Author: agsturf

Low-quality artificial turf installation or damage to the sub-base layer can cause serious issues that can’t be fixed without professional attention. These problems include:

Poor drainage causing mold and mildew.

Debris buildup under the surface causing unevenness, bumps, and pooling water.

Compaction and uneven surfaces affecting the appearance and lifespan of the turf.

Soil erosion (poorly installed artificial turf can’t control soil erosion).

If you encounter serious artificial turf issues, quick DIY fixes won’t help. It’s best to let professionals handle the problem since it may require digging up the synthetic turf to fix the sub-base layer.

Some types of damage could cause your artificial turf to lose color. Meanwhile, some pieces of used synthetic grass may not be perfectly uniform in color. Instead of fixing artificial grass with patches, you can use color-matching turf paint.

Spray-painting discolored or faded blades can give your used grass a fresh new look.

What To Do After Initial Repairs
Once you finish minor artificial grass repairs, you need to:

Blend the repair – use a soft-bristled brush or broom to brush the fibers of the repaired area and the surrounding turf together.

Inspect the repair – make sure the repaired area is secure and well-blended.

With the right approach, minor repairs remain invisible and don’t interfere with day-to-day use.

When you purchase used artificial turf, a good rule of thumb is to buy 30% more than you need for fitting irregularly-shaped areas and fixing imperfections. When you have one damaged section, replacing artificial grass isn’t complicated.

Cut away the damaged section using a box cutter

Take a piece of excess turf and cut it to match the removed section

Place the excess on the surface and ensure that turf blades face the same way as the blades on the existing turf.

Secure the turf with 5-inch nails and a hammer

Alternatively, you can secure the new piece the same way you fix artificial turf seams. This involves using a combination of seam tape and turf glue. If you don’t have these materials, nails will do just fine.

To repair small tears and holes in your artificial grass surface, you need to take these steps: 

1. Clean the area 
2. Assess the damage 
3. Hold the edges of the hole or tear together 
4. Use 5-inch nails and a hammer to staple them to the ground 

If the hole is large, you may need to remove the entire section of the turf and replace it with a piece of undamaged artificial grass. 

Minor synthetic turf repair isn’t complicated. If you discover small issues with your used artificial grass, you only need several tools and a few minutes.

artificial_turf_strips

Tools and Materials for Repairing Artificial Grass Tears 
These tools can help you fix the majority of minor problems with your artificial turf:

5-inch nails 

Hammer 

Box cutter 

Turf glue (optional) 

Seam tape (optional) 

Turf paint (if needed) 

Spare strips of artificial grass (if needed)

The above tools should be sufficient for preparing minor issues. If, in the process, you discover that the problem is more significant than you thought initially, you can always stop the repair and request professional assistance.

Before restoring artificial turf, you must understand where the damage comes from. By digging deeper into the underlying cause, you can prevent the problem from happening again. 

Weeds and wildlife  

If you don’t install weed barrier fabric or gopher wire underneath the artificial turf, pests and weeds can try to make their way through the surface. This can lead to bumps and wrinkles.  

When artificial grass surface becomes uneven, it doesn’t just affect the appearance. It makes the turf more susceptible to UV light and heavy foot traffic damage. Bumps can also become a tripping hazard. 

Transportation   

During transportation, forklifts and other heavy machinery puncture the artificial turf to move it. That’s why inspecting the turf during installation is imperative. 

Extreme Heat  

While UV-resistant artificial turf does an excellent job protecting the green sheen of the turf, it does not handle extreme heat well. Since the turf is made from synthetic materials, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and nylon, it can melt or deform after coming into contact with hot objects. 

These issues can occur when a cigarette or coal from the grill falls on the turf. Sunrays reflected from windows or other objects can have the same effect. 

Extreme heat softens infill and causes compaction. This, in turn, affects cushioning and drainage. Swings in temperature from very hot to very cold can cause the turf to expand and contract. This results in wrinkles and bubble formation. 

