Artificial Grass Installation

What a proper artificial grass install looks like

Good artificial grass installation is mostly groundwork. The turf you see is the last few hours of a job that starts with a sod cutter and ends with a plate compactor. Turf laid on top of an old lawn, or on loose soil, goes lumpy within a season, puddles after rain and lets weeds push through at the seams. Turf laid on a properly built base stays flat for years.

Most Ontario installers follow the same sequence:

1. Locates. Before anyone digs, the installer (or you) books free utility locates through the Ontario Dig Authority, formerly Ontario One Call. Gas, hydro, cable and water lines can sit inches under a lawn.
2. Excavation. The grass and roughly 3 to 4 inches of soil come out, more where the ground is soft clay or the area will take heavy use. The spoil is hauled away.
3. Edging. A border goes in where the turf meets garden beds, fences and paths, so the edge stays crisp and the base doesn't migrate.
4. Base. Crushed stone, usually a clear or limestone screening mix, is spread in layers, graded so water runs where it should, and compacted. This is the step that decides how the lawn looks in five years.
5. Weed barrier. A geotextile goes over the base on most residential jobs.
6. Turf. Rolls are laid with the grain all pointing one way, seamed with tape and adhesive, trimmed to the edges and secured.
7. Infill and brushing. Sand or another infill is spread in thin passes and brushed in with a power broom to stand the fibres up.

A typical backyard of 400 to 700 square feet takes a crew one to three days, longer if every wheelbarrow of gravel has to go through a narrow side gate or the house.

What it costs

Ontario installers publish $5–$22 per sq ft for installed artificial grass, and most backyards land at $10–$20 per sq ft. Material alone runs $3–$7 per sq ft if you plan to do the work yourself. The table further down lists every published figure and where it comes from, and the artificial turf cost guide breaks down what moves the price.

The biggest swings come from things you can see before anyone quotes: how much soil has to come out, whether a mini excavator can get into the yard, how many curves and garden beds the turf has to wrap around, and whether the yard holds water. Run your own numbers in the turf cost calculator.

Choosing the turf

Residential artificial grass varies more than most people expect. Pile height (how long the blades are), face weight (how much fibre is in each square yard), the blade shape, the thatch layer and the backing all change how real it looks, how it feels underfoot and how well it springs back. A taller, denser turf looks lusher but takes more infill and costs more. A shorter, tougher turf suits kids and dogs. The guide to choosing artificial turf explains each spec in plain terms.

Ask to see and feel full-size samples in daylight, and ask what the warranty covers: fading, fibre loss, backing failure, and whether the installer's own workmanship warranty is separate from the manufacturer's.

Front yards

Front-yard turf is where local rules matter most. Several Ontario cities set a minimum share of a front yard that has to stay as soft landscaping, and they don't all treat artificial turf the same way. Check with your municipality's zoning office before you turf a front lawn, and read the Ontario turf rules guide for what to ask.

Getting a quote

Measure the area roughly (length × width in feet), note anything that will slow the crew down (a 36-inch gate, stairs, a slope, a downspout that drains onto the lawn), and send a request. One installer who works your area gets back to you to book a site measure. Compare any quotes on the same turf, base depth and infill, not just the total.