5 Pro Tips to Eliminate Seams in Your Artificial Turf
Homeowners from Phoenix to Las Vegas to Los Angeles are installing artificial grass in their yards as they realize the low-maintenance requirements and environmental benefits that come with it. However, installing synthetic turf is no easy feat, and even professional artificial turf installers sometimes have trouble properly integrating seams. If you’re a homeowner trying to DIY your synthetic turf installation or a pro having trouble with seams, these tips will help you eliminate detectable seams in your new artificial grass landscape.
1. Trim Your Artificial Turf Rolls
When you buy a roll of artificial grass, you’ll find that the synthetic turf’s backing extends slightly past the last row of synthetic grass blades. This part of the artificial turf is called the selvedge. When installing artificial turf, trim your roll to three stitches past the selvedge on both sides. This will help prevent the “mohawk effect”. The mohawk effect is what happens when synthetic grass blades along the edge push together, forming a clear line of dense synthetic grass. The first three rows of artificial grass on the edge of an artificial turf roll slant outward toward the edge, so trimming those rows is necessary to avoid the mohawk effect.
2. Make Your Cuts Carefully
Measure twice, cut once. It’s an adage as old as time, and it’s popular for good reason. Accuracy and patience are crucial to eliminating synthetic turf seams, so make all cuts with extreme precision. For best results, cut as close as possible to the stitch, but do not cut the stitch itself. Cutting the stitch can result in a very visible seam. Lay your pieces of artificial turf down and mark out measurements before cutting. Cut from the underside of the synthetic turf roll, and change your blades every 20 feet or so. Dull blades may cause you to go off course, resulting in a less-than-perfect artificial grass installation.
3. Match the Pile Direction
Once you lay out your artificial grass, you may notice that the synthetic grass blades have a tendency to lean in one direction, rather than standing up perfectly straight. Make sure that you install your artificial turf properly so that all pieces have their piles leaning in the same direction. This will help the synthetic grass blades more perfectly blend in with one another, creating a seamless finish with no discernible seams. If you line up the artificial turf pieces opposite to one another, you’ll create an even more pronounced seam that makes your lawn look unnatural.
4. Use Appropriate Adhesive
When securing your synthetic grass, you need to adhere the synthetic turf pieces not only to the sub-base underneath but also to one another. Use high-quality joining tape and adhesive to achieve this. Adhesive made specifically for laying artificial grass is most suitable. Apply a sufficient layer — too much can cause oozing and too little won’t do the job — and allow it to cure for at least 24 hours.
5. Brush the Grass & Install Infill
The finishing touch to eliminating seams is applying the infill. Infill makes a huge difference in artificial turf’s final visual effect, and failing to add enough can result in premature wear and tear that will create increasingly visible seams. Applying a generous layer of TurFresh’s TurFill Odor Eliminator will keep your synthetic turf blades upright and help eliminate seams. Cross-brush your artificial turf regularly with the TurFresh Plus PowerGroomer to help keep your synthetic blades upright and hide any evidence of seams over time.
TurFresh has everything you need to keep your artificial grass well-maintained and in top condition. From artificial turf groomers to infill, synthetic turf maintenance is a breeze thanks to the TurFresh online store. If you would prefer to leave the artificial grass maintenance to the professionals, we offer residential and commercial artificial grass cleaning services in customizable packages. Simply give us a call at (520) 277-7844 to find out more or schedule your first appointment today.