Best Artificial Grass in Wellington: Synthetic Turf Supply and Installation Specialists

Finding the best artificial grass in Wellington usually comes down to groundwork, because the capital’s clay subsoils, steep sections and heavy southerlies quickly expose turf laid over a thin base. The artificial grass installers in Wellington below supply and lay synthetic turf for backyards, courtyards, school playgrounds, putting greens and sports surfaces across the city, the Hutt Valley, Porirua and the Kapiti Coast. ThinkTurf and SmartGrass both keep showrooms in the Hutt, so you can handle samples before anything is booked.

1ThinkTurf

ThinkTurf is a Wellington synthetic turf company formed in 2011, working from a showroom at 94 Sydney Street in Petone and covering the Wairarapa, Manawatu and Whanganui alongside the capital. The team installs artificial grass for home lawns, decks, balconies and rooftops, as well as school playgrounds, cafe and bar courtyards, gym surfaces and sports areas. Wellington region projects on its books include courts and social spaces at Newlands College, Island Bay School and Clyde Quay School, plus turf areas at Wellington Zoo, on the Wellington waterfront and at the Brewtown venues in Upper Hutt.

Services

• Artificial lawns for homes, including decks, balconies and rooftop areas
• School and childcare playground turf with shockpad and fall protection
• Cafe, bar, gym and exhibition space installations
• Synthetic cricket wickets, tennis courts and multi-use sports surfaces
• Putting greens, golf tee mats and mini putt courses

Highlights

• Formed in 2011
• Wellington showroom at 94 Sydney Street, Petone, open Monday to Friday 9am to 1pm
• Five to eight year turf product warranty and a two year workmanship guarantee
• Twenty five year product warranty on shockpads, certified to Australian and New Zealand standards for critical fall heights
• Yarn and finished turf produced at a single manufacturing site, contaminant free with no lead or heavy metals

Location & Contact

Name: ThinkTurf
Address: 94 Sydney Street, Petone, Wellington
Phone: 04 939 6950
Website: thinkturf.co.nz

2SmartGrass Wellington

SmartGrass is a New Zealand owned artificial turf company with a Wellington showroom at 199 Gracefield Road in Lower Hutt, alongside branches in Christchurch and Auckland. Installations are handled end to end by in-house crews rather than a subcontracted partner network, covering Wellington City, the Hutt Valley, Porirua and the Kapiti Coast. Its Earth Series range uses multi-toned blades up to 40mm and is fully recyclable, which suits homeowners, schools and commercial sites after a lawn that stays usable through the wet months.

Services

• Residential lawn supply and installation, including dog friendly turf
• Preschool, primary and secondary school play surfaces
• Commercial turf for gyms, retirement villages and retail frontages
• Sports surfaces for hockey, tennis, cricket, football, rugby and golf
• Backyard putting greens and DIY turf supply

Highlights

• Wellington showroom and warehouse at Gracefield, Lower Hutt, open Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm
• Installation carried out by in-house SmartGrass crews rather than subcontractors
• Earth Series turf is 100 percent recyclable
• Warranties of up to 10 years on turf products

Location & Contact

Name: SmartGrass Wellington
Address: 199 Gracefield Road, Gracefield, Lower Hutt 5010
Phone: 0800 887 369
Website: smartgrass.co.nz

3Just Grass NZ

Just Grass NZ was founded in 2017 by Jamie Coleman and runs in partnership with Jed Curtis, having grown out of a lawn mowing round into a turf and ready lawn business serving the greater Wellington region. Artificial turf sits alongside natural ready lawn, seeding and repair work and a monthly lawn care programme, so it suits anyone still weighing synthetic against real grass for the same section. Sister company DigTight Limited handles tight access excavation, which covers site preparation on the narrow, awkward sites common across Wellington.

Services

• Artificial turf supply and installation for homes, schools and commercial sites
• Ready lawn supply and instant lawn installation
• Lawn seeding, overseeding and patch repair
• Putting greens, available in green, blue, yellow and red
• The Healthy Lawn Program, with monthly weed spray, fertiliser and pest treatment visits

Highlights

• Founded in 2017, locally owned and family operated in Wellington
• Co-director Jamie Coleman holds a Bachelor of Horticultural Science and came through greenkeeping
• Turf sourced from manufacturers listed as preferred producers for FIFA, FIH and World Rugby
• Eight year product warranty, with a 12 month workmanship guarantee on standard residential installs

Location & Contact

Name: Just Grass NZ
Address: Wellington
Phone: 0800 695 296
Website: justgrassnz.com

4TurfOne

TurfOne is a Wellington based artificial lawn specialist laying European made turf across domestic gardens, playgrounds and commercial outdoor areas, with enquiries going directly to Shane. Work extends beyond the capital to the Wairarapa, Kapiti, Manawatu and Hawke’s Bay, and past clients range from townhouse developers and bars through to schools, daycare centres, golf courses and sports fields. Small and awkward areas are treated as normal work rather than an exception, which fits the tight courtyards and terraced sections found around the city.

