Artificial turf preparation: Sanding your artificial turf

The last and very important step in completing your new artificial turf installation is the sand infilling of the turf fibres.

Why do I need to put sand in my artificial turf? Most people don’t even realise that sand is used in a synthetic turf installation, let alone in the top layer within the turf fibres. Here is why it so important.

The sand layer supports the base of the turf fibres keeping them upright and preventing excessive premature wear. In addition to this, the sand weighs the turf surface down and holds it in place while also acting as a drainage medium by soaking up water/rain keeping the artificial grass surface dry and usable all year round.

How much sand do I need to use in my artificial grass installation? The quantity of the sand is extremely important. Too little sand and the turf fibres will fall over and wear prematurely. Too much sand and your artificial turf will appear sandy, and during winter months it can get tracked into the house by wet feet. We recommend using 15kg of sand per sqm for a 35mm or 40mm landscaping turf surface. This provides support to the lower 15mm of the turf fibres leaving 20-25mm of pile exposed above the sand layer. At this level the sand layer will not be visible and will not get tracked around your property.

The sand needs to be kiln dried in order for it to be applied evenly into the artificial turf surface through a drop spreader. The drop spreader is an important tool spreading the sand evenly in 2-3 layers over the entire area. Once spread in place, the sand needs to be brushed in with a broom or powered rotary brush. NOTE- if the sand is not applied evenly it’s extremely difficult, if not impossible to re-level it once it has settled into the fibres. Some hire companies now have drop spreaders available, this is money well spent if you want to get your new artificial grass surface feeling level under foot.

Now you have the correct sand and tools, let’s get into the process of applying it. The kiln dried sand comes in 25kg bags, open as many bags as will fit in the spreader and fill it up. Start in a corner of the area, push the spreader and open the shoot at the same time. Apply a thin (approx 5mm) layer onto the turf fibres. Once you’ve applied a layer, brush the turf fibres against the nap (grain) of the artificial turf forcing the turf fibres up and dropping the sand into the base of the turf. Complete this process 3 times applying 15mm of sand in total. Use a square mouth shovel to sand the corners and edges that you can’t get to with the drop spreader.

The sand layer does not need to be topped up over time, once the 15kg of sand has been applied to the turf surface there is no need to top it up in the future.

The job is now complete and you can sit back and enjoy your new artificial grass and never have to mow it again!!