Installation of artificial grass on concrete.

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Guide for the correct installation of artificial grass on concrete, cement, tiles or terrazzo.

We update this post about the Installation of artificial grass on concrete with some additional and relevant information for this type of assemblies.

From a small balcony to a large terrace covered with concrete, tiles, ceramic floor, cement, etc.

Here are some important tips for installing artificial grass on this type of floor.

Make a correct artificial turf installationThe new synthetic turf is guaranteed to keep the synthetic turf in good condition for longer.

This can avoid problems of humidity, filtrations, bad smells or other inconveniences derived from the water tightness.

No shortcuts or shortcuts. If you are told to make a cut in the drain and uncover it when it rains heavily, it is not an optimal solution.

ALLGrass Solutions

In areas with frequent rainfall and rain, you'd be doing this all the time. Also, every time you unclog your lawn, the water runs off unfiltered with dust, leaf debris and other dirt that could clog pipes in the medium term.

Recommendations before laying artificial grass.

As with all other installations, the first thing to do before installing is to plan:

• This planning should include the direction or direction in which the artificial turf strips will go and calculations of cuts, waste or shrinkage.
• We suggest you take a paper, pencil and ruler or scale to do the planning.
• Draw the scale plan of the perimeter where the new flooring will be placed.
• Draw the strips of grass the same width as you received them (1,2,3 or 4 meters wide).
• Once you know the lengths of the strips, before cutting them check the measurements of each strip on site.
• It is usual that the walls do not go completely straight and you have to mow the lawn longer than foreseen in the plan and then adjust it to the shape of the walls.
• Once you have all the pieces cut and presented on site, you adjust the joints and cuts.

How do you fix the artificial grass on concrete or cement?

There are several options for fixing the artificial grass to concrete, cement, terrazzo, tiles or similar.

Silicone or Mounting Putty: The most commonly used is silicone or quick-setting outdoor assembly putty.

You must apply this one by the edge of the perimeter making strips with separations in case you are making a stop with walls.

In the event that it does not stop, the strip must go continuously around the perimeter to prevent the wind from getting in and putting pressure on it.

Tacos and screws: if the concrete or cement surface is not waterproofed underneath, it can be fixed using plugs and screws with washers every 25 to 50cms.

Flowerpots and other decorative elements: values the option of using planters and other decorative elements with weight such as statues or furniture to "fix the lawn to the ground".

In places such as attics or small terraces the use of these materials can be sufficient to keep the grass from being blown away by the wind.

Before doing the installation, you should consider 2 important things:

When installing artificial turf on concrete, there are two types of surface characteristics.

1. The floor where the artificial turf will be laid is that of an attic and is provided with drops to the drain.
2. The terrace floor slopes towards some gutters or drainage channels.

If your case is #1, the use of a drainage mesh for artificial turf in attics or new shock absorbing drainage plate is necessary to ensure that the water flows smoothly and is drained optimally.

If your case is equal to point nº2, you may be depending on the slope fall, the use of the drainage mesh for synthetic grass can be made optional although it is always highly recommended.

When the drop from the surface is equal to or greater than 1%, water flows to the grids constantly without retention.

If the location where the artificial turf will be laid has rainfall of 50-60 litres/m2/hour, it may be necessary to include a thicker drainage mesh and add more slopes, gutters or drains.

The format of the drainage mesh is manufactured in rolls of 2 x 100mts = 200mts2.

If you are going to make your purchase of some of the great models of special artificial grass for gardening and decoration,  we can offer you the drainage mesh for installation, you can contact us to confirm stock and minimum orders.

The price of the special drainage mesh for artificial grass in attics and terraces can vary depending on the thickness and the amount of square meters needed.

Other tips and tricks when installing synthetic grass on your terrace or attic with our drainage mesh:

We leave you other suggestions about the installation of artificial grass on concrete with our drainage mesh.

• When placing the drainage mesh, leave an edge separation of 1 cm and also between the mesh cloths.
• Eliminate the ripples that are the result of the "vice" when they come rolled up by cutting those ripples in half.
• You can use silicone to fix both the artificial turf and the drainage mesh with a strip along the edge or in several places.

Placing the band between the strips on the drainage mesh.

We explain you how to proceed with the joining strip either in the self-adhesive version or the conventional version with bicomponent glue impregnation.

This band should always go under the grass and over the mesh (the serious band is the sandwich padding).

The joint band should be centered between the grass strips equally.

It is recommended that the band be impregnated from the center to the ends by at least 75% of the total width.

That is, if the band is 30cm long, 22.5cm of band must be impregnated with the glue from the centre to the ends.

It is not necessary to glue the joining strip to the drainage mesh underneath. Rather, you should avoid obstructing the passage of water through the screen into the drain.

