If you’re planning to enhance the aesthetic appeal of your pool, you may want to cover the spaces around it with artificial grass. Suppose you’re not convinced that this is a good idea. In that case, you may need to dwell on the several benefits artificial grass around pools could provide.
Apart from its artful qualities, artificial grass or turf could provide a safe space for pets and children. This is because many of the grass materials are soft and hypoallergenic. And since they’re generally durable and easy to maintain, the turf is an excellent option for keeping the lawn and pool spaces well-maintained.
Now that you know what artificial grass could typically provide, you may want to know how to choose the best product for your property. These are essential to finding what’s suitable for your lawn and property needs. For that purpose, here’s an article to guide you. So, read on!
1. Assess Your Needs
In choosing the best artificial grass around pools for your property, you may start assessing your yard and poolside condition and situation. Is there open drainage you need to work on? Are the surfaces even, or are the hollow spots need to be filled in? To know the actual condition of your yard, you could inspect the following:
- Type Of Soil
The existing type of soil should be one of the considerations in choosing the type of grass. In many cases, this soil will serve as the sub-base or the surface wherein the turf will be laid onto. Dry and hard soil is a good foundation if no active drainage issues could make the soil muddy during rainy seasons.
While there are types of turf that you could install regardless of soil type, it’d still be better if you’d consider the soil type. That way, you could adjust your decision. Or you could change your soil to suit the type of grass you desire.
- Lawn Edges
The lawn edges play a role in installing the turf. Generally, this is where the layer of grass is folded, inserted, or bent. If this is difficult to secure, you may need the help of a professional to trim or adjust it to fit the grass.
- Presence Of Tree Stumps And Other Debris
In some cases, there are tree stumps, roots, and other debris found on the lawn. You have the option to remove them by manual cleaning or to hire a pro for lawn services. This way, you could get rid of what’s unnecessary.
- The Pool’s Shape
Apart from the lawn edges, the pool’s shape dictates the general shape of the turf. If the shape is as typical as a rectangle or square, the cutting should refer to the quadrilateral shapes. On the other hand, if the pool’s shape is irregular, you may have a more taxing job of turf cutting, preparation, and laying.
2. Research About The Product
Artificial grass had long been used since its introduction to lawn improvement decades ago. Because of this, there’s a long line of turf products circulating in the market today. It offers a great range of options for property owners who want to have the artificial grass experience.
If you want to know more about these products, you may want to know everything about them, from installation to maintenance. For that purpose, deep dive into the following terms:
- Installation Requirements
If you’re planning to install artificial turf, you could choose between getting a pro or laying the grass yourself. If you pick the pro, you just need to pay for their services, monitor a little, and wait for the results.
On the other hand, if you select the DIY way, you should prepare the tools and installation materials needed, such as lawn roller, seam tapes, nails, adhesive, stiff broom, and razor knife. You may also need to prepare a suitable sub-base if the original soil isn’t good for placement.
- Types Of Material
The three common turf materials are nylon, polypropylene, and polyethylene. Nylon-made artificial grass could withstand extreme heat and excessive weight. It doesn’t lose its shape over time and is highly durable. Yet, this type is generally expensive and stiff.
On the other hand, polypropylene is considered the cheapest among the three. Because of its low cost, it’s popular in home and business applications. However, it may melt more quickly than the other types. In addition, it isn’t damage-resistant.
Lastly, polyethylene grass is considered budget-type nylon. It’s more durable than polypropylene but is cheaper than nylon. It may not be as robust as nylon types, but it closely resembles real grass. Furthermore, it is appropriate for any space, including pool sides.
- Density
Also referred to as stitch count, this describes the number of blades per square inch. Turf with high density is likely durable and offers a more realistic appearance.
- Pile Height
This refers to the length of the blades. If you want a grass that looks like authentic Bermuda grass around your pool, you should pick the type with a pile height between 1 ¼ and 2 1/2 inches. This should be your pick if you’re opting for an elegant-looking turf.
On the other hand, you may choose between 3/8 and 5/8 inches if you’re planning to lay turf for a more expansive lawn as it’s ideal for a sports field or dog run space.
- Face Weight
This refers to the ounces per square inch, excluding the base weight. The face weight also tells of a grass’ durability and density. Turfs with higher face weight could be perfect in the landing spaces of the pools as they’re more hard-wearing than the thinner type.
- Thatch
This component is the additional part of the turf that copies the discoloration of natural grass. Although this maximizes synthetic grass’s aesthetic qualities, it still contributes to making the lawn thicker and damage-resistant to some extent.
3. Know The Maintenance Needs
Although the grass won’t be troubled with plant diseases and nutrient deficiency, it’ll be concerned with the foot traffic, battering impact, and natural wear and tear. To address these problems, you must have proper turf care and maintenance. If you want to know more about what to consider maintenance-wise, here are some of them:
- Reaction to sticky substances;
- Ease of stain removal;
- Smell retention;
- Reaction to cleaning materials, such as bleach and detergent solution;
- Equipment and tool requirements.
Knowing the maintenance needs of a particular turf will help you decide which would suit your yard and pool. While it could be nearly impossible to find a type that doesn’t need any cleaning and maintenance, you must pick the grass with more to offer.
4. Compare And Contrast
After assessing your yard’s condition and knowing many things about artificial turf, you could start comparing the different types. You could analyze which products would cover you’re poolside better than the others. Which of your options are easy to clean and maintain? Which melts quicker? Which would stand the test of elements, extreme heat, and other damages?
Weigh each product’s strengths and weaknesses. In some cases, one turf could excel in an aspect and may look that it could be your best choice overall. Yet, upon looking at more considerations, you may discover that there are other better choices you should think of. So, take your time comparing and contrasting the synthetic grass types.
You may also ask your friends and colleagues who have knowledge and experience in turf. They could provide insights that would help you slim down your choices. If the synthetic grass types you’ve narrowed down have the same qualities, you could consider their prices as the tie-breaker.
5. Consider Your Budget
All your considerations boil down to the pricing of the products. If you have money to spend, you could easily choose high-grade nylon types that could withstand all the adversities a synthetic grass could face. On the other hand, if you lack the budget, you may consider the alternatives to your best option.
You may just double your effort to make the turf’s environment less damaging. In addition, you should apply regular maintenance runs to ensure that the grass doesn’t lose its luster and quality. Keep all these considerations in balance to pick what’s worthy of your time, effort, and money.
Wrapping Up
Artificial grass has been popular because of its vast array of uses. It’s common in tennis courts and other sports venues. It’s also ideal in pet spaces, especially for dogs. Apart from these, synthetic grass is sought after because it only needs low maintenance.
These reasons are enough to install artificial turf in your poolside if ever you’re thinking of anything to cover your lawn. Apart from making the pool look better, the artificial turf installation also improves the backyard or wherever the pool is situated.
In choosing your turf, you could consider all the options and insights in this article. There’s no generic best as every product is the finest in its own right, depending on its setting. Hence, you must assess your yard and poolside first, as their condition is instrumental in finding the best artificial grass around pools.
Follow Home Inside for more!
