• Install artificial turf correctly by using the right tools.football field image by robert mobley from Fotolia.com
  
  Artificial turf in a sports arena is a godsend. It offers protection during high impact sporting events. At the home front, artificial turf beautifies the landscape without the need for mowing and watering. Correct installation is crucial to ensure that artificial grass looks like it is the real thing. Using the right tools helps professional installers and do-it-yourselfers alike to install artificial turf correctly.
  
  

Gripping Tools

• A turf grip or clamping thong is a tool used for gripping or clamping artificial turf, which is helpful in carrying, pulling, stretching and aligning the artificial turf. A turf grip also ensures that the turf lays flat on the ground without air pockets and waves. Gripping tools come in various sizes to correspond to the size of each application.
  
  Used for clamping the turf close to each other when connecting sections, the turf clamp allows each section to align with each other and helps to remove folds or waves when connecting two sections together.
  
  

Gluing Tools

• For big applications, a glue applicator that comes in a big push-and-pull roller drum helps in applying glue on seam tapes efficiently when connecting sections together and helps save time. The glue applicator applies the right amount of glue to coat seam tapes. In smaller projects, such as residential applications, using a heating press will heat up the sticky side of seam tapes to help bond two sections of turfs seamlessly.
  
  

Cutting Tools

• Installing artificial turf requires the right type of cutting tool, depending on the size and needs of the project. For example, when installing a baseball field artificial turf, you may need to use a circle cutter that can cut the center plate aside from using a line cutter, grass cutter and edge trimmer. A line cutter is a double-bladed cutting tool for cutting straight lines or big circles and allows variable cutting widths. A grass cutter is essential in cutting turf against edgings to give a clean, straight cut prior to gluing. A sharp cutter or construction knife works well to cut artificial grass for smaller installations.
  
  

Seam Fix

• A seam fix presses artificial turf together to ensure that the glue sticks under the turf. It also straightens the turf fiber at the seams so that they align without visible seams.
  
  

Hammer or Rubber Mallet

• Ensure that the artificial turf will hold securely in place by staking the perimeters. Use a hammer or rubber mallet to push the stakes into the ground.
  
  

Stakes or Nails

• Use galvanized nails and stakes, at least 3 inches long, to secure the perimeter of the artificial grass.
  
  

Infilling Applicator

• Applying the fillers on top of the artificial turf with an applicator will make your artificial turf look like real grass. The process of infilling involves applying sand and finely grounded rubber material to settle within the grass blades evenly. A seed or fertilizer spreader works well to apply the infilling materials.
  
  

Push Broom or Power Broom

• Use a push broom or power broom to let the filler settle within the grass blades. A regular push broom will do for small applications; however, for bigger applications a power broom with a rotary brush helps speed up the process.