Artificial grass works where real grass will not establish — small, heavily shaded or heavily used gardens, and for people who want a usable surface year-round. It costs you heat in summer, supports no wildlife, and still needs brushing and rinsing. Laid over existing turf rather than a prepared base, it sinks, sprouts weeds and fails within a season or two.
- It is a surface, not a lawn. Judge it as paving that looks like grass.
- The base is the whole job. Over turf it will fail; on a screeded sub-base it lasts.
- It gets genuinely hot in direct summer sun — a real consideration with children or dogs.
- Real grass in a shaded, compacted small garden is often the thing that was never going to work.
Where artificial grass genuinely wins
- Heavy shade. Real grass needs light. In a small garden overshadowed by buildings or mature trees it thins, moss takes over, and you end up with mud. No amount of feeding fixes a light problem.
- Heavy use. A small lawn taking daily football or a dog run compacts and wears faster than it can recover, particularly through winter.
- Year-round usability. A real lawn in a British winter is not usable without bringing mud indoors. Artificial grass is.
- No mowing. For people without the time, the inclination or the storage for a mower, this is a legitimate reason.
- Awkward shapes and slopes where mowing is genuinely difficult.
- Roof terraces and balconies, where real grass is not an option.
The common thread: it suits situations where real grass was always going to struggle. Replacing a healthy lawn in an open, sunny garden is a different proposition, and a harder one to justify.
What it costs you
| Artificial | Real | |
|---|---|---|
| Mowing | None | Weekly in season |
| Usable in winter | Yes | Not really |
| Shade tolerance | Total | Poor |
| Surface temperature in sun | Gets hot, sometimes very | Stays cool |
| Wildlife value | None | Significant |
| Drainage | Through the backing, if the base allows | Natural |
| Lifespan | Typically 10–20 years | Indefinite if maintained |
| End of life | Landfill in most cases | n/a |
| Maintenance | Brushing, rinsing, debris removal | Mowing, feeding, scarifying |
| Upfront cost | Higher | Lower |
| Repairs | Patch will show | Reseeds |
The heat point is worth taking seriously. In direct summer sun artificial grass can reach temperatures well above the surrounding air — enough to be uncomfortable underfoot and a genuine consideration for dogs and small children.
The base is the whole job
Almost every failed artificial lawn we are asked to put right failed for the same reason: it was laid over the existing ground rather than on a prepared base.
What that produces, in order: the turf underneath decomposes and the surface becomes lumpy; the ground settles unevenly and the grass follows it; water does not drain so the surface stays wet and smells; weeds come through the joints and the perimeter; and the edges lift because they were never properly fixed.
The correct build-up:
- Excavate the existing turf and topsoil, typically 75 to 100mm.
- Weed membrane over the formation.
- Compacted stone sub-base, laid and whacked in layers.
- A laying course of sharp sand or granite dust, screeded level. This is what gives the flat surface.
- Second membrane directly under the grass, to stop anything coming up through the joints.
- Grass laid, joined with seaming tape and adhesive, with the pile direction consistent across joints.
- Pinned or fixed at the perimeter, usually to a treated timber or composite edge.
- Brushed up, and sand-filled where the product requires it.
Steps three and four are the ones omitted from cheap installations, and they are the reason it ends up lumpy within two years.
Drainage, and the mistake people make
Artificial grass has a perforated backing that lets water through, so the surface itself drains. What it cannot do is drain into ground that does not accept water.
On heavy clay, or where the garden was already waterlogged, laying artificial grass over the top does not solve the problem — it hides the grass that was telling you about it. The water sits in the sub-base, the surface stays saturated, and in time it smells, particularly where dogs use it.
If the garden already floods or stays wet, the drainage needs addressing first: a land drain to a soakaway, or improving the sub-base to hold and release water. That is a separate piece of work and it belongs before the grass, not after.
For dog owners there is a further point. Urine drains through, but solids and the residue need rinsing, and on a poorly drained base that residue stays in the sub-base. A free-draining build-up and periodic rinsing is the difference between a usable surface and one you stop using in August.
The honest case for real grass
In an open, reasonably sunny garden with ordinary use, real grass is hard to beat and most of its problems are solvable.
A thin, mossy lawn is usually telling you something specific: too much shade, compacted soil, poor drainage, or simply never being fed. Scarifying, aerating, top dressing and feeding transforms most tired lawns for a fraction of what artificial grass costs, and people frequently replace a lawn that had never actually been maintained.
It also stays cool, supports insects and birds, absorbs water rather than shedding it, and does not need replacing in fifteen years.
Our genuine advice: if the garden gets reasonable light and the lawn is simply neglected, try fixing the lawn first. If it is shaded, compacted, heavily used and has defeated you repeatedly, artificial grass is a reasonable answer to a real problem — and then the base is what matters.
What it costs
These are the landscaping figures published across this site:
| Job | Typical Coventry guide price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Landscaper, hourly | £15–£40/hr | Task dependent |
| Day rate | £150–£250/day | Per landscaper |
| Patio | £80–£150 per m² | Material dependent |
| Fencing | £80–£150 per panel | Supplied & fitted |
Artificial grass is priced per job because the base build-up and the excavation dominate rather than the grass itself. A quote that looks cheap has almost always skipped the sub-base and the screeded laying course.
We will tell you honestly whether your lawn is failing because of shade and compaction or simply because it has never been fed.
Frequently asked questions
Does artificial grass need a base?
Yes, and it is the whole job. Excavate the turf, membrane, compacted stone sub-base, a screeded laying course of sharp sand or granite dust, a second membrane, then the grass joined and pinned at the edges. Laid straight over existing turf it goes lumpy as the ground settles and sprouts weeds within a season or two.
Does artificial grass get hot?
In direct summer sun, yes — well above the surrounding air temperature, enough to be uncomfortable underfoot. It is a genuine consideration if you have small children or a dog, and it is the point most often left out of the sales pitch. Shaded gardens, where artificial grass makes most sense anyway, are less affected.
Is artificial grass good for dogs?
It can be, with the right base. Urine drains through the perforated backing, but solids and residue need rinsing, and on a poorly drained sub-base that residue stays put and smells. A genuinely free-draining build-up and periodic rinsing is the difference between a surface you keep using and one you avoid in summer.
How long does artificial grass last?
Typically 10 to 20 years depending on quality and use, after which it is replaced — and in most cases it goes to landfill, since recycling routes for mixed-material turf are limited. A real lawn, maintained, lasts indefinitely. That is a fair part of the comparison.
Will artificial grass fix my waterlogged garden?
No. The grass drains, but it cannot drain into ground that does not accept water. On heavy clay or an already waterlogged plot the water sits in the sub-base and the surface stays saturated. Deal with the drainage first — a land drain to a soakaway — then lay the grass.
Should I just fix my real lawn instead?
Often, yes. A thin, mossy lawn in a reasonably sunny garden is usually telling you it is compacted, poorly drained or has never been fed. Scarifying, aerating, top dressing and feeding transforms most of them for a fraction of the cost. If the garden is heavily shaded and heavily used, that is a different case.
The base decides whether it lasts
We excavate properly, screed the laying course and fix the edges, because that is what separates an artificial lawn that stays flat from one that does not.