A brief page in turf history
The very big idea that changed the way turf is manufactured today “Thatch”
Wondering about how our artificial turf grass installers in Roswell, GA preserve the environment? It’s common knowledge that the wasteful products we develop and throw away are becoming a problem for everyone and the synthetic turf industry is not spared from this. Some countries have already started prohibiting the disposal of synthetic turf in landfills. Therefore, we offer a product line that is 100% totally recyclable. Whereas in the past only part of the turf product was recyclable and nearly impossible to separate from the part that’s not.
The new product line available to Great American Green is manufactured by Tailor Made Turf. They offer a very high-quality state-of-the-art backing combined with the most popular styles of turf available. Below we have attached a third party’s study results showing the recyclability of the product. Read below to learn more from the top artificial turf grass installers in Norcross, GA.
Together we can put back what we take out.*
Synthetic turf is best suited for its namesake and that would be turf, however, the applications for this product are limited only to the imagination. Synthetic turf can be installed on virtually any surface from wood decks, concrete basement floors, rooftop patios even vertical walls for that green accent. But keeping in line with its original purpose synthetic turf solves most prominent issues with growing grass. It’s the perfect solution for shady areas, areas that are inaccessible, and areas that just won’t grow anything.
And it just so happens to be the best thing that ever happened for dogs.
Synthetic turf is best suited for its namesake and that would be turf, however, the applications for this product are limited only to the imagination. Synthetic turf can be installed on virtually any surface from wood decks, concrete basement floors, rooftop patios even vertical walls for that green accent. But keeping in line with its original purpose synthetic turf solves most prominent issues with growing grass. It’s the perfect solution for shady areas, areas that are inaccessible, and areas that just won’t grow anything.
And it just so happens to be the best thing that ever happened for dogs.
The ever-growing impervious surface debate. Most building sites whether they be commercial or residential are now limited to a certain percentage (allowance) of the Construction site’s total area that can be impervious. Once you have totaled up all the square feet in your driveway, your rooftop, your patio pavers, and even your tool shed outback, you will be left with whatever remains of your allowance to be deemed impervious.
Most turf being produced today has a flow rate (how many inches of rain in so many hours can pass through the product) that far exceeds any requirements necessary to be considered pervious (allowing adequate water flow). That being said, it usually comes down to what surface you install the turf on that may be considered impervious. The most widely used surface is finally crushed rock which is considered by many to be impervious. There are several products on the market that have become widely acceptable for turf installation that qualify for a pervious surface. Most of these products are a snap-together plastic panel that is installed directly under the turf And typically on top of a barrier fabric between the drainage panel and the dirt.
It is not uncommon that your local municipality or government permitting office will have an approved drainage panel system to recommend.
A nailer board it’s just that, it’s a board that you nail or screw or staple turf to along the outside perimeter of your installation. Nailer boards are primarily used when your base material exceeds a depth of 4 inches. Typical nailer board application would be along a concrete sidewalk or curb. Nailer boards are also commonly used in the installation of a sports field. In short, when your 6-inch fastening staple or stake cannot make sufficient contact with the dirt, you need a nailer board. Most installations, especially those that would be residential do not require the use of a nailer board system. Allowing the use of the preferred fastening method of staples or nails nailed directly to the ground along the outer edge of the turf.
This method of fastening turf allows the installer to precisely follow bed lines and grade changes typically found and a residential lawn.
Synthetic turf backing is a science all to itself. Today’s market offers a variety of water permeability techniques designed to resolve the four mentioned impervious surface challenges. The original method was poking holes in the turf allowing water to drain through the turf and into the ground. These holes were poked at a rate that allowed just enough water to go through the turf that the ground typically would absorb. In the beginning, engineered pervious backing was achieved by removing several stages of the turf manufacturing process. IE poking of holes for drainage and eliminating the impervious binding material applied to the back of the turf used to secure the yarn to the backing fabric :(. This process has been refined to only remove some of the binding material or change the binding material altogether. These improvements may sound helpful but ultimately they allow more water to pass through the turf than the ground can typically absorb.
This excess water ends up traveling between the turf and the stone base causing damage to the base especially noticeable when turf is installed on sloping grades. Fortunately, the turf industry is forever improving techniques and materials.
In the event that you have suffered damage to your base from erosion as a result of water traveling under your turf before it soaks into the ground, there are a few methods to repair it and prevent it from happening again. For small areas, an economical and easy cure is to take dry Portland cement and mix it into the top layer of your M 10s. Repair the erosion by raking and re-tamping, reinstalling your turf, and letting nature harden your mixture. This will create a nice crusty surface resisting erosion.
For large areas. (The ones best determined before they become a problem) using a non-woven Geo fabric under your turf and well stapled into the base will do a pretty good job of preventing that erosion from happening.
