Knowing how to seam artificial turf properly is the most critical step in the installation process and a lot of people get this step wrong. You may wonder, what is seaming?
Seaming artificial turf means to join separate rolls of synthetic turf together using adhesive glue and seaming tape. Doing this task properly not only ensures that the final product looks good, but also ensures the longevity of your turf and that nobody trips over its’ uneven edges!
There’s nothing worse than missing a hole-in-one because your turf was lopsided. Or wait, there is; seeing your 10-year old daughter trip on an uneven piece of artificial turf, only to fall and lose her two-front adult teeth. Bye-bye beer fund…
To prevent either of these scenarios from happening, keep reading to learn how to seam artificial turf properly.
How to Seam Artificial Turf—Terminology
Before moving forward, below are a few terms that you may want to keep in mind while reading about the best way to seam artificial grass.
Scrim: the backing of a synthetic turf roll that extends beyond the fibres of each side of the roll
Gauge: an outline of rows of tufted fibres stitched into the backing of synthetic turf rolls
Trowel: a small hand tool used for digging, applying, smoothing, or moving small amounts of material
Walking a pattern: the process of matching up stitching lines of each seam
Synthetic turf or product backing: Artificial turf backings are made up of a primary backing and a secondary backing that provide exceptional strength and unmatched vertical drainage.
The primary backing allows the synthetic turf fibres to be stitched into the material in rows, and the closer, denser stitch rates give the grass more structural density.
The secondary backing is applied to the reverse side of the primary backing in order to permanently lock the stitched fibres in place.
Now that you’ve been schooled in basic turf terminology, you’re ready to move onto the next step!
The First Step of How to Seam Artificial Turf
Inspecting the synthetic turf that you purchase is the first step in having a successful seam installation. This does not mean that the turf is defective. It is a common practice in being successful.
Giving the edge of the roll a closer look will allow you to decide how many gauges you will need to cut in away from the scrim edge. A majority of synthetic turf backing becomes thicker within a few gauges in, away from the scrim.
How you proceed after inspection depends on the type of synthetic turf you have. Regardless, have your adhesive glue, seaming tape, notched trowel and turf cutter ready to go!
Seaming For Synthetic Putting Greens
- Cut the bottom piece of two turf tufts, from the factory edge. The top piece will need to be trimmed as close as possible to the adjacent turf without overlapping. TAKE YOUR TIME. You are always better with a small gap than too tight of a seam which will compromise the surface.
- Place the seaming tape as close to centred as possible.
- Roll the turf back 6” on either side of the seam and temporarily secure.
- Pour glue evenly with a 1/8” notched trowel.
- Bring edges back together in a zipper fashion to ensure backing buts up nicely. Be careful not to get glue on grass blades. Depending on humidity and climate the glue will have differing dry times. During that time walk the seam but do not place heavy objects on top of the turf.
Seaming For Synthetic Lawn
- Make sure the product backing is as close together as possible without overlapping.
- Match the seam distance to the turf gauge. A small gap is better than overlapping.
- Line up seaming tape so that the seam rests as close to the center as possible.
- Roll turf back 6” on either side of the seam and temporarily secure.
- Pour glue evenly with a 1/8” notched trowel.
- Bring edges back together in a zipper fashion to ensure backing buts up nicely. Be careful not to get glue on grass blades. Depending on humidity and climate the glue will have differing dry times. During that time walk the seam but do not place heavy objects on top of the turf.
High-Quality Turf Makes Life “Seam” Easy
Before you learn how to seam artificial turf, you should make sure that you have a quality product to work with.
If you’re working with low-quality artificial grass, it won’t matter how well you seam it, it will not last very long.