Do I Really Need Infill?

Yes, it’s possible to install residential artificial turf without infill. Not using infill reduces materials and labor costs and makes an already low maintenance yard solution even more low maintenance. But don’t get trapped by the attractiveness of this solution, because the end result may not necessarily be worth it in the end. In fact, infill provides important functionality.

So, what exactly is the purpose of infill? There are a few different reasons why infill part of the artificial turf installation process.

• It Serves as a Ballast: Infill serves as extra weight, helping to keep the turf in place and secured to the ground. A less obvious, but just as important job that infill fulfills is preventing wrinkles that can occur from changing temperatures. Turf can expand and contract in extreme hot and cold. Infill works to provide additional stability to prolong the life of your turf.
• Fiber Support: With repeated foot and paw traffic on your turf, the fibers will have a tendency to fall flat. Years of research developing artificial turf that will stand up against repeated traffic has made turf durable, but additional support is still necessary. Infill is able to provide turf with the necessary additional support that is needed to help keep the turf standing up straight.
• Protection: Infill plays an important role, especially in pet installations. Infill is able to serve as an additional layer of protection, protecting the backing the fibers from sharp claws and other destructive conditions.

In reality, all of these features are optional, which is why some may consider infill to be unnecessary. At Great American Green, we believe that infill is an important element to prolong the life of your residential artificial turf installation. If you are interested in having artificial turf installed at your home, contact Great American Green today!