Artificial turf is a modern synthetic coating that is made of polyethylene or polypropylene fibers and is an excellent alternative to a natural green lawn. Today, this material is widely used not only for the arrangement of sports grounds, but also for decorating personal plots. The great popularity of artificial grass is due to its excellent performance characteristics, attractive appearance and other advantages. Consider the main types of synthetic lawn and how to perform its laying yourself.
Recommendations for laying artificial turf.
This simple way to clean the lawn from debris and raise the pile of the coating.
In this article, read:
- 1 Characteristics and varieties of artificial turf
- 2 Advantages of artificial lawns
- 3 Laying a synthetic lawn
- 4 Artificial grass. Video
- 5 Artificial turf in the garden
Characteristics and varieties of artificial turf
In appearance, artificial grass is almost no different from natural, and only with direct contact can you feel some differences. This lawn is made of synthetic fibers of different thickness and height, which are fixed on an elastic base. The space between the villi is filled with quartz fine-grained sand and rubber granules. This production technology makes it possible to obtain a very strong and durable coating that successfully copes with all mechanical influences.
Artificial grass can be used as a decorative element or as a special coating. The main purpose of the material depends on the quality and height of the synthetic fibers. Decorative lawns are used to decorate recreational areas (squares, parks, open lawns, playgrounds), personal and office plots.
For the presentation of a respectable type of recreation area on the plot you can choose an artificial lawn with different characteristics: pile height, density and width of grass, wear resistance, elasticity, lawn color.
The main requirement when laying an artificial lawn is a perfectly flat and sufficiently elastic platform for the lawn.
Special coatings are characterized by improved mechanical performance, so they can be used as finishing for sports grounds. When buying a lawn, the height of the grass is selected, which allows you to choose the optimal parameters for this or that case. So, for artificial volleyball courts suitable artificial grass height of 15-20 mm, for rugby - about 60 mm, and for tennis courts - 6-10 mm.
According to the principle of laying, artificial lawns are divided into several types:
- Non-replenishing. In appearance, strongly resemble natural grass. They are made of thin polyethylene fibers. This coating is not resistant to external mechanical stress, but it has an amazing appearance. Scope of application - decoration of areas for which there is no movement.
- Half-sated. Perfectly suitable for sports fields and playgrounds. Characterized by high mechanical strength and attractive appearance. To improve the technical characteristics of a semi-compact lawn in the process of its laying, the space between the villi is filled with quartz sand.
- Zasypnye. Found their use in the arrangement of football fields. Thanks to quartz and rubber filler, they have high elasticity and springiness, which helps to protect players from serious injuries when falling.
Here is a beautiful lawn bedded grandfather for himself and his loved ones. And the eye pleases and grandchildren have a place to play.
A carpet of dense, low-grass artificial turf is ideal for a spacious terrace with decorative bushes and flowers in pots and pots.
Advantages of artificial lawns
The great popularity of this material is due to its many advantages over natural grass cover, among which are:
- Easy maintenance. Artificial lawn does not need periodic mowing, watering and fertilizing. Laying it once, you will get an attractive lawn without weeds and molehills for many years.
- Durability. Manufacturers argue that the synthetic material retains its aesthetic appearance and performance properties for 15 years.
- Year-round operation. The quality and appearance of artificial turf in rolls does not depend on the season, it can be used all year round.
- Big variety. Artificial grass can have different characteristics, which allows you to choose the best option for a specific lawn.
Laying a synthetic lawn
Artificial lawn can be laid directly on the ground, as well as on a concrete or asphalt base. In the second case, you will need to additionally use an elastic substrate with a thickness of at least 8 mm.
Thinner material is not recommended, as it can lead to bending and deformation of the finish coat.
The technology of installing artificial grass in rolls is as follows:
- Base leveling. The finishing area is cleaned from the roots of trees, grass cover and various debris, after which it is carefully leveled. It is recommended to create a small slope in any direction so that during heavy rains the water does not accumulate on the lawn.
- Tramping earth. The leveled area is rammed with a roller or by hand. For solid bases, this step can be omitted.
- Creating a drainage system. Synthetic grass excessive humidity is not terrible, but it can lead to rotting of the ground under the lawn. To prevent this from happening, shallow ditches are scoured along the perimeter of the site, where rain or melt water will flow.
- Mounting the substrate and rolling coils. For a solid substrate, a substrate is mounted, after which the rolls with grass are rolled in a straight line, with an overlap of about 15 mm.
- Fostering the lawn. After laying all the rolls, it is necessary to give the material time (10-20 hours), so that it straightens, and the villi become vertical.
- Bonding of rolls. Surpluses of each roll are cut off, after which adjacent sheets are glued together with a two-component glue.
- Creating a curb. On the perimeter of the site is mounted a curb, which is attached to rolls with the same glue.
- Filling. Filling is performed using quartz sand with a fraction of 0.4-0.6 mm. On top of the sand is made by piling with rubber granules.
The service life of properly laid lawn is more than 10 years. He does not need special care. The only thing that is required of you is to periodically pour and clean the surface of the site from debris.
