Businesses all over London are installing artificial grass because they are a low-maintenance way of creating a green space for workers and customers.
With wellbeing in the workplace a hot topic right now, the implementation of green space in commercial spaces has become an increasingly prominent design element.
How much does commercial artificial lawn installation cost?
Estimating the cost of artificial grass is not a back-of-the-envelope calculation. There are several factors that need to be taken into account like the quality of the grass, the surface area being turfed, the materials required for installation, and the installation itself.
The most significant factor is the cost of your artificial lawn. You should expect prices to be between £10 and £45 depending on the quality. Consider durability also. Grass that is expected to be used on a regular basis will wear out sooner and will need replacing.
With this in mind, installing the cheapest artificial grass in London is not the best strategy. There are a lot of commercial fake grass installations in London that source low-quality materials from China which wear out in a few years. They do not represent good value for money.
Choosing an artificial lawn that is fit-for-purpose is of the utmost importance. Consider the quality, pile height, material, and brand. If you have lots of children and pets, you might want to invest in a more durable lawn that can withstand rough use.
If you’re not sure which artificial grass is most suitable for your commercial property, feel free to call one of our friendly advisers for assistance. You can reach us through the website, email, phone, WhatsApp or Messenger.
When calculating the cost of artificial grass, you also need to consider the sub-base and accessories. If installing on a tarmac or concrete surface, you can disregard the sub-base cost, but may want to consider a 10mm or 20mm artificial grass drainage shockpad underlay for softness and safety.
Sub-Base
The sub-base is the stone chip layer needed under an artificial lawn to ensure that it can drain properly. We recommend using 75mm of MOT Type 1 and 25mm of Granite dust. Increase the overall depth to around 75mm-100mm rather than the standard 50mm typically used for artificial lawns that receive light to moderate footfall.
If you are looking to minimise costs and have a tarmac or concrete base, then installing a 10mm or 20mm shock pad underlay over the concrete. Not only will this reduce costs in terms of labour and materials, but also provide a lovely cushion to your space.
Accessories
The accessories needed for an artificial lawn are substantially cheaper but just as necessary. Good artificial lawns are infilled with kiln-dried sand with 20kg bags costing £5. With approximately 5kg of sand being required per metre squared, infilling is affordable and necessary.
Cheaper still is the joining tape that allows you to attach sections of artificial grass. It is vital to lay smooth artificial grass for bigger gardens and costs less than £1/m of roll. The weed membrane required to stop your artificial lawn from being overtaken by weeds also costs less than a pound per square metre.
Finally, you may require some accessories if you have pets. This includes a zeolite infill, costing £44.99 per 25 kg bag. Zeolite helps reduce the small of pet urine, leaving ammonia's foul odour behind by leveraging its negative charge. You should use 3kg of zeolite per metre squared if you have any outdoor pets.
How do you install artificial grass professionally?
Installing artificial grass to a professional standard is not a job for amateurs. Even if you’re a fairly skilled DIY enthusiast, there is good reason to hire experienced artificial grass installers. If you your commercial fake grass installation is not laid properly in the first place, it will shorten the longevity of your green space and may cause flooding in the first heavy downpour.
The first stage of any artificial grass installation is preparing the surface area where you intend to lay the lawn There are three stages to this process.
Firstly, remove all of the existing grass, going further than skimming off the top later. You should dig out the top three or four inches to ensure that your artificial grass can drain adequately. Excavating that much consistently is challenging, and hiring a turf cutter will make the job a lot easier.
After removing the grass later, you must clear the area fully. That includes any rocks and flints which, if left on the field, will leave a bump when the artificial grass is laid. You should also remove all weed roots.
The final aspect of preparation is making sure that the field is properly flattened. Use a spade to cut out any lumps and to fill in any holes. Then use a rake to finish the job.
After levelling, you are ready to install your artificial grass. Begin first with a sub-base layer designed to facilitate drainage and to stop flooding in any weather conditions. This layer is made up of granite or limestone, crushed into small stones. Shovel it into the excavation, roughly two inches deep, and level off. Make sure that you leave some space.
On top of your sub-base lay a weed membrane. Ideally, use two layers to make your artificial grass impenetrable for weeds. However, if you are on a budget, one layer will suffice to stop most weeds.
On top of the weed membrane, shovel a layer of sharp sand on top, so that the field is brought onto the same level as the rest of the garden. This layer acts as a leveller, ensuring that your garden is flat.
Having worked through this preparation, you are ready to lay your artificial grass. Gather your rolls and lay them out as you plan to install them, cut the outer rolls to fit the shape of your garden and make sure that all the fibres are facing the same direction so that you can have a natural feel.
With the artificial grass laid out, you are ready to join the different sections together. Pull the sections on a join apart and lay a line of joining tape in the gap. Run a glue line along the underside of the edges of the sections you are joining, and then bring the seam together. Make sure that no fibres are caught in the seam, and gently press on top of it. That will make the glue spread, and the joint will hold strong.
The final step is to ensure that your artificial grass doesn't start to unfurl at the edges. Use landscaping pins, six inches apart to hold the edges down. The job will be more challenging if you want to secure the borders to stone or concrete. Use a powerful staple gun to make the connection.
Can I perform a commercial fake grass installation myself?
Practically minded people are always reluctant to get tradespeople in to help with their DIY. They believe that all construction work in their house should be doable over a weekend with a cup of tea and some elbow grease.
DIY mistakes are expensive, and a lot of the time it would be cheaper just to hire a tradesperson from the start. They cost Brits an average of £217 per DIY project, totalling £11 billion nationally. Common expensive mistakes include spilling paint, breaking furniture, and damaging the structure of a building.
A number of things can go wrong with a commercial fake lawn installation. As we detailed in the section above, fake grass installation are complex, and making errors can lead to a misshaped, damaged lawn that won't drain properly. Repairing mistakes can cost thousands of pounds.
That’s not to say you can’t install artificial grass yourself, it’s just not advisable.
How Can I Make Installing Artificial Grass Easier?
If you do decide to install artificial grass yourself, there are some considerations that will prime you for success.
Firstly, make sure you buy your artificial grass from the same provider. Although artificial grass manufacturers endeavour to make their grass as similar as possible, different batches of the same grass will always have a subtly different colour. The difference will be barely noticeable, but it will make your lawn look like patchwork once you have finished.
Secondly, weeds growing through artificial grass is a common cause to have expensive maintenance work done. You should do everything you can to stop weeds growing through, like installing two layers of weed membrane and using weed killer. The extra membrane will be expensive but will save you complicated weed-killing work later on.
Finally, just before artificial grass leaves the factory, it is tightly rolled by a machine. This squashes the artificial grass. If you try to work with it as soon as it arrives, your artificial grass will be near impossible to work with.
All the grass will be squashed flat, and it will have a frustrating rigidity. This problem will go away if you allow the grass to acclimatise and flex-back to its proper texture. Unfurl it and leave it to sit for 24 hours.
Installing High-Quality Commercial Fake Grass in London
Artificial grass installation is complicated. When done right, you are guaranteed a green space that is lush and aesthetically pleasing. When done wrong, your green space looks tacky.
Unless you or your team have the know-how required to perform a commercial fake grass installation, it is advisable to recruit professional artificial grass installation experts.
For more details, or to ask any questions, feel free to contact a knowledgeable member of our sales team.
