Artificial Grass Installation —
A Perfect Lawn 12 Months a Year,
Without the Maintenance.
Artificial grass installed over a full engineered base — no ripples, no drainage puddles, no lifting seams. Fixed written quotes, up to 10-year workmanship guarantee, and a lawn that looks the same in January as it does in June.
- 18 years' experience
- Checkatrade 10/10 (33+ reviews)
- Up to 10-year workmanship guarantee
- £2M Public & Employers' Liability
- Site visit usually within 2 days
What we build, who it's for, and why it's worth doing properly.
What it is
A complete artificial grass installation: existing turf removed, full engineered sub-base laid, weed membrane installed, artificial grass rolled, joined with adhesive tape, edges pinned, and infill brushed in. Not a roll of grass tacked over rough ground.
Who it's for
Families whose kids and dogs churn a real lawn into mud within a month, homeowners with shaded gardens where grass simply won't grow, older gardeners tired of mowing, and holiday-let owners who need a year-round presentable garden.
When it's needed
When the real lawn spends more time as mud than grass; when shade makes seeding pointless; when arthritis, mobility or time make mowing a chore rather than a pleasure; or when you're staging a house for sale.
Why professional install matters
Artificial grass fails in two ways — bad base and cheap product. A good product on a bad base ripples, sinks and drains badly. A cheap product on a good base looks plasticky and mats down within 18 months. Both matter — and both are what an experienced installer gets right.
What happens when the job is done cheaply — or left too long.
Artificial grass is easy to sell and hard to install well. Most of the failures we're called out to look at come from the same handful of shortcuts — and by the time they show, the whole lawn usually has to be lifted and relaid.
Rippling in the heat
Grass laid over unprepared ground expands in summer heat and can't contract flat. Result: wavy lawn that won't settle.
Standing water & smell
No proper sub-base drainage means rainwater sits under the grass. With pets, ammonia builds up under the surface and starts to smell.
Lifting seams
Seams stapled instead of adhesive-taped come apart within a year. Once one lifts, water and grit push the whole edge up.
Common mistakes we're called out to fix:
- Laying grass directly over existing turf — the ground shifts underneath, weeds push through, and drainage is non-existent.
- Skipping the granite-dust (or dust-of-lime) screed — the fine top layer that gives you a truly flat finish; without it, every stone shows through.
- No pile-direction check — pieces laid with pile facing different directions look like different shades of green. It's a shortcut you'll see forever.
- Skipping the kiln-dried sand infill — pile flattens quickly and the lawn matts down.
- Cheap grass with low pile-weight — looks OK on day one, looks tired by summer two.
A clear, staged system — so you always know what's next.
-
1
Free site visit & measure
James measures the lawn, checks drainage, discusses use (kids? dogs? entertaining?) and shows physical samples of pile height, density and colour.
-
2
Fixed written quote
One price including excavation, sub-base, grass, adhesive tape, infill and clean-down. No 'from' figures.
-
3
Excavation & membrane
Old turf and 50–75mm of topsoil removed. Non-woven geotextile membrane laid over the sub-grade to stop weeds pushing through.
-
4
Engineered sub-base
Compacted MOT Type 1 (50mm) laid and vibrated, then a 25mm granite-dust or dust-of-lime screed rolled and laser-levelled — the layer that gives you a completely flat lawn.
-
5
Grass, seams & edges
Grass rolled with all pieces facing the same pile direction, seams joined with adhesive tape and outdoor grass adhesive (not staples), edges pinned with 150mm galvanised pins or fixed to timber edging.
-
6
Infill, brush & handover
Kiln-dried silica sand brushed into the pile to weight it and hold the pile upright. Full sweep-off. Walkaround with you, aftercare notes and written guarantee.
Specific outcomes — not vague promises.
Year-round green lawn
Same look in January as in June. No brown patches, no mud, no bare tracks along the fence line.
No mowing, feeding or seeding
Get your weekends back. Occasional brushing and a rinse-off is the full maintenance schedule.
Full engineered sub-base
50mm compacted MOT Type 1 plus 25mm laser-levelled screed. It's what stops your lawn rippling, sinking or draining badly.
Adhesive seams, not staples
Outdoor-rated adhesive tape and adhesive. Seams stay flat and invisible for the life of the grass.
Pet-friendly install
Free-draining sub-base plus optional antimicrobial infill for dogs. No standing urine, no smell build-up when installed correctly.
Up to 10-year workmanship guarantee
Grass itself carries a 5–8 year manufacturer's warranty depending on the range. Both explained in writing.
The detail most contractors won't put in writing.
Artificial grass is a system. Get the base, the product and the install all right and it looks natural for a decade. Get any one wrong and it lets down the whole garden.
Pile height, density & face weight
Pile height (25–40mm) affects how lush it looks — 30–35mm is the sweet spot for most gardens. Face weight (grams per m²) tells you how much yarn is actually in the grass — anything under 1,800g/m² will look thin and matt down within 2 seasons. Multi-tone yarns with brown thatch fibres look far more natural than uniform bright green. We only install ranges we'd put on our own gardens.
Sub-base build-up
Excavate 75mm below finished level. Geotextile membrane. 50mm compacted MOT Type 1 laid and vibrated with a whacker plate. 25mm granite dust or dust-of-lime laid on top and laser-levelled — this is the layer that gives you a truly flat lawn. Total drainage capability: full permeable stack; heavy rain drains straight through with no puddling.
Joins, edging & pins
All joins use self-adhesive seaming tape plus outdoor grass adhesive — never staples. Pile direction is checked on every piece before it's fixed so seams disappear. Edges are pinned with 150mm galvanised pins every 200mm on soft edges, or screwed to pressure-treated timber edging along patios and paths.
Infill: sand vs pet infill
Kiln-dried silica sand: the standard infill — brushed into the pile to weight it, hold fibres upright and stop the whole lawn creeping in high winds. Zeolite pet infill (optional): a granular material that binds ammonia from pet urine and reduces smell. Recommended for households with dogs.
Around trees, slopes & pool surrounds
Around trees: leave a soil/mulch collar so tree roots aren't sealed under the membrane. Slopes: pile direction laid downhill for a natural sweep, plus additional pinning on gradients over 1:10. Pool and hot-tub surrounds: extra drainage capacity in the sub-base to handle regular splash-out.
Aftercare
Brush against the pile with a stiff broom every 4–6 weeks. Rinse off with a hosepipe in summer if pets use it. Remove leaves with a leaf blower or plastic rake rather than a wire one. No mowing, no fertilising, no seeding. Expected life: 12–15 years with proper care, longer on lower-traffic gardens.
A few we've finished — artificial grass across the North East.
Real jobs, real customers. Drag the divider on the before/after images to see what was there before we started.
Frequently asked questions.
Ready for a artificial grass that lasts?
Free site visit within a couple of days. Fixed written price shortly after — no deposit, no pressure, no ballpark guesswork. Backed by up to 10-year workmanship guarantee and £2M public liability insurance.
Mon–Sat, 7am–7pm • Yard 10, Wards Industrial Estate, Darlington DL1 2UQ