Installing artificial turf yourself saves the labour, which is the biggest part of the price, but most of the labour is moving dirt and stone, not laying turf. If you're comfortable renting a sod cutter and a plate compactor, and you have a weekend or two and a helper, a small backyard is a realistic project. This guide walks through how to install artificial turf the way Ontario installers do it, with the steps that make the difference between a lawn that stays flat and one that's lumpy by spring.
Before you start
- Measure. Length and width in feet, plus the shape. Sketch it, with doors, beds, trees and downspouts marked. The roll calculator turns it into an order.
- Check local rules. Front yards can fall under zoning rules on soft landscaping, and changing grades near ravines, shorelines and creeks can need approval. See the Ontario turf rules guide.
- Book locates. Request free utility locates through the Ontario Dig Authority (formerly Ontario One Call) at least several business days before you dig. Gas, hydro, cable and irrigation lines can be only inches down.
- Plan the water. Notice where water goes when it rains. Your finished base must slope gently away from the house and keep sending water where it goes now, not onto a neighbour.
Tools and materials
- Sod cutter (rental) or flat spade, wheelbarrow, rakes and a level or string line.
- Plate compactor (rental) and a garden hose for wetting the base.
- Crushed stone: a screened limestone or crusher-run base, about 3 to 4 inches deep. Ask the yard how many tonnes for your area and depth.
- Edging: plastic, aluminium or timber, where turf meets beds and lawn.
- Weed barrier fabric.
- Turf, seam tape and turf adhesive, and landscape nails or staples.
- Infill and a drop spreader, a stiff broom or power broom (rental).
- Plenty of utility knife blades. Turf backing dulls them quickly.
Step 1: Excavate
Remove the grass and roughly 3 to 4 inches of soil across the whole area, a little more where the ground is soft clay or will take heavy use. A sod cutter peels off the grass in strips; the rest is shovel and wheelbarrow. Keep the bottom of the dig roughly parallel to the finished grade you want. Plan for the spoil: a 500 sq ft area at 4 inches deep is over six cubic yards of soil.
Step 2: Edge
Set your edging along beds, paths and lawn edges so the base can't spread and the turf has something to finish against. The top of the edging should sit just below the finished base height, so the turf can wrap over it slightly.
Step 3: Build and compact the base
This is the step that decides how your lawn looks in five years. Spread the stone in layers of about 1.5 to 2 inches, wet it lightly, and compact each layer with the plate compactor, several passes in different directions. Check with a level or string line as you go. The finished base should be firm enough that you leave only faint footprints, smooth, and graded with a gentle fall (a slope you can barely see) away from the house.
A properly compacted, draining base is what stops frost from heaving the turf in a Canadian winter. Skimping here is the most common DIY mistake.
Step 4: Weed barrier
Roll the geotextile over the base, overlapping the seams a few inches. It slows weeds coming up from below and keeps the base from mixing with any infill that works down.
Step 5: Lay the turf
Roll the turf out and let it sit flat in the sun for an hour or two to relax the creases. Lay every piece with the grain (the way the fibres lean) pointing in the same direction, ideally toward the house or where you look from most. Pieces laid with the grain in different directions look like different colours.
Overlap adjoining pieces, then cut both edges together along the backing, cutting a few stitch rows in, so the edges meet tightly without a gap or a ridge.
Step 6: Seam
Fold both edges back, lay seam tape centred under the join (shiny side down), and spread adhesive on the tape. Lay the edges back down onto it, keeping fibres out of the glue, and press them together firmly along the length. Weigh the seam down while it cures. A good seam is invisible from a few steps away.
Step 7: Trim and secure
Trim the turf to the edging with a sharp knife from the back, a little at a time; you can't add back what you cut off. Secure the perimeter with landscape nails or staples at the spacing the turf maker recommends, pushing fibres aside so the nail heads disappear. Add a few nails along seams and in the field if the maker suggests it.
Step 8: Infill and brush
Spread infill with a drop spreader in thin passes, brushing it in with a stiff broom or power broom between passes, against the grain, so it falls to the backing and the fibres stand up. The infill calculator gives the quantity; the infill guide explains which type to use. Finish with a light rinse to settle the infill.
What it costs to do it yourself
Ontario suppliers publish $3–$7 per sq ft for turf and materials. Add base stone, equipment rental and disposal. For comparison, a Mississauga installer puts a 1,000 sq ft backyard at $8,143 in DIY materials and $15,000 installed. If you'd rather not move six yards of soil by wheelbarrow, one request reaches a local installer.
Questions people ask
Can I lay artificial turf directly on dirt?
Not well. Turf on soil settles unevenly, drains poorly and heaves with frost. Remove 3 to 4 inches of soil and replace it with compacted crushed stone.
Can I put artificial grass over existing grass?
It's not recommended. The grass rots, the surface goes lumpy and weeds come through. Remove it and build a base.
How long does it take to install artificial turf yourself?
A small backyard is usually a weekend or two for two people, most of it spent excavating and compacting the base.
Which way should the turf face?
Lay every piece with the grain pointing the same direction, ideally toward the house or main view. Mixed directions look like different colours.
Sources
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