What Goes Into a Proper Synthetic Lawn Installation?



Most people judge an artificial lawn by the turf. The truth is that the turf is the easy part. A good synthetic lawn installation is mostly about what happens underneath, long before the grass goes down.

Get the groundwork right and the lawn stays flat and firm for years. Cut corners on it and the surface ripples, drains badly, and starts to lift at the edges within a couple of summers.

Why the Sub-Base Decides Everything

The biggest mistake in any synthetic lawn installation is laying turf directly onto soil. Soil moves with the weather. It holds water, swells, shrinks, and within two seasons your flat lawn is a series of dips and bumps.

The fix is a proper sub-base. For most UK gardens that means around 50mm of MOT Type 1 hardcore, compacted hard with a plate compactor, then about 25mm of granite dust screeded dead flat. That layer is what gives the lawn its shape and its drainage.

Skip it, or go too thin, and no quality of turf will save the finish. The sub-base is the single biggest factor in how long the lawn lasts.

The Installation Process, Step by Step

A typical install runs through the same stages, whoever does the work:

1.    Lift the old lawn and excavate down to roughly 75mm to make room for the sub-base.

2.    Lay edging or a frame so the perimeter holds firm and the turf has something to fix to.

3.    Spread and compact the MOT Type 1, then screed the granite dust flat.

4.    Roll out the turf, let it settle, then trim it neatly to the edges.

5.    Join any seams with proper jointing tape and adhesive, not loose overlaps.

6.    Brush in a sand infill to weight the pile and help it stand up.

That sequence sounds simple, but each step has a way of going wrong. If you want to see how what a professional install actually involves differs from a rushed weekend job, the full breakdown is worth reading before you decide whether to fit it yourself or bring in a crew.

How Long Does It Take?

A standard back garden of 40 to 60m² usually takes a two-person crew one to two days. The groundwork eats most of that time. The turf itself goes down in an afternoon once the base is ready.

DIY installs take longer, often a full weekend or more, mostly because compacting and screeding a flat base is slow, heavy work the first time you do it.

What Does Installation Cost?

Fully fitted, most UK installs land between £40 and £120 per m². Budget jobs sit around £40 to £60, mid-range around £60 to £90, and premium specs with shock pads and high-end edging push past £90 to £120 per m².

The cheapest quotes almost always save money on the sub-base, which is exactly where you do not want them to. A thin base is invisible on day one and obvious by year two.

What About Drainage and Slopes?

Drainage is built into a good synthetic lawn installation rather than added at the end. The permeable turf backing and the free-draining granite dust let rainwater pass straight through to the ground below, so puddles never form on the surface.

Slopes need a little more thought. On a gentle fall the sub-base is simply graded to follow the slope, which keeps water moving away from the house. On a steeper garden, terracing or a retaining edge may be needed so the base does not creep downhill over time. This is one of the points where a rushed job tends to fail first.

Heavy clay gardens, common across much of the UK, hold water longer, so the sub-base depth sometimes needs increasing to keep drainage reliable through a wet winter.

Should You DIY or Hire a Crew?

A confident, fit DIYer can manage a small, square lawn with hired compacting kit. Awkward shapes, slopes, large areas, or poor drainage are where a professional install earns its money.

The honest test is the sub-base. If you are comfortable excavating, compacting, and screeding a flat, free-draining base, DIY is realistic. If that sounds like guesswork, pay for the groundwork and protect the investment.

Final Thoughts

A synthetic lawn installation is a fifteen-year garden decision, not a quick cosmetic fix. Get the sub-base right, follow the process in order, and do not choose a fitter on price alone. The flat, firm lawn you want next summer is the one you specify and prepare for today.


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