Freezing Cold  

When temperatures drop below 32°F, artificial turf fibers may become stiff. This makes them less flexible. Meanwhile, frozen infill causes the surface to become hard and less cushioned. This makes it easier to damage the turf with regular use. 

Similar to extreme heat situations, the turf contracts and expands when temperatures fluctuate. This may cause the artificial grass to wear out faster. 

Heavy Foot Traffic  

The fibers can become matted if many people and pets regularly walk over the artificial grass. Meanwhile, installing heavy lawn furniture or parking a car on artificial grass can lead to large matted patches. Matted fibers make the surface look less natural. 

Uncleaned Pet Waste  

If pet waste remains on the artificial grass’s surface for too long, it can cause unpleasant odors and bacterial growth. The artificial turf will lose its lush color and develops permanent stains over time. Meanwhile, the waste can contaminate the infill and clog drainage systems. 

Cleaning and restoring artificial turf after pet waste remains there for a long time may be impossible. You would have to replace the contaminated patch. 

Synthetic grass is softer and plusher than natural grass, making it more comfortable to walk on. It has a lot of flexibility because it doesn’t have to cope with things like sunshine, ice, or rain.

We all want to believe that the grass is greener on the other side, but the fact is that natural grass is difficult to manage, despite its beauty. To maintain it looking fantastic, you have to put in a lot of effort, and you get to spend a lot of time in the sun. Artificial grass, on the other hand, is simple to maintain and won’t take you hours to keep it looking beautiful.

Landlords and business owners are increasingly turning to artificial grass in place of natural turf. These turfs are low-maintenance plantings that are mostly used outside. The goal of the design was for it to resist severe/heavy rains while requiring minimal upkeep.

Yes, when you’re dealing with artificial grass, cleaning up after your pets is simple. It is possible to collect and dispose of solid trash. The residual particles and liquid waste should be cleaned up afterward by hosing them down. You will, however, thoroughly wet down the synthetic grass to remove any waste from the blades, backing, filler, and base materials. Avoid using strong cleaning chemicals such as acids or alcohol-based solutions. Any other techniques of cleaning that might remove the glue and adhesives keeping the seams together should be avoided as well.

What Is Artificial Grass Made From? 

According to the Synthetic Turf Council, synthetic grass has been developed and evolved through years of research and development into what is now known as “third generation” synthetic grass. Synthetic grass has evolved into the high-quality material we know today for most landscape projects as a result of this ongoing innovation.

The green blades of synthetic grass are made of polyethylene, a popular type of plastic used in bottles and plastic bags. Polyethylene is delivered as a solid pellet, which is heated together with any color tones and UV-resistant additives. Polypropylene, polyethylene, or nylon are used to make the thatch layer of synthetic grass. The thatch layer gives additional support and blade recovery to the lawn.

A tufting machine, which is essentially a large sewing machine with hundreds of needles, is used to insert synthetic grass blades into the backing in rows. This machine provides a more firm grip for the grass blades and thatch, extending the turf’s life and durability.

Artificial grass is created in such a manner that it incorporates UV inhibitors, ensuring that your lawn remains lush and green for many years. UV inhibitors are included in the yarning process, ensuring that each synthetic grass blade retains its color for at least a decade.

That’s in contrast to actual lawns, which, as anybody who has ever been responsible for the management of a real lawn knows, grow yellow and spotty after only a few days of insufficient rain and sunlight. That is one less burden on your shoulders.

Drainage systems are generally intended to allow water to seep through the grass backing and drain into the water table through the base layer. The majority of synthetic grass backing is perforated with 12-centimeter-diameter holes that can drain at a pace of more than 30 inches per hour per square yard.

Almost all landscape grass is perforated and provides for simple drainage, with the exception of most synthetic putting greens. Not only will a strong drainage system aid in clean-up, but it will also assist prevent spores and germs from forming within the fake grass.