Artificial Grass Edging: Which Edge and How It Is Fixed
Updated: Oct 9
Artificial grass edging has two jobs: it holds the stone sub-base in so the perimeter cannot spread and sink, and it gives the grass something solid to be fixed to. Treated timber is the cheapest and easiest to fix to, steel follows curves and lasts longest, and an existing patio or path can be the edge if it sits at the right height. Whatever you choose, the edge is where badly laid lawns fail first.
Why the edge matters so much
Under a fitted lawn is typically 50-75mm of compacted stone and a layer of granite dust. Without a firm edge, that material slowly spreads out sideways every time someone walks near the border. The perimeter drops, the grass curls or lifts, and soil and weeds creep in at the gap.
A good edge also sets the level. Installers set it just below the finished grass height, so the turf sits flush and the sub-base is screeded to it. When we quote for artificial grass installation, the edging is planned at the same time as the dig-out for that reason.
The main edging options compared
Treated timber: The standard choice for straight edges. It is cheap, easy to cut, and the grass can simply be nailed to it with galvanised nails. It does not bend round curves, and even treated timber in the ground eventually rots, with one installer quoting around 10 years. Set it on stakes or in a concrete haunch so it does not shift.
Composite (plastic lumber): Fixed in the same way as timber but does not rot, so it should outlast the grass. It typically costs three to four times as much as timber and, like timber, only does straight runs.
Steel or aluminium: Thin metal edging bends to follow curves and gives a crisp, almost invisible line. It costs more than timber but is one of the longest lasting, with one installer quoting at least 25 years. The grass is held down with galvanised U-pins rather than nails.
Railway sleepers: Give a raised border and work well for terraced or sloping lawns where the edge also retains soil. They are straight runs only and need setting in concrete or on stakes.
Paving, kerbs or concrete: An existing patio, path or kerb can be the edge if it sits a little above the grass. The grass is glued to the edge and pinned along it. Precast concrete edging or gravel boards do the same job along a fence line.
Plastic flexible edging: Sold for DIY lawns. It is easy to lay round curves but the lightest-duty option, and it can lift if it is not pinned well.
Which edging suits which lawn?
Straight, budget lawn: treated timber
Curves, island beds, a modern look: steel or aluminium
Family lawn you want to forget about: composite or steel
Sloping garden or raised beds: sleepers
Lawn meeting a patio or path: use the paving as the edge, set at the right height
Along a fence: concrete gravel boards
How the grass is fixed at the perimeter
Getting the fixing right is as important as the edge itself.
Trim the grass so it meets the edge tight, with no gap for soil or weeds.
Fix it to the edge: galvanised nails into timber or composite, galvanised U-pins along steel, sleepers or paving.
Space fixings closely. One installer guide recommends 6-inch galvanised U-pins at roughly 150mm centres along the edge.
Against paving, glue the grass to the edge as well as pinning it, so dogs and feet cannot lift it.
Next to patios and paths
Where a lawn meets a hard surface, the hard surface should usually sit slightly higher so the grass tucks against it and rainwater from the paving does not run onto the lawn in a sheet. If the patio is laid to fall towards the lawn, the grass edge will stay wet, so check the falls before the grass goes down.
A firm path also takes wear off the lawn edge. A resin bound path laid on a permeable base lets rain drain through it rather than onto the grass, and it gives a clean, level edge to fix the turf against.
Artificial grass joins
Joins are the other place lawns go wrong. A good join is invisible from a few steps away:
Both rolls must have the pile running the same way, or the colour looks different.
Trim three stitches off each edge so the tufts line up at the same spacing as the rest of the roll.
Leave a 1-2mm gap, lay joining tape underneath shiny side down, and glue both edges down onto it.
Let the adhesive cure before anyone walks on it, which can take from 2 to 24 hours depending on the weather.
Pins alone are not a join. Without tape and glue, the edges creep apart and show a line.
Edging questions, answered
Can you lay artificial grass without edging?
Only where something solid already contains the sub-base on every side, such as walls or paving. Otherwise the perimeter will spread and sink.
Can artificial grass edging take a car?
No. Lawn edging is built for foot traffic. If cars cross the edge of a lawn, it needs a proper kerb and a driveable surface, which is the subject of our post on the grass driveway and what really survives tyres.
When is the best time to change edging?
Any dry spell when the ground is workable. The best time of year to install artificial grass is mostly about ground conditions, not the season.
Pete and the team fit lawns across Wolverhampton and the surrounding area, and the edge is planned on the free site visit along with the base and drainage.
