Non Infill Football Grass

Category: Non Infill Artificial Turf

  • Rubber Playground Surfaces

    Poured-in-place rubber is the most durable form of rubber surfacing. It’s a two-layer system applied over a compacted base, with a wear surface on top and a shock absorption layer beneath. It consistently meets ASTM safety standards across high fall heights and handles institutional use without the replacement cycles that loose-fill materials require.

    Rubber tile systems offer comparable safety performance at a lower upfront cost but can gap or shift without regular professional maintenance. Cost and heat are the primary tradeoffs. Poured-in-place rubber sits at the top of the price range for playground surfaces. In warm climates, rubber absorbs and holds solar heat longer than turf in direct sun. That’s a real consideration for Southwest installations and similar high-sun environments.

    Other Ground Surfacing Options Under Playgrounds

    Several loose-fill and granular materials also serve as ground surfacing options under playgrounds. None match the long-term performance of unitary surfaces, but each fills a specific use case when budget or application calls for it.

    Wood Chips and Mulch

    Engineered wood fiber is the most widely used loose-fill surfacing material for public playgrounds. The distinction from standard wood chips matters. Standard bark mulch is not processed to safety specifications and does not carry certified fall height ratings.

    Engineered wood fiber is independently tested for fall height performance and can meet the same safety thresholds as rubber or turf when installed at the correct depth. It requires regular raking to maintain even distribution and periodic replenishment as it compacts over time. A properly placed weed barrier beneath the base layer slows contamination and extends surface life.

  • Most Popular Playground Surface Options

    The three surfaces that dominate most playground specifications are natural grass, artificial turf, and rubber. Each has a different performance profile. The right choice depends more on how the space is actually used than on any single factor in isolation.

    Natural Grass Playground Surfaces

    Natural grass is the default for most residential yards. It’s familiar, inexpensive upfront, and visually comfortable. The performance problem shows up fast.

    Grass compacts quickly in high-traffic zones, and landing areas beneath swings or at the base of slides often lose their shock absorption within a single season. Bare patches tend to appear precisely where protection is most needed. Comparing artificial turf vs. natural grass highlights how synthetic surfaces maintain cushioning and durability far better over time. While natural grass can be suitable for casual residential use with modest equipment, surfaces that see consistent use deteriorate far faster than most homeowners expect.

    Artificial Turf Playground Surfaces

    Artificial turf has become one of the most specified outdoor playground surface options for schools, parks, and residential projects. The performance case of artificial grass for playgrounds depends entirely on the system, not just the surface material.

    A properly installed playground turf system includes a cushioned pad beneath the turf, an infill material to support blade structure and soften impact, and a drainage layer that clears water quickly after rain. A weed barrier beneath the compacted base stabilizes the system over time.

    Together, these components allow quality turf systems to meet the fall protection benchmarks required for ADA compliant surfacing and carry IPEMA certified ratings across a wide range of critical fall heights. That certification matters in practice because a turf surface without a tested underlayment provides no guaranteed protection at any given drop height.

  • Best Playground Surfacing Options: Natural vs Artificial Turf vs Rubber

    The surface under a playground rarely gets as much attention as the equipment above it. That’s a mistake. It’s the layer that catches a child falling from six feet. It’s also the detail parents overlook until after something goes wrong.

    Evaluating playground surfacing options comes down to three real questions. How high is the equipment? Who is using this space regularly? How much maintenance are you realistically prepared to keep up with? We have answered those questions surface by surface, covering where each performs, where it falls short, and how to match the right material to the right space.

    Why Playground Surfacing Matters for Safety

    Fall protection is the primary function any playground surface must deliver. According to the CPSC Public Playground Safety Handbook, falls to the surface account for the large majority of playground injuries. Equipment failure is rarely the cause.

    Every tested surface is evaluated for impact attenuation, which measures its ability to reduce the force of a fall before it reaches the body. Surfaces without independent certification do not deliver that protection reliably, regardless of how they feel underfoot. Certification is the baseline, not a bonus.

