Most artificial turf installers never walk a customer through what actually happens during an install. You get a quote, a start date, and a finished yard. The middle gets skipped. That’s fine until something goes wrong a year later and you have no idea whether the base was prepped correctly, whether the seams were glued or nailed, or whether the infill is the right depth. Here’s our 10-step process, in order, so you can judge our work against what a Florida artificial turf install is supposed to involve.
Site preparation — free consult, removal, base prep
Step 1 — Free on-site consultation. We come out, measure the area with a laser measure, listen to what you’re looking for, and flag site-specific concerns (drainage issues, tree roots, existing irrigation, grade changes). You get a written quote specifying the product line, total square footage, and full scope of work. No deposit required at this stage.
Step 2 — Removal of existing surface. On day one, we remove the existing grass, weeds, and top 3–4 inches of soil across the install area. If real grass exists, the root system comes out with it. If there’s an old artificial turf install in place, it gets pulled up and hauled away.
Step 3 — Base layer. We lay 3–4 inches of crushed stone or decomposed granite as the base. This base is what makes the turf drain properly in Florida rains — skipping it is a major reason cheap installs often fail.
Grading, compaction, and weed barrier — Steps 4–5
Step 4 — Compaction and precision leveling. The base gets compacted with a plate compactor and leveled to a tight tolerance. Florida’s soil has enough clay content that settling is a real concern — proper compaction here helps prevent divots or soft spots later. Grade is pitched subtly (1–2% slope) so water runs off, not pools.
Step 5 — Weed barrier. A commercial-grade weed fabric goes down between the base and the turf. Most residential installs don’t strictly need it in Palm Coast given the base depth, but we include it anyway — it’s cheap insurance against weeds pushing up through seams over time.
Turf layout, seaming, and infill — Steps 6–8
Step 6 — Turf layout and cutting. The turf rolls get unrolled, laid out in the direction of grain, and cut to fit the area including any curves, tree bases, or hardscape edges. Grain direction matters — multiple pieces have to run the same way so the finished lawn has a uniform look under sun.
Step 7 — Seaming and edge securing. Where two pieces of turf meet, we seam them with a tape-and-glue method for a flush, invisible join. Edges get secured with galvanized landscape nails every 6 inches along the perimeter, set below the fiber line so no metal is visible or reachable.
Step 8 — Infill application. Infill gets applied by spreader across the entire surface at the specified depth for the fiber length. Infill weighs the turf down, keeps it from wrinkling over time, and supports the fiber so blades stand upright.
Finishing and walk-through — Steps 9–10
Step 9 — Power brooming. We run a power broom across the entire area to lift the fibers up and evenly distribute the infill. This is what gives finished turf its natural-looking pile and stand-up blade appearance.
Step 10 — Walk-through and aftercare. We walk the site with you, demonstrate any care steps (how to hose down the surface, when to rebroom if needed), and hand over warranty documentation and the product spec sheet. If you have any questions after installation, we’ll come back to re-check the install or address anything you’re not satisfied with.
Typical residential timeline: 1 to 3 days depending on square footage and weather. Commercial projects scale up from there. Specific day count is in the written estimate.