Artificial grass

snowyy

Hi
Currently have a patio that is in need of renewing as we had a few break/discolour etc. Looking at options I was going to just lift them and replace with new pavers however area is shaded and a bit damp so it wouldn’t be long before the new pavers were mossed up etc and need jet washing which could damage them or decrease their life, Looking at alternative I can see artificial grass may be a better option, cheaper then concreting area or replacing pavers and less labour intensive. I’ve read I can just lay this on the existing pavers as long as they are flat and level, is that a good idea or is it best to lift all the pavers and put the grass on the sub base for the pavers? If I can lay them on the pavers it’s going to save my back and also mean I won’t have to get a skip. In terms of drainage I know the grass has drainage holes but will this be an issue for it to just soak through to the stones/hardcore bearing in mind that the grass is going to block out the sun and wind drying them prevent the ground to retain water. Advice welcomed and pics below



Read more: https://www.diynot.com/diy/threads/artificial-grass.553242/#ixzz6Ygo37eMp

Fairygirl

I think it has to be properly laid on a base - hardcore/sand etc.
I certainly wouldn't want to lay it on paving in a shady site. It would be lethal in wet conditions. It has to be fixed down too. 
Gravel is by far the best option in shady sites, but the paving would need lifted. Alternatively, lift the broken slabs, and a few more,  gravel some of the gaps and plant into some. If you choose suitable planting, it will be very minimal in labour and maintenance. 

snowyy

Fairygirl said:

I think it has to be properly laid on a base - hardcore/sand etc.
I certainly wouldn't want to lay it on paving in a shady site. It would be lethal in wet conditions. It has to be fixed down too. 
Gravel is by far the best option in shady sites, but the paving would need lifted. Alternatively, lift the broken slabs, and a few more,  gravel some of the gaps and plant into some. If you choose suitable planting, it will be very minimal in labour and maintenance. 

Yes considered gravel when I was first thinking about doing this many many months ago, only thought about artificial grass as I came across it on the Internet yesterday and thought it may be cheaper then using gravel. We get a lot of leaves and conker in autumn and my concern with gravel is that it would be a nightmare to maintain and any leaves would decompose and potentially new weeds would grow.

snowyy

philippasmith2 said:

You surely don't have to pressure wash paving more than a couple of times a year do you ?  A stiff broom every so often would keep a lot of the detritus at bay.
If you are concerned about the paving becoming slippy in wet weather then a gravel pathway where you need it may be the answer.
Artificial grass would seem to have it's own maintenance problems too and is not an option just placed over paving slabs.  

Hi yes only jet wash twice a year but jet washing new pavers would just destroy them Over time, probably use gravel as mentioned above gravel has it’s downfalls. I have no problem with lifting the slabs and getting a skip it’s just on a few artificial grass websites they’d say lay in top of concrete or pavers, so thought I would ask as it saves me a job doing some thing I don’t need to do

Fairygirl

I have a lot of gravel, but I really don't find leaves a problem with decomposing. It's also quite easy to rake with a plastic rake to gather them if needed. 
You'll get some weed growth with any type of surface, and nothing is completely maintenance free. 

Brisrob

Hi Snowyy There are a number of products that can be applied to the patio with a watering Can or a sprayer, these work well at keeping the algae to a minimum and keeping your slabs clean no pressure washing just let the rain do the work. Less work than lifting slabs etc

Ferdinand2000

It's some jetwasher (or setting) if it damages paving ... or very fragile paving

Since paving is essentially non-broken-up hardcore, I think that you may be able to just put sand on it to a suitable depth and going with fake grass on top of that. 

I think you would need to be satisfied that what you have already will do all the functions of a normal base - that is support and drainage (take out a couple more pavers off the desire-line for walking?), and perhaps make a few modifications if needed.

You'll need to be happy with whatever edgings you use, and that you can take a small rise in level (50-70mm?) without interfering too much with eg air bricks if you have such.

And if it doesn't work in a few years and you have to revisit, you haven't actually put a massive amount of  labour in.

Or, as you say, see what's underneath.

Here's an article from Paving Expert that talks about the normal structure, to compare with yours.

https://www.pavingexpert.com/grass_01

Ferdinand

snowyy

Ferdinand2000 said:

It's some jetwasher (or setting) if it damages paving ... or very fragile paving

Since paving is essentially non-broken-up hardcore, is there anything stopping you just putting sand on it to a suitable depth and going with fake grass on top of that?

I think you would need to be satisfied that what you have already will do all the functions of a normal base - that is support and drainage (take out a couple more pavers off the desire-line for walking?), and perhaps make a few modifications if needed. You'll need to be happy with whatever edgings you use, and that you can take a small rise in level (50-70mm?) without interfering too much with eg air bricks if you have such.

And if it doesn't work in a few years and you have to revisit, you haven't actually put a massive amount of  labour in.

Here's an article from Paving Expert that talks about the normal structure, to compare with yours.

https://www.pavingexpert.com/grass_01

Ferdinand

Yeah I get where you are coming from, as this will be around the house I wouldn’t want to put sand on top of slabs and then grass as it would then be above the damp course, as mentioned I had planned on getting rid of the slabs and replacing with decorative stones (assuming the pavers sub base was correctly done) but then came across fake grass which many sites say about laying it on top of pavers but I would be concerned that water that drains through grass to pavers would then not get the air/heat to evaporate. The area to cover is 142m2 so what ever I chose is going to be expensive, cotswold stones are about £75 per 850kg or  golden stones between £90-110 and based on calculator I would need 15bags, can see artificial grass ranges from £7-£20 but both would of these would be much cheaper than new pavers. Just concerned of the cotswold getting dirty or mossed up and being a nightmare to clean

Ferdinand2000

At that price / amount I'd be talking to quarries about a lorryload; either a 6 wheeler or an 8 wheeler. Need to think about access though.

The last front garden I gravelled I actually used the Wickes basic gravel and it was fine - came in at about £35 per bulk bag - but you need to play with samples and get it right for what you want.

F

wild edges

Have you tried power washing the current slabs and then seeing if you could cover the broken ones with raised beds or large pots? You might find with a bit of a thoughtful re-design you could get a really good result out of the slabs you already have.

snowyy

wild edges said:

Have you tried power washing the current slabs and then seeing if you could cover the broken ones with raised beds or large pots? You might find with a bit of a thoughtful re-design you could get a really good result out of the slabs you already have.

Yeah jet wash is just slicing the top of the slabs off, anything else like brush, chemicals or hosepipe doesn’t remove the moss. Once jet washed it’s fine for 5 months but then goes green and slippy as hell. I did try what you mentioned as you Dan see in pic I removed some slabs to create two big squares and put some soil and crocus in them, then used these slabs to replace broken ones however they need changing now for new or alternative. My plan is to use either stones for fake grass then make some big planters go in the area.