Other Issues To Consider
Burns and heat
The surface of artificial grass can become dangerously hot in direct sunlight, posing a significant burn risk, particularly to young children.
“Surface temperatures of unshaded artificial turf can reach up to 100°C on a hot day,” says Dr Sebastian Pfautsch, associate professor in Urban Studies at the University of Western Sydney.
“This can easily cause surface burns, especially for toddlers and young children.”
Pfautsch says just a few seconds of direct contact with hot artificial grass can be enough to cause burns.
In fact, in 2020, three toddlers sustained second-degree burns after walking barefoot over artificial turf at their childcare centre.
Radiant heat
And it’s not just burns that are a concern when it comes to the temperature of artificial lawns. Pfautsch says radiant heat is also an issue.
“The air temperature surrounding unshaded artificial turf is significantly elevated,” he says.
“Children playing on unshaded turf will be exposed to much higher temperatures, even on a relatively mild summer’s day, putting them at higher risk of dehydration, heat rashes and heat exhaustion.”
If you have a small block with very little airflow, the turf will reradiate stored heat into the microclimate surrounding your home, effectively heating up your house
Dr Sebastian Pfautsch, University of Western Sydney
Pfautsch also warns people that the radiant heat could affect the temperature of their home.
There’s a variety of types to choose from.
How To Replace Grass With Rocks: A Step
A well-tended lawn can be beautiful, but also requires a lot of work. You have to water, fertilize, cut, trim, and weed. If you live in a drought-prone area, like Las Vegas, even the most vigilant maintenance might not be enough to keep your lawn lush and green. Homeowners are turning to landscaping in order to save time, water, and stress that can come with managing a green lawn in a dry environment. If you are looking to turn your own rocky landscaping into a lush green haven, there are some essential steps to know before starting the process.
How To Join Your Artificial Grass Using Fiber Seam Tape And Heavy Duty Construction Adhesive Ground Only
Tip: Seam tape isnt always necessary to join 2 pieces of grass together.
Step 1: The most important thing to ensure when joining two or more pieces of artificial grass, is that the pile runs in the same direction.
Step 2: Cut one of the connecting pieces against the stitch line . The other connecting side should also be cut along the stitch line but still have the lip.
Step 3: Line the two pieces together so there is 3/8 gap between the stitch lines.
TIP: At this point you may notice that seam tape is not necessary and nailing only will work.
If seam tape is necessary, anchor them by putting temporary nails about 12 inches away from the seam-line. Now fold away both pieces far enough to allow you to lay the seam tape on the ground, directly up the centre of the join.
Step 4: Also anchor the seam tape with nails to it doesnt move.
Step 5: Apply a thick coating of Heavy Duty Construction Adhesive along the seam tape in a zig zag line. Using a spreader, spread the adhesive onto the seam tape evenly.
Step 6: Fold down side of the Artificial Grass onto half of the glued seam tape, then repeat this process on the other side. Always ensure that your two Artificial Grass pieces butt up together all the way up the joining seam.
Step 7: Firmly press along the length of the seam to ensure the adhesive sticks. Anchor the glued seam with 6 galvanized nails, on each side in an offset pattern.
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Can I Lay Artificial Grass On Decking
The short answer is yes. However, as with concrete you need to take the right precautions before doing so. You must make sure the wood is strong and fresh- not weak and /or mouldy. You must also be sure use some sort of underlay and weed membrane to make sure your artificial grass remains in tip top shape!
No We Should Be Planting More Green Spaces
Joe Perkins, 43, lives in a 1930s four-bedroom semi in Hove, East Sussex, with his wife Natalia and their three sons, Leo, 13, Alex, 12 and Harry, nine. Joe is a garden designer .
Fundamentally, I dont like anything thats pretending to be something its not. My own lawn isnt anywhere near as neat and lovely as you might imagine. I dont always have time to mow it, so it often looks a bit scruffy. Its covered in daisies in summer and gets very muddy in winter. But theres no rule that says we have to have a perfectly manicured, striped lawn and its better for the environment if we dont.’
‘I hate the way fake lawns dont allow for foraging: birds cant get at worms and there are no slugs or snails for hedgehogs to feed on. Laying an artificial lawn also requires the removal of topsoil, which is packed with vital micro-organisms.’
‘Besides, having real grass enables kids to come into contact with the soil and connect with nature. It helps them learn where we belong in the environment. Astroturf just doesnt have the same effect!’