Services

• Artificial lawn supply and installation for domestic properties
• Playground and daycare centre turf
• Commercial and hospitality outdoor areas
• Grooming and maintenance for turf already installed

Highlights

• Turf manufactured in Europe
• Artificial lawn installation is the only trade the business works in
• Covers the Wairarapa, Kapiti, Manawatu and Hawke’s Bay as well as Wellington

Location & Contact

Name: TurfOne
Address: Wellington
Phone: 027 586 1686
Website: turfone.co.nz

5Wellington Lawn Specialists

Wellington Lawn Specialists operates from Raumati South on the Kapiti Coast and covers the greater Wellington region, taking in the Hutt Valley, Porirua, Horowhenua and the Wairarapa. Artificial turf sits alongside roll-out ready lawn, hydroseeding and an ongoing aftercare programme, so a single site visit can compare synthetic and natural options for the same lawn. The turf work spans homes, schools, playgrounds, tennis courts, hospitals, childcare centres and elderly care facilities.

Services

• Artificial turf installation for residential and commercial sites
• Roll-out ready lawn for new builds and lawn renovations
• Hydroseeding with grass blends matched to the site
• Lawn aftercare programme with quarterly visits
• Site preparation and landscaping

Highlights

• Trading name of Wellington Hydroseeding Limited, NZBN 9429050955459
• Limited 12 year warranty on artificial grass installations
• Open Monday to Friday, 7am to 5pm
• Covers Kapiti, Horowhenua, Wellington, the Hutt Valley and the Wairarapa from one Kapiti Coast base

Location & Contact

Name: Wellington Lawn Specialists
Address: Unit 3, 143 Matai Road, Raumati South, Kapiti
Phone: 021 310 386
Website: wellingtonlawnspecialists.co.nz

Artificial Grass in Wellington at a Glance

How to Choose the Right Artificial Grass Installer in Wellington

• Ask what depth of aggregate base goes under the turf and how it will be compacted, because Wellington clay and hillside sections pond badly without a properly built sub-base
• Check whether the company installs with its own crew or passes the job to a partner network, and confirm who carries the workmanship guarantee if a seam lifts later
• Read the product warranty and the workmanship guarantee separately, since they usually run for very different lengths of time
• For a school, childcare centre or playground, ask for a shockpad system certified to the Australian and New Zealand standard for critical fall height
• Get samples in your hand and look at them outdoors, because pile height, blade colour and infill type read very differently in a showroom than on a shaded, south facing section

Frequently Asked Questions About Wellington Artificial Grass

How much does artificial grass cost in Wellington?

Wellington installers rarely publish fixed square metre pricing, because the cost is driven by site access, how much soil has to come out, the depth of base course required and the length of edging needed. A steep section with a wheelbarrow-only access route costs considerably more to prepare than a flat courtyard of the same size. Free on-site measures and written quotes are standard across the trade, so getting two or three is the practical way to price a job.

Which parts of the region do artificial grass installers in Wellington cover?

Most cover the whole urban area rather than a single suburb, so a Karori, Johnsonville or Island Bay address is usually served by the same crews that work Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt, Porirua and the Kapiti Coast. Firms based on the Kapiti Coast tend to reach north into Horowhenua as well, and several Wellington operators travel to the Wairarapa and Manawatu. If you want to see and feel the product before committing, the showrooms in the region sit in Petone and at Gracefield in Lower Hutt.

Does artificial grass handle Wellington’s wind and rain?

It handles both better than a natural lawn does, provided the groundwork is right. Synthetic turf is porous and drains through its backing into the compacted aggregate below, so surface water clears rather than sitting in the boggy patches that plague shaded capital sections in winter. Wind is dealt with by weight and fixing: the aggregate base, the infill sand and perimeter edging hold the turf down, which is why a thin or skipped sub-base is the usual cause of lifting.

Is artificial turf safe for children and pets?

Reputable turf sold in New Zealand is non-toxic and free of lead and heavy metals, and pet-friendly ranges use free-draining backings so urine passes through rather than pooling. For playgrounds the surfacing matters as much as the turf, and a certified shockpad is what delivers the critical fall height under climbing equipment. Standards for playground surfacing are published by Standards New Zealand, and any installer quoting a school or childcare job should be able to name the standard their system is tested to.

How long does an artificial lawn last?

Quality turf laid over a properly engineered base is generally expected to give well over a decade of service, and the product warranties offered in this market commonly run from eight to twelve years. UV stabilisation is the key factor, since New Zealand’s light is harsh on synthetic fibres. Occasional brushing to lift the pile and topping up the infill sand does most of the maintenance work.

Do I need consent to lay artificial grass?

Laying turf over an existing lawn is ordinarily a landscaping job, but larger works can be a different matter: retaining walls, decks and significant areas of new hard or impermeable surface can bring district plan or building requirements into play, and rules vary between the councils across the region. Check with Wellington City Council or your own local council before starting a large or structural project.

Can I install artificial grass myself?

Yes, and several suppliers sell trade turf rolls, joining tape, adhesive and infill sand to homeowners and landscapers for exactly that. The hard parts are excavation and compaction, and making joins that disappear. If your section is level and the area is small, a DIY install is realistic. On a sloping or clay-heavy site, the groundwork is where most self-installed lawns come unstuck.

What is the difference between artificial turf and ready lawn?

Ready lawn is real grass grown on a farm and rolled out onto prepared soil, so it still needs mowing, watering and feeding, but it is cheaper up front and stays cool underfoot. Artificial turf costs more to install and never needs mowing, and it stays green in shade where real grass thins out. Plenty of Wellington lawn companies supply both, so it is worth asking for the two options to be priced side by side for the same area.