  • The Best Backyard Upgrades That Add Real Value

    Not every project belongs in every backyard. The upgrades below consistently deliver on two fronts: they improve how you use the space now, and they register as genuine value to buyers later. The right choice depends on your climate, your budget, and what the yard currently lacks most.

    Improve Lighting and Landscaping

    Low-maintenance landscaping is the baseline. A yard with dead patches or bare soil reads as a liability to buyers and to yourself every time you look at it. Define the borders, layer in drought-tolerant plants where water is limited, and pair with a drip irrigation system for planted areas. Maintenance drops without sacrificing appearance.

    Then, add lighting. Path lights, uplighting on key features, and string lights over a seating area do more for atmosphere than most expensive additions. They extend the space into the evening and photograph well. Both matter for listings and for actual livability.

    Replace Lawn With Artificial Turf

    Natural grass is expensive, water-intensive, and unreliable in high-heat markets. In Las Vegas, where there are 300+ days of sun and under 4 inches of rain annually, a lawn that stays green year-round on natural grass requires constant intervention. Most homeowners eventually stop trying.

    Artificial turf solves this permanently. Festival Turf’s synthetic turf products drain at 40+ inches per hour per square yard, carry a 15-year warranty on most products, and have a realistic lifespan of 20–25 years when properly maintained and installed. UV-stabilized fibers hold color in high-sun climates, and the materials are non-toxic, pet-safe, and child-safe. For buyers in drought-prone markets, a maintenance-free lawn removes a recurring cost from their ownership calculation before they move in.

  • Save and reuse water whenever you can

    You may think that your yard needs perfectly clean water whenever you water it, but that isn’t the case. You can actually use a lot of ‘gray water’, that is, water that has already been used once. Here are a few examples that you can try:

    • Bath water: The average bath holds up to 100 liters of water. That’s a lot of water just to let drain through the plug hole! Instead, save that water and use it in your garden. You can either scoop it out with buckets, or you can buy a grey water diverter that will divert that water into storage in your yard.
    • Dishwater: This works on the same principle as your bath water. Once you’re done with it, use it to water some plants. If they’re not ready to be watered yet, simply pour it into a storage butt.
    • Rainwater: There’s nothing freer or more eco-friendly than using rainwater to water your plants. Keeping a water butt to collect the runoff from your rain gutters is a great idea. You can save up to 4,000 liters of water in one butt, depending on which kind you buy. If you have a particularly rainy season, that’s a lot of water you can save for later use.

    Remember, household soaps and detergents won’t harm your plants, but bleaches and disinfectants will. If your water contains this, don’t use it in your yard.

  • It Looks Just Like The Real Thing

    So, what’s the best thing about artificial lawns? In short, they look just like the real thing. Some people are put off buying them as they remember the earlier artificial lawns that used to be on the market. They were stiff, plastic and not pleasant at all to see or lounge on.

    That’s in the past, though. Modern artificial lawns are almost indistinguishable from the real thing. You’ll only notice when you reach down and feel it. Even then, the feeling is pleasant. They’ve come a long way.

    Laying your own artificial lawn is easy, hassle-free and looks amazing in the end. It will save you so much labor further down the road.

  • Your Pets Can’t Do Damage

    One concern some people have when thinking about laying artificial grass is, ‘but what about my pets?’ Pets, dogs especially, are well known for their desire to dig up anything they can lay their paws on.  That includes, sadly, your well-loved lawn. How often have you walked into your yard to find Fido covered in mud, and a big hole in your lawn?

    Artificial grass is better for pet lovers as your animals can’t do any damage to it. The underlay can’t be pierced by claws, so your dog can’t dig a big hole in it as soon as you’ve had it put down. This means you won’t be spending time in your garden trying to fill in holes, when you should be enjoying the space you’ve worked so hard to create.

    While on the subject of hardy lawns, they’re great for your kids, too. Real lawns can be a nightmare when inclement weather kicks in. They can get muddy and waterlogged when it rains, and dry and hard when the sun is out in force. Artificial lawns don’t suffer these effects, so your kids can go out and play, whatever the weather.

