Are you curious about the tools you’ll need to install artificial grass yourself?

Maybe you’re looking to save money by installing your own fake grass, and taking up all of the manual labour yourself. If so, you may also be aware that you’ll need certain tools for the job.

So, how can you tell if installing artificial grass yourself is going to be worthwhile?

Well, it’s usually a case of weighing up all your options, based on how many tools you’ll need to buy vs what you have already – along with the sheer amount of intensive labour you’ll need to put into your installation. Compare this to your options when hiring an artificial grass specialist or installer.

As an experienced artificial grass specialist, I’ve highlighted 20 tools you’ll need to successfully install artificial grass yourself, and ensure a perfect finish.

1. Turf cutter

This isn’t absolutely essential, but it can save both time and energy rather than having to manually dig out your garden. A turf cutter will cut the existing grass, into sections that are then easily removed and disposed of.

Average cost: £1,500 minimum

Hire price: £40 per day (less with each day, and weekly deals will also be available)

2. Wheelbarrow for groundwork prep

A standard wheelbarrow is good for removing your excavation from the garden, and then bring over the aggregates needed for your sub-base.

Average cost: £20 – £50 (depending on your preference)

3. Shovel

A shovel will allow you to dig out your existing lawn (if doing so manually), or scoop up the grass if you’ve used a turf cutter. This will also allow you to load up the aggregates for the sub-base. Luckily, if you do any sort of gardening, you may already have a trusty shovel to-hand!

Average cost: £10

4. Hammer

A good old-fashioned hammer is a requirement to allow you to install nails into the perimeter of your grass – if you’re installing a timber edging or U pins. These help to secure the grass in place.

Average cost: £5

5. Hand saw

If you’re installing timber edging for your grass, you’ll need a hand saw to cut it into the right size of sections you’ll need.

Average cost: £10

6. Spirit level

A spirit level will ensure your levels are correct when installing your edging. Otherwise your angles may look off and your grass won’t look as neat or natural.

Average cost: £10 – £50 (depending on the size and brand)

7. Tape measure

A tape measure is always a good shout to measure the size of your lawn. It’s best to double and triple check this, to ensure you have the correct amount of grass.

Average cost: £5 – £30

8. Rake

A standard garden rake (which you may also have already if you do even a small amount of gardening), is used to grade the aggregates.

Average cost: £10 – £20

9. Vibration plate

A vibration plate is used to compact the sub-base. I wouldn’t want to skip this part, as the groundworks are a key element to a long-lasting artificial grass lawn.

Average cost: £500 – £2,000

Hire price: £30 per day

10. Float

After compacting the base, you may still notice minor surface marks. A float can be used to help iron them out.

Average cost: £10

11. Hose

If it has been really dry, or really wet, a hose can be used to hose in your sand infill – avoiding your sand clogging together.

Average cost: £10 – £20

12. Stanley knife

You will also need a good quality stanley knife, in order to cut in your grass neatly.

Average cost: £10

13. Spare blades for knife

The latex backing can quickly blunt a stanley knife, so it’s vital to have some spare blades handy. These can be picked up pretty cheaply.

Average cost: £5

14. Scissors

It’s also good to have a pair of scissors to-hand, for cutting in the edges of your grass – or trimming high fibres.

Average cost: £10 – £20

15. Joining tape

Joining tape is required to join two sections of grass together. If this is done correctly, the join shouldn’t be visible. This should prevent any tripping hazards.

Average cost: £1 per linear metre (approx), 300mm wide

16. Joining adhesive

Joining adhesive is also important to ensure a strong, invisible join.

Average cost: £20 per 5kg tub (should go roughly 8 – 10 metres long per tub)

17. Glue gun

In order to use your joining adhesive, you’ll also need to pick up a glue gun. These can be bought relatively cheaply from your local DIY store (think Homebase or B&Q).

Average cost: £5

18. Flooring trowel

A flooring trowel (again, something you might already have in your garden shed) will ensure you can evenly spread out your joining adhesive.

Average cost: £10 – £20

19. Power brush

Once the grass has been laid, a power brush will allow you to brush up the fibres of the grass. When it’s transported, it is rolled up, so the fibres will be flat. You can also use this to brush in the sand infill. Nothing brings up your grass like a power brush – a stiff brush won’t do the same job, and would leave you with an unprofessional finish.

Average cost: £700

Hire price: £55 per day (less with each day, and weekly deals will also be available)

20. Leaf blower

Finally, to clear up at the end of the day. It’ll blow away any loose fibres and leaves, along with any excess sand infill left on the surface of your new fake grass installation.

Average cost: £300 – cheaper ones are available, but won’t have the power for artificial grass.

Hire price: £20 per day (less with each day, and weekly deals will also be available)

Advice from an artificial grass specialist

Thinking of installing artificial grass yourself? If so, the best advice I can give you is to do plenty of reading up online first, so you can get a good understanding of all that’s involved. Or, you could call and ask a specialist or installer. They should be happy to give you some free, impartial advice.

Just bear in mind that there are a lot of tools required in order to get a professional finish for the job, and all these extra costs can really add up!

In the past, we’ve had many customers who’ve called and said they were going to install their grass themselves. However, by the time they added all the costs up, bought the materials, hired tools and took the time to do it, they realised it wasn’t worth the time.

By paying a little more, they realised they could hire experts to install it, ensuring a professional result that will stand the test of time.

Conclusion

I hope this blog has been helpful. There are probably some things on this list that you weren’t even aware you needed, am I right? Doing your research first is absolutely vital when deciding if installing artificial grass yourself is something that’s going to be worthwhile. Ensure you know exactly what’s involved before you invest in tools and the right grass for your garden.

Do you have any questions about what you need to install artificial grass yourself? Let me know in the comments! I’m always here to help.

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