It’s time to find the best artificial grass company for your garden

You’ve got your heart set on an artificial grass garden for one reason or another. Now you have to choose what company you want to use to install and transform your garden. Artificial grass is an investment, so you want to ensure you go with the right company, that will deliver great results. Ensuring you don’t regret your purchase.

There are many routes to take when choosing who you want to install your artificial grass. Many companies are good and will give you what you want. Furthermore, there are many bad companies too. We spend a lot of time fixing and even completely redoing installs done by landscapers who may not know how to properly install artificial, along with grass companies whose work is incomparable to a premium installer like ourselves.

This leaves customers either unhappy with their garden, hating artificial grass, or out of pocket paying for a better company – whereas they could have saved a lot of money and stress if they had gone with the slightly more expensive better company, leaving them happier in the long run. Spending more now will result in a better install leaving you more content and less stressed about your new garden.

How can I tell if it’s quality artificial grass?

Artificial grass is generally made from two types of fibres – polyethene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) fibres. The difference between various grasses arises from the following factors: PE is the softer, more flexible fibre that is used as the longer, green fibres in artificial grass. The PP is stiffer and ‘texturised’ to make it curly so it can be used as the brown ‘thatch’. These ‘yarns’ are stitched into a backing cloth giving that more realistic and natural look and feel to your artificial grass.

How quality grasses are created:

• Shaped yarns – by introducing a profile (shape) to the yarn it becomes up to 60% more resilient, allowing the fibres to spring back more easily
• Stitch rate –modern machines can stitch the fibres closer together. In doing so, this makes the pile denser leaving the grass looking and feeling more realistic and natural
• Matt yarns – These are less ‘shiny’ than standard grass fibres. They look more realistic. Here at CAG (Cheshire Artificial grass), we offer both options, as the matt yarns tend to come with a premium cost. We want to offer both premium quality along affordable options making artificial grass available to all.

Artificial Grass generally varies only in:

• The length of the fibres
• The number of fibres per stitch
• The number of stitches per 10cm²
• The stitch gauge (how close the lines of stitches are)
• The Dtex (thickness) of the fibres
• The profile (shape) of the yarn

By varying these factors, artificial grass can be created for a multitude of uses. For instance, a short, dense pile with a shaped yarn, would be ideal for hard-wearing gardens, schools or clubs.

A good company with a full range of grass will be able to show you the difference and help you decide on the best grass for your specific wants and needs.

What about the base and installation?

The base is just as important as the grass! Nice grass on poor base works, with bad joins is a disaster.

A lot of companies will remove your turf and only lay sand at a  ‘blinding’ level – to get a smooth finish, without a stabilising layer of stone. It is the stone that provides the secure base to the system; the sand is only used to ‘smooth’ the finish and provide a flat surface for the grass to be laid.

Timber edges are good, only if they are class 4 treated for ground contact. Many installers use a roofing baton, which is not treated and will only last a year or so. The best edging is composite, but this is more expensive. Additionally, if you have a curve in your area, a composite is required. This is because the composite edging is relatively flexible and won’t crack under such stress.

Ask yourself these questions:

Can your fitter join the grass well? A bad join will ruin the realistic look of your lawn. Are the company’s fitters experienced?

Recommendation:

Make sure the quote includes at least 50mm depth of the stone and the removal of the real grass. When the materials arrive – check there is plenty of stone!

Ask to see a couple of local jobs the company have fitted, check the joins, and ask the customers about their experience and products. Are they using plastic edges? Plastic edging is the only one that will last for sure! Additionally, check their reviews, for instance, we are rated 5 stars with over 200 reviews on Google alone.

What about the guarantee?

A long guarantee is a great sign that the company believes in its products and services. However, the guarantee is only worth what the company can deliver. Will a sole trader even be around in 5 years to resolve your guarantee claim? Is the company you use even going to be in business in 5 years?

We know many artificial grass companies have gone out of business over the past 2 years, and their customers’ guarantees are now worthless.

Recommendation:

Can you trust a guarantee that provides cover for a period longer than the company has been trading? Satisfy yourself that they will still be around when the guarantee expires. See how long they have been open, along with their reviews – this will tell you if the company is in a good state.

Assume that the sole trader (one-man band) will not be around in 12 months.

Artificial Grass Myths

Polyethene backing is better for pets than rubber?

Both these products react similarly with pet urine. The most important thing with pets is to be able to flush the urine through the grass and away into the base works. In the U.K. we are lucky enough to have plenty of rain to do this. The backing is not a factor, and all our grasses are pet-safe (minus any allergies your pet may have).

The main difference is PE is slightly better at not absorbing any liquid, meaning all urine will pass through the grass quicker.

Nylon is the new wonder yarn?

Nylon has been around for years. It is very strong and has a higher boiling point than polyethene. It was used for hockey pitches and is durable but stiff. If you live in a country that regularly has temperatures more than 40 degrees then its technical properties may have some advantage.

This myth is promoted by the few manufacturers that have invested in the older nylon stitching equipment.

Final top tips for choosing an artificial grass company

Do they offer a written guarantee? Will they be around to honour it?

Check their reviews– ignore their website ones, and look for a good amount of 5-star Google reviews!

Visit the company – Do they have the following:

• A large range of products
• Indoor racked storage
• A cutting machine
• A showroom/garden
• A team of experienced staff to support you

With all this being said, here at Cheshire Artificial Grass, we are premium installers with a wide range of grasses available. In addition, we have 230 5-star reviews just on Google and have been going for over 25 years. We are the right company for any artificial grass installation, whether it be commercial, or residential. Enquire Today!