SYNLawn — Artificial grass never looked more natural.

artificial grass never looked more natural

Preparing your artificial turf for that natural appearance

Artificial turf installation at restaurant drive-through

Artificial Turf Preparation

Getting SYNLawn ready for installation

Before laying out the artificial grass rolls onto your base you must prepare it for final installation. The videos in this section show how to prepare the artificial turf fibers, mark your base in sections and trimming excess materials from the turf rolls.

Power Broom Fibers

Power broom artificial turf fibers

Before your turf is ready for installation the fibers need to be brushed upright. The turf fibers become completely flat as they are rolled and packaged for shipping. By brooming the fibers you create a more natural multi-directional appearance and prepare the turf for infill (if infill is necessary). The preferred method for brushing the fibers is to use a power broom. You can usually rent these from local equipment rental stores. If a power broom is not available, you can use a stiff bristle broom as an alternative. Be advised, it will take several vigorous passes to completely brush fibers up using this method.

When possible, it is recommended that you power broom the fibers before lying over the sub base. To use the power broom on the fibers, position the turf so that the grain of the fibers is pointing downward. Make sure you are facing the turf against the grain and start brooming from the top edge moving side to side. Apply slight downward pressure on the power broom as you move along. It is important to keep the broom moving, do not stay in one place to long as you could damage the turf fibers. When the fibers are all standing upright you are ready for installation and infill application.

If you are using a stiff bristle broom, position the fibers with the grain pointing downward. Push the broom from the bottom edge facing the grain. Use short, hard strokes as you move up the turf. Repeat this process several times until all the fibers are brushed up completely.

  • Work against the grain of the fibers and move side to side.
  • Apply slight downward pressure on the broom as you move along.

Measuring on Base

Measure and mark on aggregate base

Before you cut a single piece of turf plan your cuts by measuring and marking on your base. This will help you determine the section sizes of the turf and determine seam locations. It is recommended that you make your general size cuts somewhere other than on your base, like a driveway or other large flat surface, before laying them into position.

Following your initial plan or estimate, determine the location of the sections. First measure and mark widths of 15 feet (the width of the turf rolls). With spray paint mark a dashed line down the length of the section. This can be used as a guide when positioning seams.

When each section width is marked, measure and mark the final lengths. It is a good idea to mark the actual measurements directly on the sub base for easy reference.

  • Start measuring and marking 15 foot widths.
  • Mark a dashed line down the length of the section.
  • Measure lengths and mark dimensions directly on base.

Trimming Edges

Trim excess backing before installation

When turf is manufactured, an extra couple of inches of backing material remains along the edge of the turf. This extension runs the length of the turf roll on both sides after the last stitching row of yarn. Before you can seam two pieces of turf together you must remove the extra material.

To trim the excess material flip the turf over and work from the backside. Find the first row of stitching. Start cutting between the first and second stitch row with a carpet knife. By doing this you are using the groove formed by the stitching rows to help achieve a straight cut. You will lose one row of stitching as you cut along the length of the turf. It is not recommended that you cut on the outside of the first stitching row. It is more important to get a straight cut then to try to save a single stitched row of yarn.

  • Trim off excess material before seaming two pieces of turf.
  • Cut just inside the first row of stitching to get a straight cut.