    Save Water

    The biggest drain on your water bill is usually your lawn, by a long shot. In fact, it can use up to 15% of your total water bill when the weather is really hot. If you’re looking to lower your energy and water bills, an artificial lawn can be the best thing for you.

    They’re also great if you’re trying to reduce your impact on the environment. After all, the less water you use, the better. DIY landscaping artificial lawns need no water whatsoever. What can be better than that?

  • It Looks Amazing All Year Round

    The problem with a regular lawn is that the seasons can really do a number on it. In the summer, it can become brown and brittle if not watered regularly. In the winter, it can die off, as it becomes too cold or is affected by ground frost.

    An artificial lawn doesn’t have any of those problems because it isn’t living. Therefore, you’ll have to do almost nothing in order to keep it looking amazing all year.

    In the fall, you may have to sweep leaves off it, but that’s really about it. In the winter it’ll survive the frost and the snow, and in the summer it won’t require a drop of water. Think of all the time you’ll save on caring for it.

    It Takes Little Effort To Care For

    One of the biggest benefits of DIY landscaping artificial grass is that it really needs no looking after. A regular lawn needs to be monitored, mowed, watered, fed, reseeded… the list goes on.

    When you get it right, that lawn will be the envy of all your neighbors. When it goes wrong, it can make the whole house look slightly shoddy. It’s something you want to avoid.

    Artificial lawns, on the other hand, don’t need any of that. You’ll save a lot of money on the equipment, water bills, electricity for the lawnmower, and so on. They’re also a godsend for people who are short on time. When you’re so busy with work, child care, and a million other responsibilities, do you really want to be thinking about your lawn? An artificial lawn is the best option for those who don’t have the time to cultivate a natural lawn themselves.

  • Make Room For Batting Cages

    Batter up!

    Installing a batting cage allows for extensive batting practice sessions – one of the most important parts of the game.

    Essentially, a batting cage is an enclosed tunnel-like area for practicing your swing and batting. The netted area is typically rectangular in shape and can be used by a person to pitch to a batter or for an automatic machine to pitch. Automatic machines can pitch repeatedly, and be set to various speeds and pitches to help a batter practice. And while a batter must be careful to ensure that they are not practicing the wrong swing over and over, batting cages offer valuable, consistent practice to burgeoning baseball players.

    When considering space requirements, the optimal length for a batting cage is around 70 feet, to make it true to life, though some batting cages come in sizes ranging from 38 feet to 60 feet. Be sure to add artificial turf to your cage to reduce maintenance needs.

    Pitching Practice Areas

    Another critical skill to address is pitching.

    If you have room in your yard, you should consider trying to incorporate a pitching practice space. A pitching lane can have a mound – an MLB regulation mound is 18 feet in diameter and generally between 15 and 18 inches tall – as well as a pitching or rebounder net.

    The benefit of having a pitching or rebounder net is twofold: you won’t be chasing the ball all over the neighborhood after it’s been overthrown, and you won’t have to worry about retrieving the balls from all the nooks and crannies of your yard when you’re ready to throw another round.

  • Consider recycled artificial grass

    For those of you who are on a low budget or are environmentally friendly in nature, recycled artificial grass is a great option. If you thought that used turf only applied to natural grass, you would be wrong, as you can now buy used artificial grass.

    While artificial grass is great for homeowners and businesses, it is non-biodegradable, so once it has been used to its fullest capacity, it must be taken to a landfill. If the grass is worn after many years, then there is not much that can be done to stop it from going to the landfill, unless someone is interested in recycling it, which is kinder to the environment. This option will save money as it is not as expensive as buying artificial grass as new.

    It is also important to consider what warranty you get when you purchase your lawn (the standard is generally 5 years) and what support is available, should you have any problems after your purchase.

    Artificial grass is the ultimate low-maintenance alternative to a natural lawn, and you are sure to spend plenty of time enjoying it over the years. If you have any unanswered questions about installing artificial grass, a reputable retailer will be able to help you come to the right decision for your home.