Many of our customers have used our artificial grass to create a gorgeous and functional playground. If you’re considering a similar project, here are some things that, in addition to installation techniques, you should know.

Playground Systems

Artificial grass for playgrounds involves greater complexity than an ordinary landscape application. This is because playground surfaces require a system consisting of three components – the artificial grass, shock pads and infill.

Now, this system is a requirement only in commercial settings. Residential playgrounds can of course be created as seen fit by the homeowner. And while not mandatory for homeowners, the following information is good for reference.

Grass

First things first – you want to choose the right grass for your playground. Things to look for in a playground grass are durability, density and resistance to matting. Playground grasses are meant to be trampled on, so you’ll want to choose a more durable variety. Grasses with shorter, denser fibers will prove most resistant to matting. You can choose a taller grass if you wish but keep in mind you’ll need to use more infill as a result.

Purchase Green carries a number of grasses that fit the bill but our Ultra Play and Playscape Premier grasses were designed specifically for playground use.

Shock Pads

What the heck is a shock pad? Sounds dangerous! But in fact it’s the opposite. A shock pad is an underlayment for artificial grass that improves impact attenuation, which is the measure of a material’s shock absorbing properties.

If you’re building a commercial playground, you’ll need to choose a shock pad that is consistent with the required critical fall height (CFH). CFH is a combination of critical height and fall height. According to ASTM International, critical height is “…the maximum fall height from which a life threatening head injury would not be expected to occur.” Fall height is “…the vertical distance between a designated play surface and the playground surface beneath it.”

Purchase Green’s 45mm shock pad has a CFH of 5’5″ by itself. Our 16mm shock pad has a CFH of 3′ by itself. Purchase Green’s shock pads are made using closed-cell, cross-linked, polyethylene. The closed cell structure means it does not absorb moisture. The cross-linking produces a three-dimensional bond between the molecules providing excellent performance. Purchase Green playground systems (shock pad + artificial grass + infill) can provide critical impact ratings up to a 12′ fall height, depending on how the system is constructed.

Infill

Choosing the right infill is probably the easiest part of constructing a playground system. The right infill is the one that fits within your budget and offers the features and benefits desired. Silica sand infill, for example, is a reasonably priced option. It doesn’t do anything fancy other than serve as a good quality infill.

A note about Silica Sand: Crystalline Silica is a known carcinogen. In raw sand form, it can produce dust, which can be inhaled. However, our silica sand is thoroughly encapsulated in a coating that prevents any of the silica from escaping or coming into contact with the outside world. So, although we legally have to carry a Prop 65 warning, our silica sand is a safe, cost-effective and popular solution for many types of turf applications. See this product’s MSDS for more a complete report.

If you have pets or are otherwise concerned about odors or microbes, then our MellowFill is the best choice. MellowFill’s unique biocide chemistry controls odors caused by mildew, mold fungus, and algae and significantly reduces the odor caused by ammonia buildup in pet urine.

Playtime!

Artificial grass is a great option for commercial and residential playgrounds. It is less expensive than traditional poured in place playground surfaces, has a longer useful life, is far more durable and has significantly lower long-term replacement costs.

At Purchase Green we can help you create your perfect playground system. You can also check out our CFH tests here, here and here. If you’d like to build a beautiful playground using artificial grass, stop by your local Purchase Green store today. As always, we’re happy, helpful and happy to help!

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For many of us, our first – or only – exposure to artificial grass came by way of a sports field. There are thousands of artificial grass sports fields these days, many of which use Purchase Green artificial grass. Today’s synthetic sports fields are a far cry from the weirdly neon, short-fiber fake grass fields of yesteryear. Modern artificial grass fields generally fall into one of two categories – thatched or non-thatched grass.

