How much grass do I need?

Verde grasses are manufactured in rolls 2 metres (6 feet 6 inches) or 4 metres (13 feet) wide and are supplied in lengths to suit your requirements. It is necessary therefore to carefully work out the lengths and widths you will require, to minimise wastage. It may help to work out your requirements on squared paper. Verde artificial grasses are easily joined and, due to the long pile, carefully made seams are invisible. 

For simple shaped areas it is relatively easy to work out your requirements. For more complicated areas it would be advisable to accurately draw a plan of the area to be covered.  Send your plan to your supplier, who can advise on your requirements.

For very small areas or awkward shapes, Verde Tiles provide an economical alternative to rolls of grass.  Tiles are 0.50m x 0.50m (19.5" x 19.5"), easily cut with a sharp Stanley knife.  The finished appearance is the same as Verdegrass.

How do I make joins?

Joins are made by sticking the underside of the artificial grass to a special seaming tape by means of polyurethane adhesive. The edges to be joined should be trimmed carefully, removing any excess "selvedge" material.  Adjacent panels should be laid together ensuring that straight cut edges are butted close together (fig 1).  As all grasses have a directional pile, check and ensure all panels are running in the same direction.  The edges are then folded back and the seaming tape laid, plastic side down, centrally along the joint (fig 2).

Adhesive is applied from a cartridge gun to the top surface of the seaming tape, two "worms" of adhesive being applied to each side of the joint, one close to the point where the carpet will meet and the other about half way between the join and the edge of the tape.
The carpet is now folded back and pressed down to spread the adhesive (fig 3). The strength of the join will be improved if the seam can be weighed down during the curing time of the adhesive.

Seaming tape and adhesive cartridges may be ordered when ordering the grass.  Each cartridge of adhesive is sufficient for 3 metres of seam.

What sort of base do I require?

The grass may be laid on a wide variety of bases, but it is very important to understand that problems such as poor drainage, etc cannot be overcome simply by covering them up with synthetic grass.

Hard (bound) surfaces - Macadam, asphalt, concrete, etc.

All artificial grasses may be laid directly onto any suitable hard sub surface.
If a new sub-surface is being constructed to take artificial grass a slight fall (1:200 is ideal) should be incorporated to assist drainage. Porous (open textured) macadam is particularly suitable as a sub base for all types of Verde artificial grass.

Paving slabs are not satisfactory, since after a period of time the pattern of the slabs will show on the surface of the grass. The slabs should be removed or covered with a thick layer of coarse sand.

Unbound surfaces

Well compacted unbound aggregate (stone) bases are ideal for artificial grasses and if an artificial lawn were to be built from scratch, this type of base would be our recommendation. Any unbound surface, which drains and is stable and reasonably level however, is perfectly satisfactory. If the surface is too rough it may be screeded with coarse sharp sand, prior to laying the grass.

Natural surfaces

Whilst artificial grass may be laid directly onto an existing lawn, provided the drainage is satisfactory, this is not always very satisfactory in the long term. The natural grass will die off and the roots will decay, causing unevenness in the surface. Removal of the grass and compaction of the resulting soil base will overcome this problem, particularly if the soil is covered with a layer of compacted grit sand.  Builders sand is not suitable.

How do I hold it in position?

If installed on a hard surface indoors or out, these surfaces may be loose laid or spot stuck (see illustration). On an unbound surface, small areas may be fixed around the edges with galvanized or plastic nails.

Dry, coarse sand (block paving sand is excellent) brushed into the pile of the Verdeturf is sufficient to hold the grass in place (20 kg max per square metre)

As with Verdeturf, sand is used to hold the grass down.  Due to the closer fine tufting, Super Verdeturf and Verdeluxe only require approximately 8 kg of sand per square metre.  The sand should be evenly distributed to ensure no excess appears on the surface. 

If alternative fixing is provided, both surfaces may be installed with no sand infill.

As with Verdegrass, the Super quality may be loose laid or spot stuck.  On an unbound surface it need only be secured at the edges.

The Verde Tile should be installed over hard (bound) surfaces, loose laid or fixed with a few spots of all-weather adhesive.  Correctly installed, no joins will be visible due to the 9mm grass pile.

How do I form the edges?

1. By butting against an existing wall or upstanding kerb.
2. By fixing to an edge board - tanalised timber 100mm x    25mm located by wooden pegs 50mm x 50mm x 300mm is ideal.
3. By placing the edge of the grass under paving stones or similar fence.
4. By burying the grass edge under adjacent natural turf.

What do I need to do to maintain it?

Artificial Grass is a low maintenance but not a no maintenance surface. The rules are simple - remove debris, particularly leaves or pet droppings, since otherwise these will compost into the surface and allow moss to grow. Debris may be removed by sweeping, and in dry conditions may be vacuumed with a domestic appliance. Do not vacuum sand filled grass - your machine will fill with sand!

If moss does form in the pile, it should be treated with a proprietary moss killer and swept thoroughly to remove the dead material. A bass broom or similar stiff brush is best for maintaining a 'fresh' appearance. Odd weeds which may seed themselves in the surface may be removed by hand or spot-sprayed with a general weedkiller.