Artificial Grass Installers Peterborough

Artificial Grass Installation Peterborough

When it comes to artificial grass installation in Peterborough we are confident that our fitting team are one of the most conscientious and diligent installation teams in the area.  We stand by our workmanship and that is because we don't want to be called back to put something right because it wasn't done to the best standards possible in the first place.

Whether you are a home owner, business or sports operator in Peterborough our artificial grass installations will be fitted with the same attention to detail whether it is a 20m2 garden installation, or two or three football pitches for an outdoor sports venue.

If you are looking for a quality artificial grass installation company look no further - get in touch with us today for a no pressure discussion on the best artificial grass solution for you.

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Artificial Grass Fitters Peterborough

Understanding your complete design aspiration is important for our artificial grass fitters in Peterborough not least of all so we can cost and ensure that all materials you desire are readily available. Whist it is fairly rare that we get an unusual request it can and does happen. Mostly the request will be regarding the edging of your new synthetic lawn. This can be compared to a picture in a gallery - whilst we will provide the paints and the canvas onto which a painting will go before it is publicly displayed it will be put in a frame. In the same way the artificial grass can be compared to the painting and the edging or boarders can be seen as the equivalent of the frame. Mostly the frame, or boarders are already in existence such as a wall or path, but for more open edges the decision to fit artificial grass can sometimes be an excuse to go all in. Fitting new multi-tiered raised beds, rockeries or even up to the edge of a new pond, whatever it is we need to ensure we have a tight fit along all the edges of the grass.

for those clients who have decking running artificial grass up to the decking does provide a striking contrast from the lush green of your new fake lawn to your wooden decking - especially if it has been well maintained, your new synthetic grass does provide a good platform from which to showcase your decking.

For those of you who have let your decking maintenance slip and as a result have a deck surface which has moss and algae and you really can' be bothered to keep on top of things our artificial grass fitters can install some fake grass on top of your decking. This will freshen up the aesthetics and importantly provide a must less slippery and dangerous surface to walk on when you have slightly damp conditions. The one caveat to this action is that it a layer of fake grass will shorten the life of your wooden decking as the moisture will not be able to evaporate at the same rate. This action should be taken if your decking is starting to get towards the end of its life and it may only be a couple of years before you had planned to replace the whole lot anyway. However, until that time comes you will have a much safer and better looking deck topping. Since there is much less preparation work involved in adding artificial grass to your decking this is relatively inexpensive and may well be worth considering if you are likely to have excess grass left from you lawn replacement anyway.

Infographic of how Artificial Grass Peterbourough installs artificial grass

Ground Preparation before laying artificial turf

When installing artificial grass as a replacement to a lawn or gravelled area the process is pretty much the same and is the most common installation. Once we have agreed with you what your design, edging and area requirements are we can set about starting the ground preparation before laying the artificial turf. It is the ground preparation sometime referred to as the sub base that is a very important part to provide a good quality fitting of artificial grass and is the one where some contractors can try and reduce costs by cutting corners here and there.

Clearly the first thing which need to be done is remove the existing surface layer - so whether this is existing turf or gravel it needs to be removed.

We will place down the weed membrane and secure this with the boarder enclosure such as sleepers. As the name suggests this prevents weeds coming up but still allows water to pass through. As the width of the membrane is generally smaller than grass rolls it will need to be overlapped. Again is it important that the overlap is generous enough to ensure a gap does not arise during the rest of the installation steps , so we would recommend 20-30cm overlap. This is an especially important aspect in dealing with dog wee. Our membrane is treated with alkaline, so it is especially good as allowing urine to pass through whilst neutralising it which is one area some dog owners have been concerned about. A good membrane and a properly laid sub-base will prevent any dog wee odours.

The important part of removal is to go far down enough so that when the right amount of limestone aggregate sub base is laid over the membrane before the granite dust layer finally followed by the grass itself. The finished turf should then be  at the same height as when we started. This is based on assuming that is where you want the height of your synthetic grass to finish. For some customers the decision to install artificial grass has also gone hand in hand with making some additional changes to the height or slope of the ground. All of this is possible and can be covered in the planning and preparation process. At Artificial Grass Peterborough we want to ensure you get the final result you are after so please discuss your landscape aspirations with us as we are confident our artificial grass installation expertise will be able to cater for almost any design scenario you may have.

