The Complete Guide to Artificial Grass

If you’re on the lookout for artificial turf, you may not realise how many options there are. It’s come a long way since the early days and a lot of them are realistic. In order to find the best artificial grass for your needs, you’ll need to look at what different types are available and assess how well they fit your needs. As an added bonus, they have minimal maintenance involved.

This article will go over the various shapes available, as well as different characteristics. Some can resist foot traffic, while others are almost alike to real grass. Finally, the article will help you decide which artificial grass is best, depending on specific uses you’re putting it to.

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How to Choose the Best Artificial Grass for You

All synthetic grass is different and you can get various types depending on what it will be needed for. The first question to ask is what your grass is for and what sort of use you want to get out of it. The artificial grass best suited for one person won’t be the same for another.

Where sports pitches will need something very hard wearing, you might not ever use your lawn so won’t require the same level of durability. Not only this, but you’ll have to think about specific colours, shapes, thicknesses and pile heights. These can be the difference between an authentic looking lawn and much less impressive one.

When looking at artificial grass, it’s best to pay attention to the following items:

• Pile height

• Blade shape

• Characteristics of use

• Thickness (measured in microns)

• Price

Types of Artificial Turf

To find out which artificial grass is best, it’s important to understand which shape will suit the use you want to put it to. Different shapes affect the look and feel of your lawn, and some are better at keeping cooler than others.

All grass comes in a shape along the length of its blades. Originally, this was all flat, but development of artificial grass has discovered how changing the structure gives it certain properties.

The cheapest synthetic grasses will simply be flat, making them unrealistic and without special properties. If you want something special, the best artificial grasses make use of some of the following shapes.

W-Shaped

W-shaped artificial grass is the best for keeping cool. Its unique structure gives it an impressive strength and light reflecting properties. Although it makes it less soft underfoot, it springs back well from footfall, making it hard wearing.

The W shape reflects light, which keeps it up to 15 degrees cooler than other kinds of synthetic fibre. By diffusing light, there’s less of a shadowy or uneven look, allowing for a more realistic looking lawn.

U or C-Shaped

U-shaped, otherwise known as C-shaped, blades are curled across their width. They’re a less durable version of the W shape, but still effective at bouncing back under heavy footfall. This is widely regarded as the best artificial grass in that it’s the most popular choice.

U or C-shaped blades are relatively soft underfoot and their structure prevents the tangling of the piles. One of the only downsides is the slight sheen the grass gives off, which makes it better for back gardens and outdoor spaces.

S-Shaped

Offering the best of both worlds, S-shaped synthetic grass is perfect for reflecting light. With less of a flat surface area, the overall effect is increased realism. If you want your switch to look real, S-shaped artificial grass is the best option for you.

Thanks to its thick design, the S shape also withstands high traffic. It’s a relatively soft turf, ticking quite a few boxes in terms of characteristics.

Diamond-Shaped

By reinforcing the fibre into a diamond shape, you increase the strength of it significantly. Some people deem this to be the best artificial grass because it’s also relatively soft.

Thanks to its design, the light is reflected in multiple directions, which dissipates shine and helps it look much more realistic. The only downside is it’s only suited for light usage. There’s more of a focus on aesthetics than heavy footfall.

Omega-Shaped

Enhancing the W fibre, omega-shaped grass features a loop in the middle of the W. It’s more of a loopy script W than the omega symbol, but this gives it a completely different characteristic.

With improved softness, realism and durability, this is widely regarded as the artificial grass best suited for high end applications. It can take on foot traffic and remains soft to the touch. The only downside is it can be slightly shorter than other grasses.

The Best Artificial Grass Characteristics

Aesthetics

If realism is what you’re after, the best artificial grass for your needs will require a denser pile. Typically, the more stitches per square metre, the more realistic your fake lawn will look. If you have a low pile density, an artificial lawn can look bare and thin.

It’s not just the density that has an effect on appearance. You will also need to consider:

• Pile height

• Thatch

• Infill

• Colours

Quality artificial grass on the high end of the market comes with slightly different heights across the weave, presenting a more natural and less uniform look. These will also have multiple greens and browns, as there will typically be colour variations throughout natural grass.

The thatch is crucial for aesthetics. This is simply added browns at the root zone for a little support and an extra layer of realism. With artificial grass, it’s best to have a mixture of different elements to pass for the real thing.

Durability

Artificial grass is best when made from the right material. Different plastics have been used over the years, and they all come with various advantages.

Artificial fibres are normally only made from:

• Nylon

• Polypropylene

• Polyethylene

If you’re after strength and durability, nylon is the best artificial grass material to go for. Though it’s more expensive, it will outlast the other two options.

Both polypropylene and polyethylene are softer and less hard wearing than Nylon. They can be incorporated into their own blend, depending on the use you need to put your lawn to. This can be more comfortable for a play area, for example.

Foot Traffic

The best artificial grass for high traffic areas will be one that incorporates nylon into its structure. Whether this is for the thatch or the actual blades themselves is up to you.

For low traffic areas, either polypropylene or polyethylene artificial grass is best. These can include places where the Sun doesn’t shine or out of sight areas that aren’t the main focus of your garden or outdoor space.

Pets

When looking at artificial grass for dogs, it’s important to choose something that ticks all the right boxes. This needs to be not too abrasive, strong enough to withstand heavy impacts, claws and digging, and to have sufficient drainage.

Synthetic grasses like these are perfect for both children and pets, making it the best artificial grass for families. They normally feature a polypropylene backing, which allows for sufficient drainage, and use fibres that don’t absorb heat as much. This keeps it more comfortable and prevents smells from lingering.

Shorter piles can often be effective for dogs as they can spring back more readily, depending on the shape. It also makes it easier to clean up dog mess.

A sand infill is crucial. This not only helps to weigh down the grass, but helps protect it from impacts and pet claws. The sand can help to prevent damage from digging, making it essential for any artificial grass products.

Which Artificial Grass is Best?

As a summary, we’ve included some of the areas you might want to cover and the most suitable options for them.

Artificial Grass Best Suited for Gardens

If your back garden will see a lot of traffic, consider an artificial grass that is more durable. For pets and children, the cooler W-shaped grass will be ideal, but you can always use an infill that will cool the grass down as well. Good drainage is always ideal, not only for rainfall but to prevent smells from pet waste.

Best Artificial Grass for Swimming Pool Areas

If you’re looking to install artificial grass around a back garden pool or pond, it’s ideal to choose one that has suitable drainage. These areas are also likely to have more foot traffic so will need to be durable and shorter.

Artificial Grass Best for Out of Sight Areas

A longer pile can be used because it doesn’t matter as much about durability. Nylon fibres are effective both long and short, but polypropylene and polyethylene are less hard wearing and are cheaper. The pile density also won’t matter because it doesn’t need to look full and like a natural lawn as much.

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