I was surprised when the roll of turf arrived a couple days ahead of my estimate. The trucking company did a good job keeping me posted.
The material came wrapped and in good condition. Let people know to have a couple of helpers available and to position the roll as close to the installation site as possible. MichaelI made some notes for a friend of mine. Use them however you want. mc

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D-I-Y Installation of Artificial Turf

Considerations -
Site and site prep
Tools
Labor & abilities
Materials
My thinking on stuff

Site and site prep
I decided to install turf (650 sf.) in my level yard in California -
Annual rainfall about 20 inches;
Max. one day rainfall about one inch.
No winter freeze.
The area is an irregular shape with curves and straights.
There are sprinklers and some low-voltage lighting installed.

Tools
I had most tools but found the following to be most helpful.
One wheelbarrow/cart - I have a medium size Scotts cart with four wheels
One sand tamper - about 10 lbs.
One decent corded drill with assortment of good quality bits.
One earth auger/drill bit
One workmate-type vise table
One of those 36″ picker-upper things to reduce bending.
A magnet on a stick helps with recovering dropped screws.
One good adjustable hose nozzle
One banged-up pick-up truck

Labor & abilities
I am semi-retired, 57, overweight and not very flexible (knees especially).
I count myself as 1/3 of a laborer & much of the brainpower.
I hired two day-laborers for about five days.
Communication is important - make sure at least one of the laborers speaks your language.
I speak Spitalianglish - English mixed with Spanish and Italian - quite comical at times.

Time & schedule
Be realistic - as a first time effort, my 650 sf. took about 5 full days.
Now that I have some experience, I could probably do a similar job in 4 days.
The time can be split up, but anything less than 4 hours at a time doesn’t accomplish much.
Watch the weather - I hit a heat wave which has an impact.

Materials
I used five 16 2×6 pressure-treated boards for the long runs. These are HEAVY.
Smaller 2×4 pressure-treated boards made up cross pieces.
I used fill of 3/8″ pea-gravel and #2 Olympia sand.
I bought these at Lyngso in Redwood City, CA in self-fill bags. About $5/bag
Lyngso has the bags. Save by reusing bags and tell them BEFORE you pay.
It took 80 bags (60 gravel, 20 sand). These are heavy too, 4 trips.
The total weight per square foot is 8-10 pounds - near 5 tons total.
I bought the medium weight turf with curly thatch (it really hides the screws).
Wafer headed screws for the turf - #6, 8, & 10 for wood and metals
12″ wooden gardening spikes (for lateral clamping).
Weed barrier fabric
Colored painters tape
35 feet of one-inch manila rope
40 metal connector plates (4″ x 7″)

My thinking on stuff
I decided to create a grid of pressure-treated 2×4s and 2×6s tied together with thin metal plates. No nails - everything screwed for strength and safety. I did not want anything popping up later, so I used lots of screws.
This allowed workable areas of about 70 sf. each with level boundaries for screeding.
After the lumber was installed, I drilled about 50 nine-inch deep holes with the earth auger.
These holes were filled with nine-inch lengths of manila rope and will allow water percolation.      
Then position the gravel - water and tamp over and over.
Don’t be stingy, this stuff will settle over time but the lumber will not. 
Bring the gravel level with the boards.
Add sand, water and tamp over and over.
Make the wood and materials as even as possible.
Edges butting up to concrete should be about ¼” lower to allow the turf to sit right.
Backfill with a bit of sand as needed
Used colored tape to mark board positions on concrete. Use these later with a taut line when screwing.
Cover everything with weed barrier before laying turf.
I overbought on turf a little to ensure that I reduced seams to one long straight one.
Measure twice or more before cutting.
When I did cut, it was not the final cut immediately.
I did a progression of trimming as I positioned and fastened down the turf.
The progressive trimming reduced weight and allowed progress tightening.
Lots of double-checking while trimming - costs nothing extra to check.
The wafer head screws did a good job securing the fabric to the wood.
If I need to I can unscrew areas for more sand, etc.
Make sure the turf orientation on abutting pieces is the same.
The butt seam shows and I am working on that.
I think the two pieces pressing against each other causes the darker color by pushing two blades against each other.
I plan on waiting a few days and then doing some fine scissor cutting to remove some individual blades.
I think this approach will do the trick
I oriented the whole area so that the best looking angle faced the part of the backyard most used (South).
I used bags of gravel/sand instead of a dumped delivery because I didn’t know how much would be needed.
I made sure to top them off at the material yard since the charge is for the bag and not by weight.
The bags were useful as pre-measured units for estimating additional purchases and for filling the cart.
Using bags instead of a bulk dump allowed me to keep my driveway open.
Doing the job myself let me make changes on the spot like using the overage material to push up under trees and bushes. If later I don’t like the look, I can re-trim back to the original line.