Even if additional ground heights need to be raised in certain areas and lowered in others there should be a minimum of 10cm of ground clearance to your grass level. Less than that is a sure sight that your installer is looking to save material costs.

Once we have cleared to 10cm we will then spread out the aggregate sub-base to a level of around 4cm this can be a crushed limestone or similar small aggregate and this is important in creating a firm base but one which allows drainage. The important part is compacting the aggregate - again this is an area where some installers can take shortcuts by not compacting down, but compacting the ground with a proper compacting machine will allow you to create a solid base - essentially the foundations for you artificial lawn. The next step will be to add layer of granite dust, about 1cm, again this needs to be compacted and made a smooth as possible as this is what the grass will be laid on. Once we are happy with the level of the granite the synthetic grass will be rolled out.

Fake grass installation Peterborough

The final parts is where things start to look more like a lawn again. When we carry our a fake grass installation in Peterborough we make sure we have the rolls ready in place before any unrolling takes place. It does take time to get a perfectly smooth the granite base and it is important that the weed membrane is not dislodged when rolling our the synthetic grass. This is where we double check the orientation so that we know that if there are to be any joints that they will be in the agreed orientation. Where we do have joints once the first roll has been rolled out we then roll out the second roll so that they are exactly adjacent to one another. We will then part the joint and position our jointing tape underneath the two rolls and then apply the adhesive to the bonding tape, and work our way along the seam to ensure a 'seamless' joint. Jointing is another important area which can differentiate one installer from another. We take great pride in using the best materials for this to get a virtually invisible joint.

So now that the bulk of the artificial grass is down we need to work on tidying up - 'finishing'. This is where we will fix the grass in the appropriate spots in the main area and importantly to the edges. Depending on what the edging is, will determine the best type of fixing to use. Where the grass butts up to a wall or existing path a wooden board, acting as a boarder to the sub-base would have been put down which provides a clean crisp edge onto which the grass can be fixed to normally with small screws specially designed for artificial grass fixing. This is the most common method and can be done even underneath a new sleeper boarder which will act a a barrier to the soil on the other side.

Certain weather conditions, such as heavy rain when fitting the sub-base or jointing will negatively effect the quality of the install as the excess water will cause movement of the granite dust, or prevent good adhesion where glue is involved. We know what can effect the quality of the install and we don't make compromises or take short cuts, so on occasion the timeframe to complete an install can slip due to weather conditions but we will let you know if this ends up being the case and when completion is likely based on forecasts.

Finishing off your artificial grass installation

Once we have completed the installation we will invite you  to inspect the work. Unlike many other contractors we don't take deposits we will only ask for payment one installation is complete and you are completely happy with our service. We also appreciate that for some contractors simply installing artificial grass is where they see the start and stop of their work, we however do not. As well as inspecting what we have done as artificial grass fitters we also invite you to inspect the whole of your garden to ensure that the level of tidiness is also to your satisfaction. 

As part of this process we will also discuss the off cuts which have been left for you to decide if you want to use them elsewhere in your garden. We have seen a number of customers use these off-cuts as bases underneath plan pots on decking or patio areas, or even flat walls as they provide a much cleaner neater finish than than the existing base. If you do not want these we will take them all away with us and dispose of appropriately. Leaving you to admire your new artificial grass lawn.

We will also provide a quick reminder of the best way to look after your artificial grass - although this part doesn't take too long, as maintenance is minimal. Just a few tips on the best way to get leaves or birds dropping from your artificial lawn.

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Frequently Asked Questions:

  • Do you only fit artificial grass?

    No - we can just supply artificial grass which is one of the best around and the other appropriate fittings and membrane. However, our specialty is the supply and fit of artificial grass. Our extensive experience and fully trained installation team mean that you get a quality installtion.

    Our artificial grass will not be the cheapest as we import ours from Europe, not China. We have an excellent relationship with the manufacturer and have worked together over the years to enhance their products.

    Sometimes it can be very tempting to buy materials yourself and then try to find a tradesperson to fit your product but what you think you have saved in the material by buying direct will often be offset by tradespeople adding to the installation costs to compensate for the margin they may have lost through not supplying the materials, which they would probably get at trade rates, which would end up being similar to the price you paid anyway. 

  • What is the best artificial grass?