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‘I have huge concerns about the sustainability of the materials used to make fake lawns, too. Theres a real danger of them becoming seen as a convenient choice, which means well end up getting cheaper products that are shipped long distances, have a shorter life cycle and are then difficult to recycle.’
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Mistake : Failure To Excavate Soft Spots In The Subgrade
After excavating your existing lawn, check the subgrade/soil for soft spots.
Soft spots are areas in which the ground begins to sink under your body weight. You can test this by walking over the exposed earth.
If you find your feet sinking into the ground you should excavate the offending area and backfill with sub-base material.
Failure to remove soft spots may potentially result in certain areas of your lawn sinking.
Solution: Remove any soft spots during the excavation works. Remember its better to remove too much than not enough.
How To Repair Damaged Artificial Grass In 5 Easy Steps
Evergreen and year-round pristine: an artificial lawn is the centrepiece of many outdoor and indoor living areas. Although its durable materials and super strong backing make quality artificial grass withstand quite some wear and tear, its not immune to damage. Not to worry: with our expert tips and step-by-step instructions youll know how to repair damaged artificial grass yourself!
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Join The Pieces Of Artificial Turf
One of the most important steps in making the fake grass look like real is to ensure proper joining of the separate pieces.
Make sure that the separate pieces of turf are as close as possible. Its important that they dont touch and dont overlap. A small gap is more than enough.
Roll out the turf tape through the whole length of the fake turf. Once youve set in place the turf pieces and the artificial grass tape, pill the adhesive protection of the tape and place the tape in place throughout the entire length of the joining. In order to make sure everything is secured in place walk a couple of times on top of the joining spot.
Depending on the artificial turf brand and the brand of the tape, you will have differences of adhesive and installation. The tips above are generalised, so its best if you read the instructions coming with the products, or check if they have a website with instructions in order to make sure your installation is the most suitable for the products you use.
Compact The Base For The Artificial Turf
The next step of the installation of your fake turf is to create the perfect base. Its best to use finely crushed rock as the base of your artificial turf.
Crushed rock can be found easily in most major hardware stores throughout Australia, and it costs about AU$45 per cubic metre.
Evenly spread the crushed rock base. You can use a rake to lay the sub-base as flat as possible.
After you feel like its good enough, its time for you to use a compactor to compact the base. A vibrating plate will be the best for the job.
If you dont feel necessary to spend money on renting a compactor you can use a flat wooden plate and grab a friend to step on it. Repeat this process until the area feels ready.
Spray a mist of water on the crushed rock and use the compactor until the wet base becomes sturdy. The perfect depth of a sub-base for artificial grass is around 15mm to 20mm, so make sure to measure everything once youve compacted the crushed rock.
Anything deeper will make the fake grass look sunken in the ground, while anything more can result in an elevated and unnatural look.
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Mistake : Inadequate Sub
When installing artificial grass there are two layers of aggregates that need to be installed prior to laying the grass.
The first of these is the sub-base. The sub-base will give your artificial lawn the strength to handle the weight of foot traffic.
Typically, we recommend a minimum of 50mm of MOT Type 1 to make up the sub-base. For poor draining gardens you may wish to consider installing 50mm of 12mm granite or limestone chippings to form a permeable sub-base.
A permeable sub base consisting of 12mm granite chippings.
For areas that will be subjected to heavy use you may want to consider installing a 75mm sub-base.
To calculate how much sub-base material youll need to order to carry out your artificial grass installation, please visit our artificial grass calculators page.
Solution: Install a minimum of 50mm of MOT Type 1 as a sub-base.
Where Do You Get The Cardboard
Cardboard is easy to find.The easiest place will be the dumpsters behind retail stores. Try and find a cardboard recycling dumpster . You’ll need a variety of sizes, but bigger is generally better.If you’re squeamish alleys and dumpsters, go down to your local bike shop and ask for their bike boxes. I got plenty of these huge, almost flat boxes right before the Christmas rush, they were happy to give them to me. Easy to pack flat in the car!
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Starting Your New Lawn Using Seeds
Mistake : Failure To Allow The Artificial Grass To Acclimatise
Another frequent problem we see with artificial grass installation is the failure to allow the artificial grass to acclimatise.
Many people forget this important step.
The only viable way to ship artificial grass is in the form of rolls.
After being rolled up tightly on a cardboard core, youll need to unroll the fake turf across your new lawn and leave it for a minimum of 24 hours to acclimatise. The acclimatisation process will make the grass far easier to install.
When first unrolling your artificial grass its perfectly normally for there to be minor ridges and ripples. This is due to the hard-wearing backing holding its shape.
