Artificial Grass Installation Castle Rock, CO
According to the US Climate Data, Castle Rock in Colorado has an annual high temperature of 63.3 °F and low temperature of 35.3 °F, which translates to an annual average temperature of 49.3 °F. Furthermore, Castle Rock receives an average of 18.74 inches of rainfall annually. Although these climatic conditions are good for natural landscaping in Castle Rock CO, the low unemployment rates in Castle Rock, which currently stands at 3.7%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, mean residents of Castle Rock, CO may not have the time to care for their lawns. Thankfully, Lawn Pros offer a wide range of artificial lawns that do not require much in terms of care and maintenance. Below is some more information on artificial synthetic grass.
An Overview of Artificial Synthetic Grass
Although it is made from synthetic fibers, synthetic turf is designed to mimic natural grass. As such, it has become increasingly popular over the last five decades because it requires little or no maintenance (no trimming or watering) after installation. Today, synthetic turf is widely used in sports grounds as well as in various property developments in place of natural grass. Artificial turf typically consists of several layers of plastic polymers. The top layer is made up of artificial grass blades filled with a granular filler material to resemble natural grass. Underneath the artificial grass layer is a layer that anchors the artificial grass blades to stabilize them. Beneath the second layer are several more subsurface layers that form the foundation of an artificial turf and more importantly, contain drainage channels.
Types of Artificial Turf
1. Pet turf
Pet turf is specifically designed for pets. As such, manufacturers typically infuse antimicrobial agents into the artificial grass surface to kill pet waste bacteria that cause bad odors. What’s more, an excellent drainage system makes it relatively easier to clean pet waste from a pet turf and some products in this category come with sand, rubber, or a special “odor control” infill.
2. Putting green turf
Putting green turf is essentially designed for miniature golf facilities such as those found in cruise ships, sports stores, or children’s playgrounds. This type of synthetic turf is available either as sand-filled or non-fill putting green turf. The former requires an in-fill of sand after installation, whereas the latter does not require an in-fill.
3. Landscape turf
This type of artificial lawn is specifically made for landscaping and comes with artificial grass blades similar to those found in lawns. Some manufacturers even include a few tanned synthetic grass blades to mimic the dead grass blades usually found in natural grass lawns to give their products a more natural look. In general, this type of turf has the highest amount of synthetic grass blades per square meter.
4. Athletic field turf
Unlike the artificial turfs discussed above, athletic field turf usually has artificial grass blades that are 2-3 inches tall. Moreover, it can support silica sand, crumb rubber, or a mixture of crumb rubber and silica sand infill. Alternatively, you can use a more expensive artificial in-fill material called thermoplastic elastomer.
Factors to Consider When Purchasing Artificial Turf
Some of the main factors to consider when buying synthetic turf include:
1. Type of backing
Synthetic turf typically comes with primary and secondary backing. The primary backing is the layer attached to the artificial grass blades. Some synthetic turf products have two 13-pic Polybac primary layers, whereas others have a single 18-pic Polybac primary layer. In general, the more the primary backing layers, the better the artificial turf. On the other hand, secondary backing is the layer at the back of an artificial turf product. Most of the synthetic turf products sold in the US have secondary backing made of polyurethane material because it is more durable. The rule of thumb when buying synthetic grass is to select a product with a heavier secondary backing. The standard weight is 20 ounces per square yard. Nevertheless, you will come across turf products with secondary backing that weighs up to 28 ounces per square yard.
2. Roll width
Majority of synthetic grass products sold in the US have a roll width ranging from 12.5 to 15 feet. As such, you should measure the installation location before going to shop for artificial turf. If you face difficulties determining the right product to purchase, consult a landscaping expert.
3. Grass blade height
Choose artificial turf with grass blades that suit your needs. For instance, if your primary objective is landscaping, go for artificial turf with grass blades that range anywhere from 1.5 to 2 inches long. Putting green turf usually has the shortest grass blades ranging from 0.375 to 1.25 inches long, whereas athletic field turf grass blades range from 2 to 3 inches long. Nevertheless, these figures vary from one manufacturer to the next and only refer to the height of grass blades when fully extended.
4. Material
Materials used to manufacture artificial turf include polyethylene, nylon, and polypropylene. Out of these materials, polyethylene is the most widely used because it is more durable, aesthetically appealing, and softer. Nylon is mostly used to make non-fill putting green turf or as a thatch layer, whereas polypropylene is used to make sand-filled putting greens. Nylon is also the ideal material for making pet turf because it is the most porous.
5. Backing weight
Besides the backing type, consider the backing weight as well. The average weight of the primary backing is about 6-8 ounces while the secondary backing has an average weight of about 20 ounces. This means the average weight of the primary and secondary backing layers should be about 26-28 ounces. As such, be wary of synthetic turf products that have lighter backing layers because they may be less durable.
6. Face weight
Face weight refers to the weight of the material used per square meter of artificial grass. The more material used (per square yard), the denser and expensive the synthetic turf. Moreover, denser turfs are generally softer.
7. Total weight
The total weight refers to the sum of backing weight and face weight. As such, you should pay special attention to this figure because some companies mislead unsuspecting consumers by misstating the face and total weight figures of their products versus those of their competitors. For instance, a turf manufacturer could say that its product that has a total weight of 74 ounces per square yard is better than that of a competitor that weighs 52 ounces. However, the same manufacturer would fail to state that 52 ounces is the face weight, not the total weight.
Conclusion
Residents of Castle Rock, Colorado with busy work schedules should consider installing artificial turf instead of natural grass lawns. Luckily, Lawn Pros, a landscaping in Castle Rock CO, offers a wide variety of artificial synthetic grass products. What’s more, Lawn Pros has invested heavily in research and development of lead-free and durable products. Lawn Pros also offers other landscaping services including tree care, hardscaping, landscaping, sprinkler installation, outdoor lighting and lawn care.