When you make the decision to lay an artificial lawn on your property, it can be the key to getting a wonderful new look for your home. In fact, having a great outdoors space can also encourage you to change your lifestyle for the better as well.
Before you go ahead and enjoy your synthetic grass, there are a few issues that you need to make sure you avoid.
The following are all potential problems that are easy enough to bypass once you are aware of them.
Choosing the Wrong Type of Grass
Did you know that there are a number of different types of artificial grass you can choose from these days? The final decision on which one you buy will come down to factors such as your budget, the overall look that you are after and whether you plan to carry out some sports on the grass.
It is also a good idea to consider going for the most eco-friendly approach possible. This can be done by looking for recycled artificial turf that has already been used in one garden before. How does this work? Well, it gets lifted up and is made to be as good as new again.
Not Planning It Well Enough
Laying your artificial turf isn’t a huge or overly complicated job, if you have a few basic DIY skills. However, it does need a bit of thought and planning put into it to get it just right.
For a start, you will want to measure the space accurately in order to get exactly the amount of grass that you need to fill it. You will also want to make sure that it is laid in a space where you can use it in the way you intend to, taking into account factors such as privacy and sunlight.
Buying the Grass a Bit at a Time
A common mistake that householders make is to buy their artificial grass a little bit at a time, rather than all at once. This might seem like a sensible approach, but there are some possible problems with it that you might not be aware of.
For example, what if you go back to buy more and discover that there is none left of the type of grass that you need? Even if you can find the same grass, what if it is from a different batch and, therefore, doesn’t look exactly the same as the turf that you already have at home?
Not Getting the Drainage Right
You probably already know that an artificial lawn typically has better drainage than one made out of natural grass. This is a fantastic benefit, but to achieve it you need to go about the installation in the right way as well.
To get this right, you need to first of all choose a good quality type of artificial grass that offers excellent drainage. After this, the next step is to get a base that allows the rain to just drain away very easily.
Getting a Bumpy, Uneven Surface
Can you imagine having a carpet in your house that is all bumpy and uneven? Well, having a synthetic lawn like this is something you will want to avoid just as much.
The way to get a smooth and attractive looking surface is to get the base just right at the beginning of the laying process. After this, the next step is to make sure that the turf is laid out perfectly without any bumps or wrinkled parts.
Forgetting the Weed Preventing Membrane
You may be aware that artificial lawns are fantastic at giving you a smooth and weed-free surface. In order to avoid making a big mistake, you need to understand a little bit about why this is the case.
Basically, there is a plastic membrane that needs to go under the turf in order to stop weeds growing and then trying to break through. Provided that you carry out this step properly then you can look forward to having a perfect lawn for a very long time.
Making the Joints Obvious
There may be parts in your garden where you need to make joints between different rolls of artificial turf. Thankfully, this isn’t going to be obvious or cause you a problem, provided you get the joints right.
It is pretty easy to make the joints seamless just by paying attention to how you fit them together. However, if you aren’t entirely confident about doing this on your own, you might decide to leave it to the experts rather than do it as a DIY job.
Not Securing It Firmly
Clearly, one of the worst mistakes that you can make in this respect is to have an artificial lawn that isn’t firmly secured. This is something that is going to make the lawn look a lot less attractive than it should be, and it might even turn out to be dangerous.
One of the jobs in the laying process not to be missed is that of securing the artificial turf around the edges. This can be done easily by nailing the edges, but if you forget to do this then it could give you big problems in the future.
Not Enjoying It
Finally, once you have got your new synthetic lawn laid, it is time to get out there any enjoy it. Whether you want to play with the kids there, eat your lunch on it or just enjoy the sensation of walking across it, this is something that can add enormous pleasure to your life.
What you don’t want to do is get a fabulous artificial lawn and then just forget about it. You won’t regret making a few changes to your lifestyle that allow you to make the most out of this terrific addition to your outdoor space at home.
If you bear all 9 of these useful points in mind, then you are virtually guaranteed to get a great looking new lawn that you get a lot of joy out of in the years to come.