But after leaving the grass unrolled for 24 hours these ridges or bumps will naturally fall out, making it far easier to lay the grass without any undulations.
Solution: Unroll your artificial grass on your lawn and allow it to acclimatise for a minimum of 24 hours.
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Turf It Out: Is It Time To Say Goodbye To Artificial Grass
Its neat, easy and a staggering £2bn global market. But as plastic grass takes over our cities, some say that its green only in colour
If your attention during the Womens World Cup was on the pitch rather than the players, you might have noticed that the matches were all played on real grass. That was a hard-won change, made after the US team complained to Fifa that they sustained more injuries on artificial turf.
In private gardens, however, the opposite trend is happening: British gardens are being dug up and replaced with plastic grass. But this isnt the flaky, fading stuff on which oranges were once displayed at the greengrocer. Todays artificial grass is nearly identical to the real thing.
With products named after beautiful places Lake District, Valencia modern artificial turf mimics not just the mottled colouring and shape of grass blades, but the warm springiness of earth.
Unlike the grass itself, the market is growing. Dozens of specialist firms now market fake grass as a replacement for garden lawns. UK sales surged during last years record summer temperatures, according to the industry journal Hortweek, while a report by Up Market Research valued the global market at $2.5bn in 2016 and forecasts a staggering rise to $5.8bn by 2023.
It blocks access to the soil beneath for burrowing insects, and the ground above for soil dwellers
Perhaps aware of another kind of social pressure, some firms pitch their products as eco-friendly alternatives.
How To Install On Decks Patios And Balconies
Step 1: Your Artificial Grass can easily be installed onto any existing concrete or hard smooth surface, as long as it drains well including previously decked areas. If your area is exposed to the weather it is recommended that you also install drain matting under your turf. Drain mat channels the water out and allows air flow under your turf, allowing your turf to dry faster.
Step 2: Remove and clear off any debris from the area you wish to cover.
Step 3: Lay your Artificial Grass onto the area. If you are using drain mat, put the drain mat down first. Do not put the drain mat right up to the edges as you need about 2 to 3 inches to apply adhesive to your artificial grass.
Step 4: Stretch out your Artificial Lawn to remove any ripples, either directly over the concrete or on top of the drain mat. TIP: if you patio is not level, and easy way raise the area, is to place roofing roofing shingles in the low spots and put your drain mat or turf over them.
Step 5: To affix your turf, go around the perimeter using the Heavy Duty Construction Adhesive or indoor outdoor double sided tape. The area should be dry before applying any adhesive or tape.
Step 6: If you need to seam, you can use seam tape with construction adhesive or indoor/outdoor double sided carpet tape.
Step 7: The most important thing to ensure when joining two or more pieces of artificial grass, is that the pile runs in the same direction.
NOTE: Seaming instructions are below if needed.
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Get Rid Of Your Grass
The first step in transforming your yard is to remove the grass, but dont get out the shovels just yet. The easiest way to kill your grass is to wrap your lawn in black plastic, so use garbage bags weighed down with rocks for a cheap solution. Youll want to keep the lawn sealed off for at least two weeks.
After you remove the plastic, dig out the dead grass. Youll want to use a square-headed shovel to slice off the grass and roots. Use the shovel to make incisions into the grass, soil every couple feet and remove the excess chunks. You can compost the dead grass, but do not use as mulch immediately. Remaining seeds in the dead grass could sprout in your flower-beds.
What Are The Different Uses Of Artificial Grass
There are tons of specialized options designed for optimal performance in a variety of spaces, from putting greens to playgrounds and even doggy daycares.
- Pet-Friendly Turf: Artificial grass for dogs features a soft pile that is comfortable for precious paws. Our pet-friendly turf resists staining and damage from digging.
- Landscape Turf: To better resemble the look and feel of real grass, these rolls resemble a variety of grass species.Some even contain brown thatch for a more realistic look.
- Gym Turf: Gym turf is made with a short pile thats ideal for sled pulls. Its incredibly durable and can withstand the challenges of commercial gyms.
- Sports and Field Turf: Designed with sports in mind, field turf is developed to reduce injuries while providing a smooth playing surface with optimal traction.
- Playground Turf: Get turf dense enough to handle a high level of traffic. To truly make our artificial grass playground safe, you will want to add a foam pad underneath the turf.
- Putting Green Turf: Youll need a short, dense pile that allows a golf ball to roll true. No bad lies on this putting green!
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