To make the joints between the grass strips before gluing, we suggest you clean the edges or sides of the grass strips by cutting 1 or 2 knots or yarns.

The sanitizing process is done because when manufacturing the grass, the cuts that the machines make to the threads at these ends are irregular.

What material is the drainage mesh made of?

The special drainage mesh for the installation of artificial grass on terraces and attics is made of polyethylene and is black in colour.

Some myths and legends about the drainage grid. There is a type of drainage mesh that comes in a "sandwich" panel covered with a geotextile sheet on one side or both sides.

We have seen in some places and heard comments from our customers assuring that having these sheets, the drainage is even better.

The answer is NO, not at all. Mesh drainage will be better without these geotextiles because the geotextile absorbs water and stays wet longer when in contact with the artificial turf.

Another question that arises with the information about this drainage mesh is that if it has the geotextile, it will help protect the backing or base support of the artificial turf.

The answer is still NO, not at all. The backing of the artificial grass is already protected by the latex or polyurethane with which it comes as standard from the factory.

Its guarantee emphasizes precisely that the anchorage of the fibres remains and keeps the floor intact.

Drainage foil, another alternative for laying grass on concrete or similar surfaces.

With the evolution of the generations of artificial grass and its technical characteristics, there has also been innovation in solutions for its installation on all types of surfaces.

We tell you that now there is a system that improves the conditions of the surfaces when placing synthetic grass on concrete or cement.

This new alternative for placing under the artificial grass on concrete floors, is the elastic base of 10mm to 20mm thick polyethylene.

This elastic base or cushioned sheet not only provides optimal drainage for your installation on concrete or even earth, but also provides a cushioned surface ideal for children to play on without the fear of hurting themselves by falling.

This base also stands out because its material is the same as most fibres, a medium-high density polyethylene.

The main advantage of this polymer is that it does not rot. To give you an idea, it has the same properties as the "churros" used by children in swimming pools.

In answer to the "lawn youtubers", a lawn drainage capacity of 40lts-80lts/m2 does little if the bottom drains 0.0Lts/m2.

It is contradictory to recommend building a drainage base when the turf is on soil and when it is on concrete, indicating that a small slope will be sufficient.

The turf on the aggregate base transfers the water to this base and then to the soil resulting in a 3-element system where all of them drain to a greater or lesser extent (soil, aggregate base and turf).

In contrast, concrete is a non-porous surface and the holes in the turf have little or no drainage capacity.

That said, turf directly on concrete has a limited drainage system and becomes more of a water-conducting system like concrete, and it will do so via the surface, i.e. above the turf.

Slope draining in an attic or terrace, leaving only a hole or uncovered sump has its consequences.

• The lawn stays wet for longer and mould may start to appear on the adjoining walls,
• Prolonged dampness can also deteriorate the turf support.
• In addition, longer wet lawns can lead to the proliferation of microbes, fungi and the like.
• Leaving the drain uncovered leaves it unprotected and debris such as lint, leaves, food scraps, bird feathers and other debris will accumulate and clog the drain.
• Similarly, leaving the sump covered with grass, but WITHOUT the drainage lick, will cause a suction cup effect.

What doesn't the drainage sheet for artificial turf on concrete do?

Drainage sheeting does not overcome flaws in the planimetry of a surface. In other words, if the concrete puddles in places where there are potholes or the planimetry has areas that go against the slope, the sheet is not the solution to these problems.

These potholes and puddles need to be addressed before the drainage sheet is laid.

How do I lay the special drainage sheet for the installation of artificial turf on concrete?

The laying of the special drainage sheet for the drainage of artificial turf when laid on concrete is very easy and straightforward.

This material is served in rolls and is so light that it can be carried and handled by one person.

You will only need a cutter or scissors, duct tape and double-sided tape.

The duct tape is used to join the strips of film together. You can place discontinuous strips along the length and width of the foil.

The double-sided tape is used to fix the film to the floor around the perimeter. The part of the floor where the double-sided tape is to be used must be clean.

Similarly, when laying the grass on the sheet, you can fix it to the sheet with the same double-sided self-adhesive tape around the perimeter in sections.

Silica sand and artificial grass on concrete or cement.

This is a frequent question asked when considering synthetic turf as a surface for the installation of artificial turf on concrete.

The latest generations of this flooring are designed and developed to do without this additional surface filling.

The weight of this aggregate on the state-of-the-art artificial turf is something that is nowadays merely optional. We are not aware of any generic studies for this type of turf that emphasise the differences and/or advantages of using silica sand as additional ballast.

However, there is one obvious result to be gained by watering the lawn with sand. The silica sand remains wet and the surface remains in this wet state longer than if it were not ballasted.

Humidity lowers the temperature of the grass surface when it is very hot and exposed to direct sunlight and high temperatures.