Artificial grass installation in Cape Town, step by step
Read the sequence before you book anyone. Five stages turn a garden into a finished lawn, and the first two decide whether the lawn is still flat in five years.
- Strip and excavate. The old lawn comes out to roughly 75mm.
- Base. Crushed stone goes in, gets compacted, then a levelling layer is screeded flat.
- Membrane. A geotextile weed membrane is pinned over the base.
- Lay and join. The grass is laid, left to settle, then cut and joined on seaming tape.
- Infill. Kiln-dried silica sand is brushed in to weight the lawn and lift the pile.
The base is the job
A compacted stone base spreads load and moves water away. Cape Town sits on sand in the north and clay in the south, and the two behave differently under a lawn. Sand drains and settles. Clay holds water and heaves.
| Ground | Base | Depth |
|---|---|---|
| Sandy (Blaauwberg, Milnerton) | Crusher dust over compacted sand | 50-75mm |
| Clay (southern suburbs) | G5 stone, compacted in layers | 75-100mm |
| Concrete or paving | Shockpad or foam underlay | 10-20mm |
Every base is compacted with a plate compactor and checked with a level before the grass comes off the roll.
Joins, infill and the finish
Joins fail more often than grass does. We lay panels running the same direction, cut the selvedge off both edges and bond them on seaming tape so the pile hides the line.
Silica sand goes in last. The sand weighs the lawn down, holds the blades upright and keeps the backing cool. A lawn brushed without infill lies flat within weeks.
What it costs and what is included
- From
- R159/m²
- Guarantee
- 8 years
- Typical job
- One day
- Callout
- Free
The installed rate covers the grass, the base, the membrane, the joins, the infill and the labour. Excavation and removal are quoted on the site visit. See the full price list.
Astro turf installation is the same job
Astro turf installers and artificial grass installers do identical work. The words differ, the base does not. Anyone laying astro turf in a Cape Town garden still excavates, compacts, pins a membrane, joins on tape and brushes in silica sand.
One practical difference: a request for astro turf usually means the short sports pile, so we quote 25mm unless the garden says otherwise.
Installation questions
How long does artificial grass installation take in Cape Town?
Most gardens under 100 square metres are installed in one day. The base work takes the longest part of that day. Gardens needing excavation or access through a house run into a second day.
What goes underneath artificial grass?
A compacted stone base goes underneath, topped with a levelling layer and a weed membrane. The base carries the load and sets the drainage. A base laid badly is the single most common cause of a lawn that ripples within a year.
Can artificial grass be laid over concrete or paving?
Yes. Concrete and paving need a shockpad or a foam underlay instead of a stone base, and the existing surface has to drain. A sealed slab with no fall needs drainage cut into it first.
Do you remove the old lawn?
Yes. We strip the existing lawn and cart it away. Removal is quoted separately because the volume changes with the depth of soil we take out.