    We've already touched up that the best artificial grass will be dependent on what it will be used for. The most extreme example to give would be choosing the best grass for your back garden which  will have no dogs and few people walking on it compared to a 4G astroturf football pitch which will have many people running around , jumping, stopping turning and giving it a good work over. For the garden a lush 45mm pile height artificial grass would be ideal but if you put this on a football pitch you would have complaints from the players that the ball won't roll and it's heavy underfoot.

    Whilst we pride ourselves on providing the best like for like artificial grass over our competitors but the best fake grass for you will be the one that meets your budget and importantly one which is suitable for its intended purpose.

    For many businesses, we have installed artificial grass in selected outdoor areas including decking. These will typically have many people walking and standing on it for long periods so a short grass will be the best artificial grass in this instance as a longer grass will look messier once people have left the establishment and you are left with trodden down synthetic grass. Whilst this can be brushed back up this simply adds to the maintenance time and longer grass will also take longer to clean and hoover up from compared to a shorter turf. Simply arrange a call with our experts covering Peterborough letting them know what you want your artificial grass for and we can provide you with a shortlist of suitable options.

  • What's the cost of artificial grass installation in Peterborough?

    For a domestic installation for a quick rough guide around £80 per m2 will be for a lawn replacement with the most popular and best all-round artificial grass top layer. 

    Cost can vary based on the shape of the lawn area as narrow strips could lead to larger amounts of waste material. Most artificial grasses come in 4 or 5m rolls so sections that say 6 or 7 meters wide will need another section cut and laid adjacent to the initial roll. Sometimes this can work out well with very little wasted but for very irregular shapes there can be more waste. However, any waste material is yours - if you want us to take it away we are happy to do so and will be responsible for getting as much recycled but many customers decide to use the offcuts to provide additional pot plant bases or use sections to simply lay over small areas which may be prone to becoming muddy in certain times of the year such as a thin strip of artificial grass stepping stones to get to a composter hidden away at the back of the garden.

  • Will artificial grass go on top of decking?

    Yes, it will. In fact, this is happening more and more both in commercial as well as domestic environments. It is quite well known that wooden decking can get quite slippery when wet and whilst the rain can put most people off from going outside when the rain stops walking out onto a slippery surface - especially if you are holding drinks or food put people off utilising the decking space. 

    It is normally fairly straightforward to put a layer of artificial grass on top of the decking. Depending on personal preference this can simply be installed on top and the sides of the decking can remain exposed wood, or the artificial grass can continue to be pinned down the side too. Generally, no additional layers need adding below the grass and it fixes directly onto the wooden deck panels. This will provide a much safer non-slip surface but doing this is likely to lead to a shortening of your timber decking as moisture will be retained for longer on top and into the wood as the synthetic grass, layer will slow the evaporation process. Also unless you are going to lift up the grass to reapply timber decking treatments it will mean that the wood is being exposed to worse conditions with less protection.

    We are also seeing artificial grass is laid on top of concrete areas or other hard surfaces to provide either a non-slip surface or an improved aesthetic or both.

  • Will artificial grass fade over time?

    This will depend on the artificial grass you have chosen.

    Our grasses have been treated with a UV protective coat so that they will not fade. This is a good example of the difference between cheap artificial grass and quality artificial grass comes into play. You cannot see the UV coating so unless you ask about whether or not your grass has such a coating it is unlikely that an installer whose grass does not have this protectino will highlight this.

  • What's the best way to edge off artificial grass?

    Generally, the edge will already be in place, especially in a garden installation. Often a synthetic lawn will replace the existing lawn which may already have a wall along one side and a path or patio along another. The most popular edging we install will be where the current lawn runs up to a flower bed. The existing edge may be a very short fence or a small trench has been dug to edge off the lawn to provide a secure fit and ensure no edge is exposed which could be used to pull up the grass we normally will run sleepers in place of where the fence or trench was. Depending on the dimensions available to you in your garden you may want a thick sleeper for an aesthetic reason or you may want a much thinner one so to maintain as much flower bed space as possible. These are aspects we can discuss with you to find the solution which you're most happy with.



    This will depend on your specific fitting. For garden installations wooden sleepers are very popular as an edge but sometimes along one edge there will be an existing wall and at another end it can be fitted so that it butts right updo an existing patio or paved pathway. 

    The aesthetic finish is a very personal choice so we tend to let you let us know what you would like and if we know it is practical to do we will happliy provide you with your choice of edge finish.