I pay my guys $15/hour (cash at the end of each day) - they work hard and do a good job.
I work alongside doing small stuff that speeds things up.
Two was a good number for me to work with. I wouldn’t go with more than three.
They will save you a lot of money versus having a contractor do the job.
I tried to have some other jobs (watering, minor gardening) ready to utilize time gaps.
I also provide lots of cold drinks, sometimes cold watermelon.
I usually provide early lunch (hamburger/burrito) to ensure the guys had eaten that day.
These guys don’t have much and some food and drink helps.
I don’t want to be concerned that a missed meal will be a problem.
          
The turf ran about $4 a sf. delivered. I figure another $5 a foot for everything else.
Final cost was $6,000 for the job versus about $10,000 using a contractor.

Questions?
Michael Cohn
Cohn1600@aol.com

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Easy Install Guide

The installation of synthetic grass is very simple and will add years of beauty as well as value to your home or business. We hope you enjoy the whole experience from purchasing the material to the finishing touches. Enjoy the years of maintenance free grass and beauty that will last virtually forever.

ATS Hot Tip:             Some options that will enhance the appearance of your synthetic grass application are to add a nice frame around the turf: curbing, decorative rock, and mulch are several ideas that will work nicely. 

Ground Preparation/Sub Grade

STEP 1:         We recommend clearing any existing grass or vegetation you may have in the desired application area.  (A few basic tools that can aide in the excavation are a sod cutter, hoe, or shovel.)

STEP 2:         It is a good idea once the ground is completely cleared to apply a weed killer and a grass blocker spray to the area.  You want to ensure that any vegetation will not grow under the turf area in the future. 

STEP 3:         Once all vegetation has been removed you are ready to apply the crushed stone aggregate.  (We recommend a 2″-3″ layer of a ¼- crushed stone, you can purchase this at your local home improvement store, or building supply warehouse).

STEP 4:         Once the crushed stone is applied, you will want to make sure the base is as level as possible. (A plate compactor or sod roller may be useful in this step of the turf application process.  The goal in this step is to make the stone aggregate tightly compacted and as level as possible.)

NOTE: It is important to remember that the turf will be applied on top of this crushed stone base, thus any undulation on the surface will be visible once the turf has been applied. Also important to remember is that the crushed stone will aid in the drainage properties of the system, so a slight slope is recommended for proper drainage.  

Cut and Fit…to Perfection

STEP 5:         Once you have laid the stone base you will want to roll out the turf according to your area measurements. (It is important to lay the turf with all grass fibers or blades going in the same direction.  This will ensure that all pieces of turf match up.) *This step may not apply if you do not have multiple pieces or sections of turf. 

STEP 6:         Make cuts in the turf using a standard carpet knife to fit the turf to desired area.  (You are essentially cutting the turf to create the exact shape of your area.  The fewer pieces of turf used the better; this will eliminate seaming pieces together.)

STEP 7:         In the event you need to seam the turf together we recommend a 4″-6″ indoor/outdoor carpet seaming tape.  The tape is used to attach the pieces of turf together, not to secure it to the aggregate.  Center the seaming tape along the edges.  To do this, lift one side of the turf and adhere the seaming tape to it, gently lay the taped portion of the turf back down, place the adjoining seam on the centered tape and apply pressure (by walking) over the area.  Check to make sure there isn’t any overlapping or bunching of the tape or turf.

STEP 8:         To attach the turf to the earth you will want to use 6″-8″ carpet staples.  (These are essentially long nails.)  Drive in the staples 1″ from the turf edge and every 6″ along the turf perimeter.  It is a good idea to start at one side of the application area so you can pull the turf tight from the other side. This process is the most important, so your turf is attached securely and properly.  Drive in the staples around the perimeter of the area and on both sides of any seams.  This ensures that the seam will not come up and the material is properly fixed to the earth.  Remember, the carpet staples hold the edges of the turf in place, while the infill will actually weight the material down.

Finishing Touches

STEP 9*:       The final step is to add the infill material of your choice. (The main purpose of the infill is to give the turf its’ soft and life-like characteristics while weighting down the turf.  We recommend a 100% Recycled Crumb Rubber or Play Sand infill.  Whichever infill you choose, we recommend using approximately 1 lb of infill material per square foot of turf.)

STEP 9a*:     You will want to evenly apply the infill material on top of the turf with a drop spreader or your hands. 

STEP 9b*:     Next, you will want to use a soft to medium bristled push broom to work the infill material into the turf.  Keep working the infill material into the turf until the turf begins to stand upright.  If you do not see the results you want, a flat-head rake is a good tool to use as well. 

NOTE: It is important to make sure that you brush the infill material against the grain of the turf; this allows the infill to work its way to the base of the fibers correctly.  This is the precision step; you must brush in the infill evenly so its appearance is consistent.  A simple check to make sure it’s even is to walk over the turf, and your feet will tell you if it’s even or not.  Work the infill in the turf until desired appearance is achieved.

*Steps 9, 9a and 9b can be omitted for applications using our no-infill products

Recommended Tools

The installation can be easily completed with a few everyday tools.  Many of the following can be purchased or rented at a local home improvement store like Home Depot or Lowes.

• Sod Cutter

• Plate Compactor

• Seaming Tape

• Flat Head Rake

• Push Broom

• 6″-8″ Nails

• Carpet Knife