What Synthetic Turf Supplies Do I Need for a DIY Install?
Ready to go green in a big way? Looking to ditch the time, money and labor you spend on maintaining a green yard? Then it’s time to go green with a synthetic turf lawn. Is this a DIY job? Yes, if you are the type of person that can pay attention to detail and follow instructions, you can install synthetic turf. Besides the turf, what synthetic turf supplies do you need? Well, you probably already have a hammer, gloves, and tape measure. Here’s the other synthetic turf supplies and tools you’ll need for a DIY install.
Basic Tools for a Synthetic Turf Install
You’re going to be digging, tamping and moving dirt. That means you want a good shovel with a sharp blade. If you haven’t sharpened the blade of your shovel, now’s a good time to do it. That shovel is going to remove rocks, roots, and any other debris in the yard. If your ground is particularly hard or rocky, a pick might work better than a shovel (Southeast Florida we’re looking at you.)
Once the ground is cleared, you will be tamping it down. Whether you use a hand tamper (old fashioed way) or rent a power tamper, you need a tamping tool.
A box cutter or razor cutter is necessary for cutting the turf material. A utility knife might seem handy, but the turf will dull your blade quickly and it’s much easier and faster to change blades on a razor cutter than a utility knife.
Special Synthetic Turf Supplies for a DIY Install
In addition to your basic tools, you’ll need some special supplies for your DIY synthetic turf install. This includes:
- turf nails
- turf glue
- seam tape
- infill
- synthetic turf edging
The glue, infill and seam tape will depend on the type of synthetic turf you install. Turf nails are special nails that keep the turf in place and also help hold it together at connections. Turf glue will come in handy if you are installing the synthetic turf on a hard surface like a patio or balcony. This is what holds the turf in place when you can’t use nails. Your seam tape is how you join pieces of turf together. Think of synthetic turf as carpet for your yard. It’s seamed the same as carpet.
Finally, the infill and synthetic turf edging are extremely important to a successful DIY install. You apply the infill directly to the turf once it is down. Infill gives bounce. Some infill also acts as a cooling and odor absorbing agent. This is important if your install is for a pet lawn. The synthetic turf edging is what holds the turf in place at the edge and gives a finished appearance. Don’t use bender board that you get at the lawn center. You’ll spend more time trenching than laying the turf itself. Get Wonder Edge synthetic turf edging from your synthetic turf supplies shop. One type applied easily to hard surfaces and others go down before you lay the turf. You tuck the turf edge into the edging piece and hammer the whole thing in place.
Installing synthetic turf is a DIY job if you have the right tools and follow the directions.
