800mm.

I will however be laying fake turf over the lower back concreted area as this was planed from the beginning.

[John1]

The fake turf tile below the steps was placed there a year ago to see how it would feel during the summer months up here and winter cold. It was quite bearable in bare feet. We also woundered how it would clean, also fairly easy with my Ryobi cordless blower. All good. Will not start as yet as I want to be 100% sure I know what I am doing and have a writen plan.with all materials.

[Jason]

@John1,

I trust Workshop members will be able to assist you. I do know @ProjectPete has experience that I'm sure he will be happy to share. 

Here's some related discussions you might be interested in reading in the meantime:

• Artificial grass

• Synthetic grass

• Fake grass install - my experience

• A little trick to joining fake grass

Hope you find the posts useful. 

Jason

[John1]

I must admit Jason I never read far enough to come across these little gems. Have read them now.

Pete looks great.

My main concern is the crack and would it show though as an unsightly lump and has any body else had faults in the concrete show up in the finished laid fake turf. 

[Andy_Mann]

@John1

I see from your pics that the crack is open, which on its own should be fine. If the crack has lifted on one side, then sweeping some sand over the lower side, & feathering it out to form an extended shallow gradient should make it look seamless when you do the turf roll out.

My question now is whether the turf will it be solely for covering the pathway, or will it also open out to become a play/relaxation area? The reason being that your soil type will play a major factor in how you need to prepare the base, on which the turf will be laid. ProjectPete had sandy soil which drains well, so he was able to get away with adding a top layer of sand, leveling out & rolling out the turf. If you have clay soil, it's a whole different matter, as it shrinks back in the dry season, & expands during the wet season. For clay soil there'll be a LOT of digging to remove 200mm of soil, then compacting 100mm of road-base & finally levelling & compacting a finer layer, 100mm of crushed rock.

Regarding the summer temperature of artificial turf in the summer months, if it gets full sun, it will get scoldingly hot. I'd advise moving your test patch around your garden now before summer, & seeing how much difference it makes. Come summer, you can multiply that factor by 100.

After looking on Bunnings' site, it appears to me that the 1M wide turf, generally have a shorter nap (like a bowling green), which will affect foot feel & expose minor surface irregularities.

Hope this helps.

[ProjectPete]

There's definitely a few things to consider with fake grass and the prep is key.

If you want a plush, comfortable finish and one that looks real or at least very god, you need a longer pile height (36-38mm is spot on) and higher stitch rate. A high stitch rate gives the piles more sturdiness and the ability to spring back to pointing upward rather than staying flat - 140 stitch rate is ideal. It also provides more comfort.

As @Andy_Mann suggested, drainage is important. You'll find a standard install will have 100-120mm of compacted cracker dust laid first with the grass on top. This provides sturdiness with a bit of give for comfort and the necessary drainage.
Without it, that grass will just pool in the went months. Walking on fake grass laid directly onto concrete will not be comfortable.

Personally I'd cover the full 1200mm width rather than thinning to 1000mm and covering the remaining 200mm.
I'd avoid tiles, there's too many joins and you will notice them, especially over time. The less joins the better so buy the appropriate length in a roll.

When laying it you need to consider the direction of the grass. You want the grass to be pointing toward the point of focus, EG If you were laying it our the front of your house, you'd have the grass to pointing toward the street as this gives the best effect.

Hope this helps - just shout out if you want any other info/help.

Cheers

[John1]

Thanks heaps Pete I will definitely use your suggestions especially about the compacted cracker dust as the concrete is not even and I will bring the cracker dust up even which will give me drainage as the fall in the concrete is overdone. Cracker dust. I was just going to use a course sand but cracker dust it is.