Excavation / Demolition

Depending on the existing material(s) be removed from the artificial grass installation project area, we will determine what types of tools and equipment are necessary to complete the excavation properly. Typically a sod cutter, Polanski (pick-axe), shovels and wheelbarrows are sufficient, however, sometimes a bobcat is necessary to remove large amounts of soil, break and remove concrete, and/or to make the job go about more efficiently.

• The first thing to be before digging is to identify and map out all existing irrigation and drainage lines. This will reduce collateral damage, and in the case a service line does get hit, it can be easily located and repaired quickly.
• We frequently run string lines across the project area to measure and ensure a consistent depth of excavation – more base is better than not enough base.
• Depending on the installation option you choose, we will excavate to a minimum depth of 3 to 5 inches below finish elevation.
• After excavation is complete, we will compact the native soil, and in some cases (when the native soil has a high clay content) we recommend the installation of a geo-textile fabric to eliminate the clay soils from contaminating the base material.

Note: Once the excavation is complete you would then install any drainage lines needed to service the artificial turf area.

Perimeter Anchor Board

A basic, less expensive installation process does not include this option, however, if you opt for our more robust artificial grass installation methodology we install a dense 2″ x 2″ recycled plastic perimeter anchor board around the entire perimeter of your artificial grass. The purpose of the perimeter anchor board is not that of a bender board that you would find at a box box store to line your planter beds. The purpose of the perimeter anchor board is to secure the perimeters of your grass in place, much more so than the market standard installation method of hammering 6″ nails into the perimeters of your grass.

The anchor board is held in place by driving 12″ dense plastic stakes into the ground every 2 – 3ft, then securing the anchor board to the yard stakes. The anchor board rests about 1/4″ off of its adjacent surface (e.g. a concrete walkway) and sits about 1/2″ below the finish elevation of the adjacent surface. Once the artificial grass has been cut to size, the perimeter of the grass is then tucked into the 1/4″ gap between surfaces with a mason chisel and then stapled – using 1″ galvanized staples – to the secured anchor board, approximately every 3 inches. Using this method is ideal for artificial grass installations in high traffic areas, pet applications and children s playgrounds.

Crushed rock base

Crushed rock base – a.k.a – class 2 road base, or, CMB (crushed miscellaneous base) is the foundation of your artificial grass. It is critical to the performance and longevity of your artificial grass installation that the sub-base is installed properly. If your base layer is too thin, or not compacted properly your turf will give way to wear patterns caused by heavy foot traffic, kids falling on it, footballs bouncing on it, and eventually will start showing divots and unintended undulations. It is also important that your sub-base is graded properly to allow for adequate drainage and storm water runoff. Because the base needs to be compacted so tightly, water will sheet on top and if there are low areas or the base is sloped to an area where water should not be allowed to sit, you will run into the issue of pooling. The class 2 road base used in all of our artificial grass installations is the same class 2 road base used by Cal Trans on all the roads and highways throughout California. We figure if it is good enough to hold up to semi-trucks and commuter traffic, it should be good enough for kids and pets to roll around on.

Artificial Grass Install

By now you have your perimeter anchor-board, base and weed block fabric all installed, graded and compacted. Now it’s time to lay out the turf. It’s always advised to unroll your grass and let it sit in the sun for a couple of hours to loosen up and let the backing settle.

Layout your project on paper and determine where your seams will be placed. Its much easier to cut the grass rolls to size in the front of the house and carry the pieces you need one at a time.

Align your seams and secure using seaming tape, sod staples and or nails. Once the seam is secure you can move from one side to the other, or from the center outward, stretching the grass with a carpet kicker.

As you work your way to the outer perimeters, kicking and stretching the turf, hammer nails in every few feet to keep the tension on the grass.

Once you have stretched and secured the artificial grass field, its time to cut the perimeters and secure them using either the anchor-board method, or using 6″ nails about every 4 inches.

Power Broom and Infill

The final component to your artificial grass installation is to power broom the turf to get the blades to stand vertically and add your infill material.

Most installations use a regular 16 grit silica sand, however, Panjia uses a micro-band, acrylic coated sand in our premium installations. Using a drop-spreader, you can add the your infill evenly at a rate recommended by your artificial grass supplier. Most landscape turfs need 1-2lbs per square foot of infill.