Where to begin… When turf first hit the market it was required to install at least 1/2 an inch of sand throughout the entire turf installation this provided sufficient support for the yarn to stand upright. This quickly changed with the development of thatch. These thin squirrely strands of yarn were designed and added to the turf to replace the need for sand or “infill” not to mention improved the quality of its appearance and density. And this product was called “non-infill turf.” This new design did away with the momentous task of installing tons of sand on top of the turf, and as one good turn deserves another, it did reveal A slight problem, turf now is extremely light. It quickly became evident that expansion and contraction of the material used in turf production would reveal wrinkles when the turf got warm. The solution for this was to go back to installing sand, but at a fraction of the previous amounts. only 2 lbs per foot is required.
And the infill business boomed… if there was a problem with turf there was an infill to fix it. We have Pet odors we have germs and bacteria, to help with this we now have chemically coded silica sand. In addition, we have Envirofill, Zeofill, Wonderfill, and BioFill. And too many more to mention. And even more on the production line. All are uniquely crafted, all claim to have wonderful results, and come in a variety of colors.
Then we have the heat issue, turf does get warm. You can try coconut husks. Peanut shells or any other byproduct that may collect and hold moisture which would evaporate in the heat of the day wicking away some of the temperature of the turf. And of course, we have chemically coated sand which retains water and releases it during the day. There’s also zeolite, a natural stone that’s ground, holds water, and helps control odor.
Somewhere out there there’s an infill for a problem we don’t know we even have yet.
With the turf industry quickly approaching over $9 billion you can be assured the infill industry is on its heels.
· The different types of stone base available for turf installation, what qualities each hold, and when they’re necessary.
The typical choice for turf base is a crushed or milled quarry stone. That being said, your geographical location in the world will determine what type of stone is available to you. The most typical type of stone used in a residential installation would be a product built to contain ¾” size stone all the way down to a grainy sand. Commonly known as Road Base or Flex Base. This would be compacted and a layer of M 10s (grainy sand) installed and compacted over the top for a fine smooth grade.
The depth of your stone base will also be determined by your geographical location. it is directly related to your area’s cold weather frost heave. The deeper the frost heave, the thicker your base.
When your turf installation is required to effectively percolate surface water, typically into a drainage system below, it is best to use a # 57 stone (drainage rock) base with a layer of #89 stone on the top in lieu of your M 10s. Stone products’ size and names will vary from quarry to quarry. Using a good filter fabric to separate stone size and prevent soil contamination of drainage rock is always a good idea.
Nobody ever wants to see weeds in their artificial turf. (Although they do add a sense of realism)
Installing weed fabric has always been an optional step. Considering that you have 4 inches of crushed stone it’s unlikely weeds we’ll make it through. It is likely that they will invade from the outer edges and the weed barrier will not stop that. Best to be preventive and spray the turf area with a non-selective herbicide several days before removing your excess dirt. The most common weed growth will take place on top of the turf where seeds find their way into the turf drainage holes and germinate in the grainy sand layer on top of your base.
There is one intruder that weed fabric won’t stop and does come up from the bottom of your base and that would be mushrooms. Best recommendation, if they’re intrusive and large is to reduce the Profile of the mushroom with a tamp. Treat the problem like a fungus in your real grass, with a fungicide and patience.
Fortunately, your selections are limited narrowing the possibility for error. When it comes to fastening spikes or staples heavy gauge on a 6″ staple is best. A Thin galvanized 6″ spike With a small head is preferred. Stay away from large timber spikes and anything that is difficult to hide in the Tufts of the turf. And always galvanized with a six-inch length.
Seaming tape also has a limited selection. Most synthetic turf tape is available in a 12-inch wide role, durable woven fabric available with and without a moisture barrier on one side. The moisture barrier is convenient in that it helps prevent your turf glue from swelling as it reacts with the moisture in the ground, however, in re-doing a seam, there is less damage to the turf leaving the original tape on the turf and re-taping over it. Tape with a moisture barrier on it will prevent your glue from sticking to the backside of the old tape leaving you with the task of trying to peel off the moisture barrier.
Depending on your geographical location in the world rodents can be very different. The most common are ground-burrowing rodents. It’s not uncommon to have an Existing infestation on a project. If that is the case and it is obvious before you install it’s recommended that you use hardware cloth or mole wire, welded screen with 1/4 inch pattern. place it underneath your stone base prior to installation. This process will restrict the rodents from pushing the base up causing damage to your installation.
If the rodents are detected after installation removal of the rodents through trapping or an extermination service is suggested.
It is not uncommon to see trapped rodents chew the backside of turf to free themselves.
If you cover a favorite chipmunk hole frequented by a family pet, it is likely they will attempt to dig it up. This is best repaired by exposing the hole, filling it with concrete, and reattaching the turf using several fastening spikes or staples while the concrete is still wet.
