How to Flatten Creases in Artificial Grass

If you find that your artificial lawn is lumpy and creased, there’s no reason for you to start tearing your hair out!

In truth, creases are a normal occurrence among people who choose to go with artificial grass.

Apart from understanding what may lead to these creases that you are seeing, it’s important to know how to handle each unique situation. 

Sometimes, the creasing is a result of the production process, and in other cases, it could be due to environmental factors.

Whatever the case may be, the most important thing is to get your lawn looking pristine again!

In this article, we will show you exactly how to flatten creases in artificial grass, so your lawn becomes smooth and flat again!

1. Install The Right Infill

As you probably know by now, installing infill on your artificial lawn is very important. And one of its biggest advantages is that it helps you to eliminate and prevent creases.

It does this by adding ballast to your artificial grass. The term ballast refers to how the infill provides stability and support by weighing down the grass backing.

Once it is applied evenly and in the right amounts, infill will help prevent wrinkles and creases in your lawn. The latex backing will be weighed down, and you also get the benefit of temperature regulation, which helps prevent expansion and contraction.

For most homes, we recommend silica sand, but pet owners should opt for an organic infill instead to fend off urine odors.

In order to achieve the desired effect, you must use the right amount of infill material. Consult the manufacturer, as different types of artificial grass have different requirements. 

2. Brush The Affected Area

Unfortunately, you may find that there are many environmental factors that can cause creases after installation.

Heat, for example, is likely to make your artificial grass lumpy. That’s because high temperatures cause the backing material to become supple or pliable, which means it expands and cools again.

Thankfully, there is an easy solution to creases caused by heat. By simply brushing the affected area, you can often straighten out the backing and smooth out the creases.

We recommend doing this on a hot day, when your artificial grass backing is still pliable. Focus on the affected areas, and apply a good amount of pressure with a stiff-bristled push broom.

This isn’t an occurrence that everyone faces, but this easy solution should work well if you do.

3. Rest The Artificial Grass For 24 Hours

When your artificial grass arrives, you should avoid immediately diving into the installation process. Here’s why:

Most artificial grass will come in rolls, wrapped in plastic packaging. Because of this, there might be creases and wrinkles in your artificial lawn after you unroll it.

There’s no need for you to worry about the lumpy look that it may have at this point. The solution is a simple one – All you need to do is allow the artificial grass to rest on a flat surface for 24 hours before installation.

By doing so, the grass fibers and backing will slowly return to its natural shape. We recommend laying it outdoors in the sun, where the heat will help the materials recover its original shape.

Speaking of installation, you may want to consider getting some help from a friend or family member, depending on the size of the lawn you opted for. That’s because artificial grass can be quite heavy and hard to manage.

After a full 24 hours, your grass fibers should be standing and the backing should be flat again. If there are still a few creases remaining, simply brush them to smooth them out.

4. Ensure The Laying Course Is Flat And Smooth

The laying course is the last layer of material underneath your artificial grass. Because of this, it can determine how the end result looks.

This is why you need to make sure your laying course is completely flat and smooth.

The laying course is typically made from granite or limestone dust. When you finish compacting this layer, go over it again and smooth out any high spots, while filling low spots with more dust.

Furthermore, some people opt to add a weed membrane on top of their laying course before installing the artificial grass.

This thin fabric allows you to mitigate against weeds growing through your artificial lawn. But it also means any ripples and unevenness in the membrane will be visible on your artificial grass too.

If you choose to install a weed membrane at this stage, make sure it is flattened and stretched out. Secure it down at the edges using galvanized U-pins or nails. Also, avoid overlapping two pieces of membrane to prevent raised bumps in your lawn.

Double check everything before finally laying down the artificial grass – Once it’s down, there’s no going back!

Alternatively, most people opt to install their weed membrane underneath the sub-base. By doing so, you won’t have to worry about wrinkles in your membrane being transferred onto the surface of your artificial grass!

5. Use a Carpet Kicker to Stretch out the Lawn

Everybody knows – An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

And when it comes to creases in your artificial grass, this is certainly the case!

Our team has installed hundreds of artificial lawns around the world. And nowadays, we never do so without the help of a carpet kicker.

This handy tool allows you to keep the lawn stretched out while you fasten it down. The end result is a super smooth, flat artificial lawn.

While an artificial lawn may look natural, in reality it’s one whole unit that isn’t rooted to the ground.

Therefore, the whole thing can potentially shift out of place, which means you may have some creases to deal with.

By stretching everything out with a carpet kicker, it ensures there is little room between the laying course and the grass, preventing the lawn from shifting around over time and causing wrinkles.

The best part? They are not hard to come by, and are quite affordable too. In fact, most home improvement stores will have them available to rent.

It’s well worth it to do it right the first time, than to run into problems later on.

6. Secure the Lawn Properly at the Edges

The final thing that can help you prevent your artificial grass from becoming lumpy is securing the perimeter well.

Doing this correctly requires a good level of precision and care, but it’s not an impossible task.

There are several different attachment methods that you can use to get the job done. For most homes, we prefer to install edging around the lawn, and attach the edges of the artificial grass to that.

There are many options for eding, including pressure-treated timber, composite plastic edging, pressure-treated sleepers, steel edging, paving, and concrete gravel boards. In most cases, we simply opt for the pressure treated timber edging. 

Begin by ensuring that your grass is cut to shape along the perimeter of your lawn. Stretch out the lawn with your carpet kicker, then attach the grass to your edging using galvanized nails, spaced around six inches apart. Repeat this along the entire perimeter of your lawn.

Once your artificial grass is attached at its perimeter, it will stay stretched out and smooth across the lawn, preventing creases and wrinkles later on.