Artificial Grass

[mikeprice]

Hi all

 

I need to basically rip up my garden and start again.

hence I hav been spending ages just looking at it and wondering what to do - and I was wondering if artificial grass is any good these days. I know the cheap stuff looks rubbish but there is a wide variety now and the adverts look good - but they would wouldn't they

 

Has anyone got any experience of using the stuff and can say whether or not it looks OK and lasts OK when it is down??

 

Thanks

 

Mike

[unixman_again]

My sister has it in Australia. Pros are that you don't have to water it, mow it (although you do need to vacuum it - she does) and it is always green. Cons - it 's damn hot under foot in the summer and if you have a dog, the poos sit around.

 

My last school tried in one on of the play areas (before my time). It had been down a couple of weeks and a heavy wind tore it up and deposited it on the main road that the school was on. I don't know if the Dodgy Bros installed it.

[AJWhite1970]

Not sure what size you are looking to cover but over the summer I put astroturf over the top of my back patio, an area of 3mx8m and it cost approx £100 from an ebay supplier. 4 months later it's bedded down really well and we often walk from the hot tub to the patio doors barefoot without issue. Also has no issues with heavy rain. Used a hard wearing 6mm length grass.

 

[elsiegee40]

My environmental side doesn't like astroturf. Putting it down is bad for hedgehogs, birds, etc.

[Matt_NetSupport]

I have it - it’s great!! Edited October 9, 2017 by Matt_NetSupport

[Andrew_C]

You been smokin' your Atrificial Grass?

[Mistert89]

I have it as well. It has drainage holes on a 100mm grid, but weeds can grow through - so ensure good weed fabric underneath.

[MatthewL]

I know a few people who have it, buy cheap and you can tell, I've contemplated it for my garden when I have a bit of spare cash. It does look good and looks tidy all year around, there is a few carpet shops who have started selling it around here in biggish rolls.

 

Maybe one day when I win the lottery to actually finish the garden off properly.

[Katy]

We did it at mum's to replace paving slabs, didn't go for the most expensive and as long as you lay all the pieces in the same direction (if you have more than 1 piece) it will be fine, ours looks better from one end than the other but compared to proper lawn full of weeds needing cutting... so much better (and the cats love it).

 

Hardest part was getting the 2 tons of sand we had delivered from the front of the house to the back garden, we ended up half loading one of the wheelie bins and doing about a thousand trips, inch of sand down on top of the slabs then the fake grass on top. I think we even had a go with the hoover once it was down (got to get the neighbours to think we're insane somehow).

[elsiegee40]

You been smokin' your Atrificial Grass?

Edited Didn't spot that one. I might need to resign from Pedantic Geeks

[ITBadger]

I installed it over the summer in my back garden. The preparation is key, don't rush and buy the best grass that you can afford. Most companies will send you samples so you can feel what the finished result looks like. My kids love it, it means they can use the garden far more than they used to be able to. The wife loves it as it means that she doesn't need to nag me to mow the lawn and the kids don't tread mud into the house, and I love it as the wife doesn't nag me!