Turf dye lots are an unavoidable part of turf manufacturing. When the many spools of yarn used in the tufting process reach the end of their inventory a new inventory is necessary. the new yarn is given a new number to identify it (dye lot number) this tells the manufacturer that it’s ever so slightly different in color. This number is then passed on to the role of turf created by these spools of yarn to identify the roles of that color. Depending on how large a production is made on a particular type of turf will dictate how many rolls of turf have a matching dye lot. Smaller tufting factories have a plethora of different dye lots and therefore matching turf rolls out of production quickly. If you have to add or repair a job it is best done sooner than later. It is always recommended you leave your customers with a sizable scrap of turf for future repair. And try to maintain a storage bin of your own scraps for out-of-production dye lot repairs.
Turf warranties will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Often a turf warranty is a selling point, a competitive edge if you would. Typical turf warranties range from 8 to 10 years made with high-traffic sports yarn can go to 15 or 16 years. When turf warranties are assigned, they are assigned with aggressive exposure anticipated. Most turf applications on the other hand are not aggressively abused extending the expected life of turf far beyond the factory warranty.
Some companies offer a lifetime warranty, which is the equivalent of a tread warranty on your tire it’s prorated making it more of a discount on your next purchase. Some companies installing residential turf we’ll offer you 25 years seeing as though that is becoming an expected lifespan of a backyard turf installation. Most manufacturers are steady and consistent for 8 to 10 years. However, installers are free to tweak the manufacturer’s warranty by standing behind their own warranty, creating more value to their product.
Turf melt, the silent turf killer….. Turf melt is a result of UV rays being reflected by a particular shaped object. The most common are high-efficiency windows and shiny metallic surfaces like a barbecue grill or an Airstream trailer. One uncommon culprit is a clear round pool float. High-efficiency windows can be screened or have film installed over them to break their reflective qualities. Shiny Airstream trailers and BBQ grills should not be polished or cleaned often 🙂 as far as the round clear pool float, offer it to a friend or be stuck explaining what the heck went wrong with your turf :).
The heat buildup when synthetic turf is exposed to full sun, is a byproduct of the materials used in manufacturing synthetic turf. There are many products available that work by retaining moisture from the morning dew or rain and releasing it in the heat of the day, wicking away some of the heat from the turf. There are new products on the horizon, new technologies are in play. The quickest and most common control method for heat is to flash your turf with water, just for an instant this will instantly remove any heat buildup and depending on your exposure give you one to two hours of relief.
If you have an irrigation system it is not uncommon to dedicate a zone of spray heads for your turf area on a 5-minute timer.
Synthetic turf is very resilient to many cleaners including diluted Clorox, dish soap, and laundry soap, preferably a low-sudsing detergent. It is strongly recommended to use a biodegradable cleaner for outside turf, Simple Green is one of a few that are available. If you are trying to remove pet odors a biodegradable pet deodorizer is also available through Simple Green, regardless of your selection the application is best done using a 5-gallon bucket and pouring the solution over the area with the most odor. This should be done in three steps pouring 1/3ed of the solution in the bucket into the same area 3 times, this will allow the solution to pass through the turf and penetrate into the stone base with each application in the same area the solution will penetrate deeper into the stone base. Since all turf is constructed with a closed-cell process, pet odor typically comes from the base, not the turf, left untreated pet urine can crystallize and become very difficult to break down. heat from the turf will make the odor more noticeable as it turns into a gas.
Grooming your turf using a turf rake, a leaf rake or a leaf blower can be done as often as necessary and will help the turf stay looking new.
Remember to never set running equipment on your turf. the exhaust will melt the yarn. weed eaters, blowers,, chainsaws, Ect.
Quarterly sweeping will add years of luster to your turf. It is recommended but not required, that synthetic turf should be power boomed or cleaned using a mid-range pressure washer. And mild detergent.
If you are trying to bring new life into your matted turf, power brooming with dish soap and water will help untangle the yarn. (Similar to applying cream rinse to your hair.) Be sure to rinse the turf thoroughly to remove soapy residue.”
Synthetic turf is very resilient to many cleaners including diluted Clorox, dish soap, and laundry soap, preferably a low-sudsing detergent. It is strongly recommended to use a biodegradable cleaner for outside turf, Simple Green is one of a few that are available. If you are trying to remove pet odors a biodegradable pet deodorizer is also available through Simple Green, regardless of your selection the application is best done using a 5-gallon bucket and pouring the solution over the area with the most odor. This should be done in three steps pouring 1/3ed of the solution in the bucket into the same area 3 times, this will allow the solution to pass through the turf and penetrate into the stone base with each application in the same area the solution will penetrate deeper into the stone base. Since all turf is constructed with a closed-cell process, pet odor typically comes from the base, not the turf, left untreated pet urine can crystallize and become very difficult to break down. heat from the turf will make the odor more noticeable as it turns into a gas.
With decades of experience, Great American Green supplies artificial turf and synthetic turf cleaning to Atlanta GA and surrounding areas.
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