How to install artificial turf?

[rgood001]

would like opinion on artificial grass.  Doing a project with my kids and wondering if we need to compact the gravel and crusher dust?  The compactors are very heavy and unable to manage this myself so wondering what is next best option?  Also doing this on a tight budget so not really room to pay someone to do it.

Thanks

Rebecca

[JacobZ]

Hi @rgood001,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fabulous to have you with us.

Put simply, yes, you need to compact the gravel and crusher dust. Base preparation is the single most important part of any artificial turf job because it creates a stable foundation that will allow water to pass through without eroding underneath the artificial turf. If the soil beneath the artificial grass erodes, it will create undulations and cavities beneath its surface, which can very quickly ruin your hard work installing the turf.

Doing this with a plate compactor will make the process much quicker, but I understand they are heavy and can be difficult to control.

Luckily, there is a less cumbersome option, but it would be a fair amount of manual labour. You can use a hand tamper such as this Trojan 205mm Tamper to compact the base material. 

This would be much more manageable than a plate compactor and could certainly make the process achievable without having to pay someone.

Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob