DIY GUIDE · GARDEN & OUTDOOR · CHECKED OCTOBER 2026
How to lay turf yourself
A weekend for about 30 m². £403–£453 in turf, topsoil and kit.
Measure, prepare the soil properly, lay in a staggered bond, and water it through the first month.
- Every step, start to finish
- Checked October 2026 — sources at the end
- Honest about when to call a pro
FIRST, THE HONEST ANSWER
Do it yourself, or get a gardener?
Do it yourself if…
- The area is roughly level or gently sloping and already drains after rain
- You can lay the turf the day it arrives, or within a day in cool weather
- You are fit for a weekend of digging, raking and carrying heavy rolls
- You can water it every day for the first couple of weeks
Get a pro if…
- Water stands on the area for a day after rain, which points to a drainage job first
- The ground needs regrading, a retaining edge, or soil building up against the house
- The area is large enough that you would need to hire a rotavator, a turf cutter and help
- The site is full of builder's rubble that has to be dug out and taken away
Safety first
- Each roll is heavy when wet, around 15–20 kg; lift with HSE's good handling technique, load close to your waist, knees and hips slightly bent and no twisting.
- Plan the route from the delivery pallet to the lawn so you are not carrying rolls over steps or uneven ground.
- Before digging, find out where drains, water pipes and outdoor cables run, and fork rather than spade near them.
- If you hire a rotavator or turf cutter, read its manual, wear boots and ear protection, and keep feet well away from the tines or blade.
- Wear gloves; old lawns and soil can hide glass, nails and sharp stones.
- Keep soil level well below the damp-proof course of the house; building soil up against the wall bridges it and lets damp in.
Stop here: Levels, retaining and drainage
Raising ground levels against a house risks bridging the damp-proof course; as a rule, keep finished surfaces well below it. Cutting into a slope, building up a bank or putting in a retaining edge changes how the ground holds itself and carries water, and a failure can damage your house or a neighbour's. Land drains and soakaways bring in drainage rules that differ between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Those are ground-works jobs, not turfing, and this guide stops before them. How to hire a turf layer →
| MATERIAL | COVERAGE | FOR THIS JOB |
|---|---|---|
| Turf | Rolls of about 1 m² each | About 33 rolls for 30 m², with 10 per cent extra |
| Turf and lawn topsoil | Bulk bags, depth 100–150 mm for lawns | One bag tops up a thin area; more for bare subsoil |
| Pre-turf fertiliser | Balanced starter feed, raked into the top 25 mm | At the product's rate for your area |
| Sharp sand | Only for heavy clay | Worked into the top layer |
How much turf and topsoil
Turf rolls = area in m² × 1.1 for cutting and waste, with rolls of about 1 m². Topsoil in m³ = area × depth in metres. A 6 × 5 m lawn is 30 m², so 33 rolls of turf; topping it up by 50 mm of soil is 30 × 0.05 = 1.5 m³.
Turf suppliers suggest allowing 5 to 10 per cent extra; take the higher figure if the lawn has curves or beds cut into it. Bulk bag volumes vary, so check the bag's stated volume against your figure.
Hard-wearing turf with ryegrass suits family lawns, children and dogs. Finer ornamental turf looks beautiful but needs more care and does not take heavy use. Shady sites need a shade-tolerant mix, and even that needs some direct sun each day.
Measure the area in rectangles, add them up, and add 5 to 10 per cent for cutting and shaping round curves and edges. Running short on the day is worse than having two spare rolls.
Rolled turf heats up in the stack. The turf grower's advice is to lay immediately in spring and summer and within 24 hours in autumn and winter, so the ground must be ready before the turf arrives.
Turf wants 100–150 mm of decent topsoil. If your soil is thin, stony or builder's subsoil, buy a turf and lawn topsoil rather than spreading general fill. Measure the depth you need and multiply by the area to get cubic metres.
A balanced starter fertiliser raked into the top 25 mm of soil before laying feeds the new roots. Follow the product's rate; a lawn weed-and-feed is not a starter fertiliser and should not go on new turf.
THE PART THAT DECIDES THE FINISH
Preparing the ground — by what is there now
The ground you start with decides most of the work. Find yours and do its preparation before the turf is ordered.
An old lawn you are replacing
Tired grass, moss or weeds.
- Lift the old turf with a spade or a hired turf cutter, or use a suitable non-selective weedkiller to the label and wait the time it gives
- Stack lifted turf grass-side down to compost, or take it to the household waste recycling centre
- Dig or rotavate the soil underneath to at least 100 mm, ideally 150 mm, when it is fairly dry
- Remove stones, roots and perennial weeds as you go
Bare soil in a decent garden
Old beds, or a cleared area with good soil.
- Dig over or rotavate to at least 100 mm, ideally 150 mm
- Pick out perennial weed roots by hand; they come straight through turf
- Add compost or sharp sand if the soil is heavy clay
- Rake roughly level, then let it settle, ideally for a week
A new-build garden
Compacted subsoil with rubble under a thin skin.
- Dig a few test holes; if there is only a few centimetres of soil over rubble, plan to bring in topsoil
- Break up the compacted layer with a fork or rotavator so water can drain
- Remove bricks, concrete, plastic and stones
- Spread 100–150 mm of turf topsoil and firm it before raking
Heavy clay that stays wet
Puddles that linger, sticky soil.
- Test drainage: dig a hole about 30 cm deep, flood it, wait until it empties, then flood it again and time how long the second fill takes
- If it is still full after 24 hours, drainage is poor and needs solving first
- Work in sharp sand or grit and organic matter to open the top layer
- If water still stands, stop: that is a drainage job, not a turfing one
A gently sloping area
A fall you can walk on comfortably.
- Keep the existing fall; do not try to flatten a slope with loose soil
- Firm the soil carefully so it does not creep downhill
- Plan to lay rolls across the slope, not down it
- Steep banks are a regrading or retaining job; see the Stop here card
THE JOB
How to lay turf, in order
Measure, clear and check the drainage
1 hrDo the preparation above for your ground. Measure the area as rectangles and order the turf for a day when the ground will be ready. Clear the old lawn or rubbish, and if you have any doubt about drainage, do the hole test before going further: a lawn on waterlogged ground will rot.
- Sketch the lawn and write the measurements on it before ordering
- Book delivery for the morning so you can lay the same day
- Mark the line of any drains and pipes with canes
Mistake to avoid: Ordering the turf first and preparing in a rush. Turf sitting in the stack for days yellows and loses quality.
Dig or rotavate the soil
3 hrCultivate the whole area to at least 100 mm, ideally 150 mm, when the soil is fairly dry rather than wet. Break up lumps and pull out stones, roots and perennial weeds as you go. On compacted new-build ground, fork deeper in places to break the hard layer.
- Dig in strips so you can see what you have done
- Throw perennial weed roots in a bucket, not back on the soil
- Do not rotavate wet clay; it smears into a sealed layer
Mistake to avoid: Leaving perennial weeds in the soil. Bindweed and couch grass come straight through new turf.
Firm the soil by treading
45 minWalk slowly over the whole area with small, heel-to-heel steps, pressing the soil down with your heels. Then rake it level and tread it again in the other direction. Repeat two or three times. Firming by foot finds the soft spots that would otherwise sink under the new lawn.
- Shuffle sideways with your weight on your heels
- Fill any dip you feel underfoot with soil from a high spot
- Avoid heavy rollers; they over-compact the soil
Mistake to avoid: Skipping the treading. The lawn looks flat on the day and sinks into hollows within a month.
Rake to a fine, level tilth
1 hrWith the wide rake, draw the soil to a fine, crumbly surface and a smooth level, pulling soil from high spots into low ones. Remove stones and debris bigger than a fingernail. Step back and look along the surface at a low angle to see the dips.
- Use the back of the rake to drag the surface level
- A long, straight board dragged across shows the high and low spots
- Keep the finished soil a little below paths and edges so the turf sits flush
Mistake to avoid: Raking only until it looks tidy. A level surface is what makes a level lawn; turf will not hide a lumpy base.
Feed, water and let it settle
30 minRake a balanced pre-turf fertiliser into the top 25 mm at the rate on its pack. If the soil is dry, water it to a depth of about 75 mm two days before the turf arrives so it is moist, not muddy. Give freshly dug soil time to settle before laying, ideally about a week.
- Spread the fertiliser in two passes at right angles for even coverage
- Moist soil helps the roots strike; dry soil pulls water out of the turf
- Do a last light rake the morning you lay
Mistake to avoid: Laying onto bone-dry soil. The turf dries from below and the roots never get going.
Lay the first row along a straight edge
30 minStart along the longest straight edge, a path or a string line. Unroll the first turf, butt it to the edge and press it down. Lay the next roll tight against the end of the first, without stretching it. Work from boards laid on the turf you have just placed, never on the prepared soil.
- Turf shrinks as it dries; butt every join tight
- Press each roll down with the flat of your hand or the back of the rake
- Carry rolls to the boards rather than dragging them across the soil
Mistake to avoid: Stretching a roll to close a gap. It shrinks back as it dries and leaves an open seam.
Stagger the joints like brickwork
1 hrLay each following row so its joints fall in the middle of the rolls in the row before, like a brick wall. Start each new row with a half roll to set the stagger. On a slope, lay the rolls across it rather than down it, and work from the bottom up.
- Use offcuts in the middle of the lawn, never at the edges where they dry out
- Fill tiny gaps with sieved topsoil and firm it
- Keep the boards moving forward as you go
Mistake to avoid: Lining the joints up in straight lines. Continuous seams dry out and open into strips.
Cut the edges and shape the curves
45 minLay the turf slightly over the edge of beds and paths, then cut it with a sharp knife or old saw against a board or a hose laid as a curve. Cut on the outside of the line so the lawn edge is crisp. Lightly cover exposed cut edges with soil to stop them drying out.
- Lay a hose to mark a curve, then cut along it
- Keep offcuts damp for patching
- Do not leave thin strips at the edge; adjust the row before to avoid them
Mistake to avoid: Finishing the edge with a narrow sliver of turf. Small pieces at the edge dry and die first.
Water thoroughly and keep it moist
20 minWater the new lawn thoroughly as soon as it is laid, enough to soak through the turf into the soil beneath. For the first two weeks keep it consistently moist, watering daily and in warm weather once or twice a day. Lift a corner to check: the soil underneath ought to be damp to the touch.
- Water in the early morning or evening
- Watch the edges and joints; they dry first
- From week three, water less often but more deeply to drive the roots down
Mistake to avoid: A light sprinkle that wets only the grass. The soil stays dry, the roots stay shallow and the joints shrink open.
Keep off, then make the first cut
OngoingKeep off the lawn as far as possible for the first few weeks. Once the turf has rooted, which you test by gently tugging a corner, and the grass is around 40–50 mm, mow it with the blades set high and sharp, taking off no more than a third. Avoid sharp turns with the mower on the new lawn.
- The first cut is often within 7 to 14 days in good growing weather
- Use a sharp mower; a blunt one pulls new turf
- Walk on boards if you have to cross it before it roots
Mistake to avoid: Waiting weeks to mow, then cutting it short. Long grass cut hard scalps and yellows a new lawn.
The mistakes that show in a new lawn
- Skimping on treading and raking, so the lawn sinks unevenly
- Letting turf sit stacked for days before laying
- Joints that line up or gaps left by stretching rolls
- Watering too little in the first fortnight
Stop here and get a turf layer
- Water stands on the ground a day after rain and the area needs drainage putting in
- The garden needs regrading, a retaining edge, or soil built up near the house walls
- The site is rubble under a thin crust and needs excavating and taking away
- The area is too large to prepare and lay before the turf heats up in the stack
| WHAT YOU SEE | WHY, AND THE FIX |
|---|---|
| Turf turning yellow or brown | Underwatering, or turf left stacked too long before laying. Water deeply so the soil below is moist; most turf greens up within a couple of weeks if the roots are alive. |
| Gaps opening between rolls | Turf drying and shrinking, or rolls stretched to fit. Water more, and fill gaps with sieved topsoil mixed with a little seed. |
| Turf lifts easily after weeks | Not rooted, usually because the soil underneath was dry or compacted. Keep the soil beneath moist and lift a corner to check it is damp. |
| Lawn lumpy or sinking in places | Soil not firmed or settled before laying. Lift the turf in the dips, add soil, firm and relay; top-dress small hollows a little at a time. |
| Edges dying | Exposed edges drying out. Cover cut edges with soil, water them first, and avoid thin strips at the edge. |
| Water pooling on the new lawn | Poor drainage or compacted soil beneath. Fork the area to let water through; if it keeps pooling, it needs proper drainage. |
| Mushrooms appearing | Buried wood or organic matter in the soil. Harmless; brush them off and they stop as the material breaks down. |
| Weeds coming through | Perennial weed roots left in the soil, or seeds blown in. Dig them out by hand; do not use lawn weedkiller until the lawn is established and the label allows. |
WHAT YOU SAVE
What it costs to do it yourself
| Turf, 33 rolls for about 30 m² | £239 |
|---|---|
| Topsoil, one bulk bag | £109–£142 |
| Levelling rake | £25 |
| Digging spade | £11–£24 |
| Sprinkler | £19–£23 |
| Total, about 30 m² | £403–£453 |
| DIY total | £403–£453 |
Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.
Turf gets cheaper per roll on bigger orders, and you may not need topsoil at all on good ground. A turf layer prices per square metre including preparation, which is where most of the labour sits.
RATHER NOT?
Turf layers near you, with prices shown
The ones who cover your area, nearest first, with one score from every review. No account needed to look.
Or post the job free and let them come to you.
Daily for two weeks, then less often and more deeply over the next few weeks, then only in dry spells; deep watering builds deep roots.
Stack old turf upside down to rot into loam, or take it with stones and rubble to the household waste recycling centre; check its rules on soil and hardcore, or use your council's garden waste collection for the green material.
No weed-and-feed or moss killer until the lawn is established and the product label allows; pull weeds by hand in the first months.
Hose soil off the tools, oil the spade, and return any hired turf cutter or rotavator clean to avoid a charge.
Laying turf: questions people ask
The same day in spring and summer, and within 24 hours in autumn and winter, according to the turf grower. Stacked turf heats up and deteriorates quickly.
No. The old lawn stops the new roots reaching the soil, weeds grow through, and it settles unevenly. Lift or kill the old lawn and prepare the soil first.
At least 100 mm of good topsoil, ideally 150 mm, cultivated and firmed. On new-build ground that often means bringing topsoil in.
Daily for the first two weeks, sometimes twice a day in warm weather, enough to keep the soil beneath moist. Then water less often but more deeply.
Light use after a few weeks once it has rooted. Mow when it has rooted and is around 40–50 mm, with the blades set high, often within 7 to 14 days.
The Locufy UK price guide puts turf laying at £11–£30 per m², typically £15. Ask whether that covers the preparation and the turf itself.
MORE GUIDES
More DIY guides
Sources — checked October 2026
- Rolawn — preparing to lay turf: soil depth, fertiliser, watering before delivery
- Rolawn — how to lay lawn turf step by step
- Rolawn — watering your turf and soil drainage
- Rolawn — calculating topsoil requirements
- STIHL — how to lay a lawn: settling the soil, ordering extra
- HSE — manual handling: good handling technique
- GOV.UK — dispose of garden waste
- Rolawn — price check: turf per 1 m² roll, roll weight
- Wickes — price check: topsoil
- Wickes — price check: rakes
- Wickes — price check: spades
- Wickes — price check: sprinklers