Updated:January 14, 2025, by
Securing artificial grass

A fabulous long-lasting alternative to real grass, artificial turf has become popular among homeowners looking for a way to rejuvenate their outdoor space. An easy-to-install material artificial grass is great for a range of surfaces, but it’s important to ensure it's secured properly to get the best life out of your grass.

In this blog, we’ll teach you how to secure artificial grass correctly so you can keep your lawn looking fresh and firm and in place for years.

Not sure which style of turf suits your space? Check out Grass Direct’s amazing range of artificial grass and you’re sure to find the perfect option for you.

  1. Preparing Your Space

    Before you can begin laying and securing your grass you need to ensure the ground underneath is fit for the installation process. If you’re working with a hard surface like installing turf on concrete or stone it should be clean, even and any breaks, dents or missing pieces repaired.

    If you’re working with your natural garden, the previous grass should be removed and a substrate should be placed for water drainage like slate or gravel stones. You should also invest in a weed suppressant membrane as this will prevent any pesky weeds from growing through your brand-new turf.

    You can also opt to add a small layer of sand on top of the base material to help increase water drainage as well as create a softer feel underfoot. If you’re installing artificial grass for kids, you can use fake grass underlay to do the same job whilst also providing shock absorption for any slips and falls.

    It’s important to note that the installation process for artificial grass does require manual labour and if this is something you’re not able to do you should consider investing in a local fitter.

  2. Choose Your Edging Material

    This is one important step many people fail to consider when determining how to secure artificial grass. Once you’ve determined where your grass is going to sit and how much you’ll need, you should create a perimeter for your grass with an edging material of your choice lining the outside. This can be timber edging, steel or purpose-made plastic edging.

    This is an important securing step as the edging is designed to give extra hold and support for the sub-base you’ve installed. It also provides a firm support for your artificial grass to prevent it from spreading outwards and lifting over time around the edges.

  3. Lay Your Artificial Grass

    If you’ve prepped your ground it’s time to lay your false grass out and cut it to size. You should have already measured roughly how much turf you’d need to cover your desired area, but as artificial grass comes on rolls there may be some tripping required.

    Make sure the grass is laid flat and evenly and let it rest for at least a few hours to help it smoothen out. Use a grass cutter or utility knife to cut the grass to your desired length and shape. If you’ve got some spare trimmings keep these as you’d be surprised how you can utilise artificial grass cutoffs in other projects.

  4. Select Your Securing Tools

    There are a number of artificial grass accessories that can be used to secure your false grass. To choose the best adhesive, you’ll need to choose the method that best suits your base material.

Artificial Grass Garden

Artificial Grass Pins

Galvanised steel pins are ideal for working on softer surfaces like soil where the previous grass has already been removed. Simply use a rubber hammer to secure these pins through your grass and into the ground. We’d recommend using 1 pin for every 0.5m to ensure your turf is fully secured.

Easy to use and enabled grass to be fitted well.” - Veronica R

Grass Glue or Adhesive

A specially designed grass adhesive can be used on any subbase or harder surface to secure your false turf. The adhesive uses 2 components to bond the artificial grass to your chosen surface for a strong and secure fit. Simply spread in even and thin layers and apply pressure to the grass as the adhesive dries.

Artificial Grass Nails

For surfaces harder than grass like decking but not as solid as concrete, grass fixing nails are an ideal solution for how to secure artificial grass. Simply use a hammer and secure the nails along the perimeter of your turf. Make sure that your roll of turf is completely flat and smooth before securing it with the nails.

Once you’re finished, give the grass a brush to ensure no grass blades are trapped in the nails.

A garden transformed with fake grass

Secure the Edges First

The best place to start is with the perimeter edge of your garden and joining your grass into one large layer.

With your nails or adhesive tape and your grass sitting in the correct position, begin fixing the exterior perimeter of your grass to your underlay. If you’ve got soft ground we’d recommend using pins on the outside for maximum grip and a secure fit. Once your exterior edges have been secured it’ll be much easier to move on to joining and securing the rest of the grass without it moving out of place.

Using joining tape or adhesive, secure all of your grass stips together to form one smooth continuous section of turf. Be sure to keep all the grass blades facing the same direction and check for any bumps or gaps before you move on to attaching the turf to the ground.

Fit the Rest of the Grass

If you’ve used adhesive glue, wait for this to dry before moving on to the rest of the grass. Once that is done, start by slowly moving along the grass and placing adhesive or pins to fix it to the ground. For a detailed explanation of the whole installation process, check out our step-by-step guide on how to lay artificial grass.

Make sure pins are spaced equally apart and that any glue is spread as an even layer to avoid lumps developing underfoot. Continue this process until all the grass is secured to your underlay or ground material.

Congrats, You’re now done! You’ve learnt how to secure artificial grass, and the only thing left to do is step back and admire your handiwork.

A garden re-done with artificial grass

Secure a Steal With Grass Direct

At Grass Direct we want to help you secure the best deal on your artificial grass and accessories. We’re proud to say we offer the highest grade grass at the lowest price on the market and have an amazing selection, from essential grass to premium turf that can make any garden great no matter the budget.

If you want to see our quality before you buy, pop into one of our local stores or request some free artificial lawn samples. We’ll deliver them straight to your door so you can put them to the test before making a decision.

Can’t pick just one amazing spec? contact our team and we’ll help you make the best choice.