Artificial Grass Repairs
A lawn that has lifted at the edge, split at a seam or taken a burn does not always need replacing. Many faults can be repaired neatly, often for a fraction of a full relay.
Artificial grass is hard-wearing, but it is not indestructible. Seams can open up, edges lift, a stray barbecue ember leaves a scorch, and heavy use eventually flattens a well-trodden route. The good news is that most of these faults are repairable without redoing the whole lawn, provided they are tackled before they spread.
This page covers the common repairs and how they are done. Where damage is widespread, the base has failed across the lawn, or the grass has simply reached the end of its life, repair stops being worthwhile. Our replacement page covers when it is time to start again, and our installation page explains how a new lawn is fitted.
Repair, not replace
Seams, burns, lifted edges and small worn patches can usually be fixed without relaying the lawn.
Invisible patching
Matching offcuts, pile direction and infill so a repair blends in rather than standing out.
Caught early is cheaper
A small fault seen to promptly is a quick job; left to spread it becomes a bigger one.
Seams and joins coming apart
Open or lifting seams are the most common repair. They happen when a join was not taped and glued properly at installation, when adhesive has failed over time, or when water has got under the tape. The fix is to clean out the old adhesive and tape, lay fresh jointing tape beneath the seam, and re-bond both edges with the correct outdoor adhesive, matching the pile direction so the join disappears. A seam that is only just starting to lift is quick to put right; left open, it collects debris, trips people and worsens, so it is worth dealing with early.
Burns, cuts and scorch marks
Artificial grass fibres are plastic, so a cigarette, a barbecue ember or a firepit spark can melt or scorch a patch. Burns cannot be brushed out, but they can be patched. The damaged section is cut out cleanly in a neat square, and a fresh offcut, ideally kept back from the original installation, is fitted in its place, bonded on jointing tape with the pile running the same way, and the infill brushed back in. A well-matched patch is hard to spot. This is one good reason to keep any spare grass left over after a fit.
Dips, sinking and flattened areas
Not every fault is in the grass itself. Some are in the base beneath it:
- Dips and sinking: usually a sign the sub-base was not compacted properly or has settled. Repair means lifting the affected area, making good and re-compacting the base, then relaying the grass. See our ground preparation page for how a base should be built.
- Flattened, worn areas: high-traffic routes can go flat over time. A vigorous brush against the pile, and topping up the infill, revives many of these. Where fibres are genuinely worn out, a patch is the answer.
If the whole lawn is dipping or holding water, the base itself may have failed, which points towards a relay rather than a spot repair.
Lifted edges and loose perimeters
Edges lift when the perimeter fixing has come loose, whether that is ground pins working free, adhesive failing against an edging, or the edging itself rotting or shifting. A lifted edge is a trip hazard and lets wind, weeds and debris under the lawn, so it is worth securing promptly. Depending on how the perimeter was built, the repair might mean re-pinning the edge, re-bonding it to sound edging, or renewing a section of failed timber or composite edging first. Getting the edge firmly fixed again also stops the problem creeping further along the perimeter.
Benefits and considerations
Benefits
- Far cheaper than relaying the whole lawn
- Seams re-taped and glued so joins disappear again
- Burns and cuts patched with matching offcuts
- Dips corrected by making good and re-compacting the base
- Flattened areas revived by brushing and infill top-up
- Lifted edges re-secured to remove trip hazards
Worth considering
- A good colour and pile match is easier when spare grass from the original fit has been kept
- Older or discontinued grass can be hard to match, so a patch may show slightly
- If the base has failed across the lawn, a spot repair will not last, so a relay is the honest answer
- Widespread wear or fading across the whole lawn usually means replacement is better value
What affects repair cost
Most repairs are priced by the job, not by the square metre, because a seam, a burn and a sunken area are very different pieces of work. A small, accessible repair is usually inexpensive; the cost climbs with the size of the area, the state of the base and how hard the grass is to match.
Key cost factors
- The type of fault, whether a seam, a burn, a dip or a lifted edge
- The size of the area affected
- Whether the base needs lifting and re-compacting
- How well the grass can be matched, and whether spare is available
- Site access to the repair area
- Whether edging needs renewing as part of the fix
Frequently asked questions
Most localised faults can be repaired without replacing the lawn, including open seams, burns, small worn patches, lifted edges and isolated dips. Replacement makes more sense when the base has failed across the whole area or the grass is worn out and faded throughout. See our replacement page.
Yes. A burn cannot be brushed out, but the scorched patch can be cut away and replaced with a matching offcut, bonded on jointing tape with the pile running the same way. A well-matched patch is difficult to see, which is why keeping spare grass after a fit is so useful.
Seams lift when the join was not taped and glued correctly at installation, when the adhesive has aged, or when water has got underneath the tape. Re-taping and re-bonding the seam with the right outdoor adhesive puts it right. Dealing with it early stops the join spreading.
A dip almost always means the base below has settled or was not compacted properly. The repair is to lift the grass over that area, make good and re-compact the sub-base, then relay the grass. If dips are appearing across the whole lawn, the base may have failed and a relay is the better option.
A careful repair that matches the pile direction, colour and infill is usually hard to spot, especially with spare grass from the original installation. Matching can be trickier with older or discontinued grass, in which case a patch may show very slightly.
Related services and guides
Got a lawn that needs fixing?
Send us a photo and a description of the fault, be it a seam, a burn, a dip or a lifted edge, and we will advise whether to repair and what it involves.