Artificial Grass Play Area ... advice needed

[Ferdinand]

This week I have had a chap tidying up a back garden for a tenant. Untidy version below. Pretty much haunching in edgings and gravel, and a plan to put down some artificial grass for the new sproglet to play on in due course who is now a few weeks old. 

 

 

Fake grass is going at the far side where the flat part of the pea shingle is. Prev. Tenant had laid pea shingle on their own initiative on polythene stuff (gah!).

 

My base sheet is heavy duty weed membrane.

 

My question is around the base needed for the artificial grass, and how to fix it down.

 

Will pea shingle be adequate, or do I really have to go for sand?

Is there some kind of underlay required?

And given that it is for a play area, are those hairpin type fixings acceptable if properly and fully inserted? That is what I have used for weed membranes, but I the would welcome some feedback.

 

Cheers

 

Ferdinand 

 

 

 

Edited August 9, 2019 by Ferdinand

[ProDave]

From what I see of the average rental, that is a good, tidy well kept rental garden.

[Declan52]

You need a proper base for artificial grass. You will need some well compacted hardcore , depending on the soil that is there, you will need a min of 200mm. Then you screed 30mm sharp sand so it's perfectly level. Any tiny bump or dent will show up and look nasty. You then lay the weed membrane onto the sand and roll the grass out.

For the edging you will need something to give it a fixing point. I used treated 2*2 bedded around the edge then used decking screws to fix the grass to the batten. I tried to use the large hook type but they where crap. You have to leave it sitting for a few days after you roll it out to let it settle and during that time wind got under it and lifted the whole thing up and threw it against my fence. So it really needs fixed securely as it's not cheap. 

The easy way to do is is to use something like a sleeper or a 150mm fence post as an edging. Scrape the top soil of then that will give you enough depth for the hardcore. Saves a fair bit of digging out. Also gives you something to screw your batten to and a nice straight edge to work to.

You will need plenty of Stanley blades. Cutting the grass blunts a blade every 2m of your lucky. Think I went through about 50 blades doing mine. Once the blade is blunt it just tears it and you won't get a nice clean cut for a join or for the edge. A

[newhome]

You can’t use pea shingle under artificial grass. It needs to have a well compacted stable base with good drainage or it will move and fail. We did (previous house) type 1, sharp sand, weed membrane. 

[newhome]

1 minute ago, Declan52 said:

For the edging you will need something to give it a fixing point. I used treated 2*2 bedded around the edge then used decking screws to fix the grass to the batten.

 

+1. We did that too. 

[RandAbuild]

Agree about the need for a solid base. We had a 90mm wide concrete/granite sett edge to ours and the grass was glued to that.  Been excellent so far.

 

Cutting the grass from the back is a lot easier than going through the tufts on the top!

[Ferdinand]

4 hours ago, ProDave said:

From what I see of the average rental, that is a good, tidy well kept rental garden.

 

With a babby and family and decent schools in the area, the name of the game will be to keep them until the sproglet goes to secondary school ... I hope. Depends on potential multiplication of sproglets *..

 

In that light, the modest extra maintenance / investment of a few hundred to avoid future voids is small. And I had promised to sort out the back garden anyway to be more reflecting of the quality of the house.

 

Ferdinand

 

Sproglets not froglets ?.

 

 

[Ferdinand]

Thanks all.

 

Basic garden mods done now. 

 

Will need to think for a couple of days.

 

Builder-handyman booked in again for next weekend.

 

Since this is a toddler play area 3m x 3m made out of bolted 3m fence posts sounds attractive, then a single piece of fake grass. Need to reflect on interior structure.

 

I know of a pile of unused 6x4 rubber gym floor mats purchased for the gym in error. 12x8 will use let me use 4 of those as a resilient underlay kneelable layer washable with a hose. Hmmm.

 

F

Edited August 9, 2019 by Ferdinand

[Declan52]

Most rolls come in 4m widths so you will have plenty of waste of you only go 3m wide.

[Ferdinand]

4 hours ago, Declan52 said:

Most rolls come in 4m widths so you will have plenty of waste of you only go 3m wide.

 

They seem to also be in 2m and 3m, but potentially extra could be used in my design to soften the fence post frame ... maybe. or I could find some 3.6m fenceposts.

 

This is the current general idea I  am ruminating about.

 

[Ferdinand]

It looks as if I will be doing something like the above.

 

Gravel raked flat over membrane.

Requested play area is 8x8 or 8x6 feet.

Fence post frame. Bolted or timberscrewed together.

50mm 600 x 600 mm slabs probably inside frame.

20-25mm rubber mats on slabs.

Fake grass attached to fence posts frame.

 

That gives a soft area which should last a few years without needing to be reconstructed (due to possible movement of base), and where a kiddie fence can be attached easily if require later. But which can be dismantled later.

 

Cost will be about £250 (ish), but I have some of the bits already.

 

Any comments are welcome - especially if I have missed anything.

 

Ferdinand

Edited August 12, 2019 by Ferdinand