2 Factors that Can Affect the Life Expectancy of Your Artificial Turf

Over the past few years, artificial turf has come a long way. With these improvements, many business and homeowners have elected to make the transition from real grass to fake grass.

One of the biggest advantages of artificial grass is the extended lifespan that it offers. When artificial grass first made its debut, no self-respecting homeowner would admit to having it. It was often stiff, ugly and a horrible alternative to natural grass as it was made using poor quality materials that quickly became waterlogged and would lose its bright, vibrant color after a few short years. Nowadays, most artificial grass comes with a 10-year product warranty. It is estimated by most professionals that artificial grass has an expected lifespan of anywhere between 20 to 25 years. There are two main factors that dictate the approximate lifespan of your turf:

• Wear and Tear: Turf is subject to possible damage as the result of normal and excessive wear and tear. The amount of wear and tear that your turf succumbs to will have an effect on the overall lifetime of the turf.
• Maintenance: While one of the biggest advantages of artificial grass is that it requires little to no maintenance, there are a few things you can do to extend the life of the turf after it has been installed.

While the elements found in nature will have little impact on your turf, there are a few things that will have an impact—foot traffic can have an effect on individual blades, but excessive activity near the seams will result in a noticeable separation in the turf. While you can’t always control these things, there are things that you can do to reduce the impact, thereby extending the life of your turf.

• Raking: When you rake your turf, the infill with lightly dislodge in compacted areas, resulting in the turf appearing to be taller. Additionally, raking will cause the infill to help the blades stand up straight, resulting in a more natural look.
• Rinsing: When pets release themselves on turf, rinsing it off will eliminate odors and prevent the turf from becoming discolored.
• Minor Repairs: Minor repairs are easy to accomplish—stains can be painted over, professionals can repair seams, or replace small sections that are torn or ripped.

Now that you know what it takes to care for and prolong the lifespan of your artificial turf, it should last you anywhere from 20 to 25 years.