Artificial grass also called artificial grass or synthetic lawn is a soft flooring made of plastic material that recreates a natural lawn. Initially, artificial grass was used only for sports fields, football, soccer, and tennis, but its use has also been extended to private spaces, such as terraces in the city or gardens in arid areas.
The cost of artificial grass mainly depends on the thickness. For the garden, you generally opt for 50 – 60 mm. In this way it will be more resistant and will keep longer, while for terraces or balconies even a lower one, around 8 – 10 mm, can be used.
However, the type of lawn you choose and the materials with which it will be made also affect the price. The duration of the artificial grass depends on the latitude and the incidence of the sun. In Italy it is around 7 – 8 years, depending on the intensity of the rays to which it is subjected.
How Do I Select Artificial Grass for Your Garden?
The ultimate goal is to have a lawn that looks as natural as possible and remains long, without forgetting convenience. In general, investing more, in the beginning, guarantees a better result in the long term, limiting subsequent maintenance or rehabilitation. In relation to this, let’s see together what are the important characteristics for the choice of artificial grass. The help of the experts and the possibility of relying on their professionalism will certainly make the difference. If in doubt, ask for their opinion.
The types of fake lawn on the market are many and heterogeneous. These differ in a number of aspects that vary from the length of the threads, to the color and their density.
Do not forget also the type of substrate used in the coat and the particular effects, such as the reproduction of shades or the combination of multiple shades, for an even more realistic result.
The Types of Artificial Grass
It is now a growing market, with a lot of choices. The three most common variants are:
carpet: it is the one with the lowest thickness and suitable only for interiors, for surfaces such as the pool table or a vertical wall, certainly to be excluded for a garden; mats: can be divided into those with a low sheet and those with a mantle of about 14 mm.
The latter has a better aesthetic result, but in both cases, they are particularly suitable for terraces and balconies; professional: they have a root made of straw anchored to the underlying surface, in potting soil or other material. The threads are generally coated with polypropylene, are longer and reproduce the natural turf in a realistic way.
artificial grass
When Is the Substrate for Artificial Grass Needed?
The presence of the substrate, that is, a sort of reinforcement base that is located between the soil and the grass, is necessary when there are many threads in a small space. There is a risk, in fact, that these tend to flatten by weight and the presence of greater support avoids this problem.
The Materials
The artificial grass filaments are made of textile fibers, covered with a latex compound dried in such a way that it adheres to perfection. For the latter layer, the most used components are:
polypropylene: it has a reduced cost and allows to obtain a final result similar to the very low turf, called “root”. The aesthetic result is not perfect, but it has a good durability and great resistance to sunlight;
polyethylene: keeps longer and is of higher quality. Allows you to recreate greater softness and elasticity. The laying of this type of artificial grass must be by means of a root infill, to allow the threads to remain straight even if subjected to continuous trampling;
polyamide or nylon: it is the most resistant but also the most expensive, so it is recommended only for large spaces exploited intensely, such as sports fields.
The Laying of Artificial Grass
It is very important that this step is carried out by a professional so that the artificial grass is positioned correctly and the soil is well leveled. There are two main techniques, which differ in the type of infill, that is, a sort of sand counterweight that allows the coat to always be well distributed and makes the effect more realistic.
those with the infill root: they must be placed on excavated and correctly leveled ground so that the root fills the excavation;
those with filling: they must include an excavation with special materials (sand or mixtures and suitable synthetic materials).
Conclusions
In general, the prices of the synthetic lawn vary depending on the type you have chosen and the possible preparation of the soil. To know the cost in detail, request a detailed estimate from the professionals of the sector.