Natural green grass takes a lot of time and water to grow and maintain. But on the other hand, artificial grass conserves water and does not require any hard maintenance. Even you don’t need to hire a professional gardener to maintain your lawn grass if you use artificial grass for your lawn.
With just construction materials and well ground preparation, your artificial grass will look like the real one. Nowadays many people are going towards this because it is more convenient and looks good.
In this article, we will give you detailed information about this. Or I can say that all you need to know about artificial grass, we will provide you with that in this article. Keep reading:
Some basic things that you should know about an artificial grass
Artificial grass is made of fibers and it represents the same look as natural grass. Its lush green color is evenly blended with a mix of gold and yellow color which gives it a look of real grass. This doesn’t require any mowing, cropping, and watering. Thus, it saves a lot of water and your maintenance efforts.
But before you make up your mind about artificial grass some basic things you should know about it. That will help you a lot, whenever you would go for it.
Drainage and base construction
You cannot simply layout artificial grass in your bare ground like a rug. Before spreading this, you have to make a proper system of pipe drains at the base. Because water should be drain from the area immediately after the rain. Otherwise, you have to face some bacterial issues.
Generally, experts start spreading artificial grass by excavating the place by 5 inches down. And they use, a 2-3-inch-thick mixture of crushed rocks and fine aggregate to make a base layer. This base covers the drainage area.
After levelling the base, these rocks form a solid, water-absorbent layer for the artificial grass. If you apply this process then the base layer will remain stable for long period. And your artificial grass lawn will look beautiful as a natural lawn.
Infill
Infill is another material that gives more durability to your artificial grass. The infill will provide more stability to synthetic grass blade. After rolling out this, spread infill across the turf. It will easily go down to the turf’s base.
This material will do great work to give your artificial grass a realistic turf appearance and feel. Infill produces the bouncy sensation which you fill on the real grass when your walk on it. The infill will keep your artificial grass springy.
Rubber crumb and sand are some popular infill materials.
Turf characteristics
When you go to buy an artificial grass product then go for turf that has an ultraviolet protective coating. This coating will give protection to your artificial grass from fading in the sun if you are spreading that in a fully sunny area.
But remember one thing about this that it easily withstands summers. It can give you a hot feeling if you installed in a particularly hot climate.
Maintenance
We can’t say that artificial grass is maintenance-free, but it is less time consuming than the real one. You still have to take care of it to keep it looking neat and clean. You have to do brush the blades because, with time, these blades may get down because of foot traffic.
If you do brush on the turf, brushing will bring the grass blades back into position. Also, you must rearrange the infill to hold the blades up of this.
If you do good take care of your turf then it can remain lush and realistic for many years. But all artificial grass needs to care, some need more or less but they want.
So, these were the basic things which you should know about artificial grass. Now, if you are doing planning to go to the market to buy artificial grass then some more things you should know before buying it. For that stick with us and keep reading:
Things to consider before buying artificial grass
Installing this is not a small investment. Hence, if you want that it will stay longer than buying and making the right choice is very important. Once you know the difference between the turf’s type, you will be able to make the right decision.
Here we are sharing few things that you should consider before buying your artificial grass.
Quality
When you go to the market to buy artificial turf, the first thing to consider is that it should feel soft when you touch it. For that, you can choose polypropylene or polyamide turfs for your space.
Along with the soft feeling, this should have a well-stitched and consistent color. A good quality artificial grass can be more expensive than the others. But you would not change it early, it’s going to be a long-term investment. So, it will be good for you to purchase the best one.
If you are buying it online, then you can ask for samples. Don’t buy it in a rush. Do some research, compare the turfs with each other to see which is better and will suit your space more.
Foot traffic
Before buying this, consider the amount of traffic in the area where you want to install that. If you have kids and pets in your home then obviously, they would love to play outside. In that case, you will have to go for that turf which is highly durable.
If you install a little less durable turf in a heavy foot traffic area, your turf will wear out quickly. So, choose accordingly.
Pile height
Pile heights mean the length of the grass blades on the top of the turf. If you want a lush-looking lawn in your space then go for that turf that has a taller pile height. Longer grass blades will look heavier and will make your lawn look flat.
Choose an artificial grass with a height of 30-35 mm for natural-looking. But on the other hand, if you want to keep any furniture on the turf then go for a shorter pile height.
Do brushing on the turf regularly to keep the blades upright.
Density and Weight
The next things to consider before buying artificial grass are density and weight. A dense turf will have more yarn and would be more expensive. But dense artificial grass will provide an aesthetic appeal to your space.
Also, it will be more durable if you rolled out in heavy foot traffic areas. But if you find that more expensive then don’t worry, the lesser density can be improved with the sand infill.
Heavy density turf will be heavier also. If you are buying it for your garden then you do not need to think about its weight. But if you planning to roll out it on the roof or the balcony then you should consider the load limit.
The color of artificial grass must be natural
Artificial grass comes in different shades of green like that can be lime green, olive green, dark green, light green, and many more. Cheaper turf can be found in a single green shade and anybody can easily point out that. Because that won’t look like natural grass.
Hence, choose that turf that has different shades of green and which also has some brown flecks to give your space natural grass look. Or you can choose according to your personal preferences.
These were the all things which you should consider before spending your money on this. Now little more, if you want to know something more.
How long does artificial grass stay?
A good turf can last up to 20 years if you install them properly. You have to do some extra efforts if you want to keep them for long period. Clean your artificial grass on regular basis, brush that, keep the debris away from the turf to prevent damage.
If you do good take care of your turf then it will stay brand new and will look good. And will stay for a long period too.
How to lay artificial grass?
You can do it by yourself but remember that the pile direction plays a very important role if you want to give that a natural look. For that natural look, face the blades of this in the direction of your vantage point.
Alignment is a very important factor during laying them. All pile must be leaning in the same direction according to each roll for consistency. Keep all the joins less noticeable to give natural look.
All the turfs should be laid in the same direction to keep the point of the blade in the same way.
Conclusion
Artificial grass is a lifesaver if you want a beautiful lawn with less maintenance. But choose the right turf, consider the all-important factor before spending your money.