Thatched Grass vs. Non-Thatched

Sports fields historically have been constructed using a tall fiber (50mm to 60mm / 2” to 2.4” tall) with a composite infill typically consisting of 30% sand, 70% rubber by volume. The exact amount of infill will be a function of the exact pile height and the density of the artificial grass. As an example, a 60mm, 40 oz. artificial grass will typically use 10 to 12 lb. per square foot of infill. Most folks that may inquire about a field do not realize how much infill is used and are not aware that there are newer, better systems that may be more ideal for certain sports applications.

People will call and ask for a quote on a traditional sports grass because they see the price on the website and assume it is the least expensive option for their situation. What they often don’t realize is that once you factor in the cost of the infill, a traditional sports field system is quite expensive.

Purchase Green carries thatched grass, such as our Vista Sport/Pet and our Southwestern Sod Sport, that are terrific grass for sport fields and require far less infill.

We also carry non-thatched, FIFA-certified grasses.

Regardless of which you choose, be sure to learn about the different installation methods for sports fields. There are several ways you can go – so it’s important to determine which is the right method for your application.

Impact Attenuation

Another factor to consider is the required/desired impact attenuation that is either achieved through the installation of crumb rubber infill or a shock pad. Here are a few sample systems for a traditional, outdoor field:

Example 1

(Traditional American Football System)

FIFA 2 Star – PG Diamond 60mm, 40 oz. turf
Sand Infill – 5 lb. per square foot
Crumb Rubber Infill – 7 lb. per square foot

Example 2

(Purchase Green’s recommended system for the same type of application)

Southwestern Sod Sport or Vista Sport/Pet
Sand Infill – 5 – 6 lbs. per square foot of sand/MellowFill mixture
16mm Shock pad

Example 3

(*If you cannot use a non-crumb rubber option*)

FIFA 1 Star – Thiolon – 40mm, 33 oz. Sports Turf
Sand Infill – 2.5 lb. per square foot
Crumb Rubber Infill – 2.5 lb. per square foot
16mm Shock pad
THIS IS A FIFA CERTIFIED SYSTEM

Example 4

(Purchase Green’s OPTIONAL system for an indoor soccer arena)

Vista Sport/Pet – 30mm, 50 oz. turf
Sand Infill – 2 lb. per square foot
8mm Shock pad

So why is example 2 a better system?

1. Initial Cost savings
2. Labor savings (you only have to install 5 lbs. per square foot of infill vs. 12 lbs. per square foot of infill)
3. The impact attenuation you achieve with a shock pad and the use of MellowFill is better than that achieved with an all rubber setup. Crumb rubber provides more point deformation/attenuation – resulting in a higher risk of ankle injuries. The shock pad and crumb rubber solution provides both area deformation / attenuation (from the shock pad) as well as point deformation/attenuation (from the infill.)
4. Replacement cost is substantially less. First, there is less infill to extract and reinstall – also better on the landfill. Additionally, a sports field is typically replaced every 8 to 10 years but the shock pad has a 25 to 30-year useful life so it will last through three field life cycles – making the cost savings on the second and third field even more significant.

Indoor Sports Arenas & Agility Training Areas

In this application you want to minimize the amount of infill – which is the reason products such as the Southwestern Sod Sport and Vista Sport/Pet were specifically developed. The problem with traditional sports turfs (and the corresponding heavy amounts of infill) installed in indoor applications is that they are messy (crumb rubber all over the place) AND they are difficult to move (in the event the facility owner ever wants to move into a new location, etc.) These indoor sports grasses are short (30mm vs. 50 to 60mm) but much denser (usually twice the number of stitches) – this construction style results in a very durable, wear-resistant artificial grass product. They require little to no infill – usually 1 to 2 lb. per square foot depending on the desired impact attenuation. And depending upon the owner’s budget and the amount of desired impact attenuation, they may also choose to use an 8mm or 16mm shock pad.

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But, like any sport, getting good at golf requires a lot of training. For those who’ve always dreamed of having their own personal putting green, or simply don’t have three or four hours a day to devote to going to a driving range or a lot of money to spend on green fees, installing a backyard putting green can be a cost-effective and convenient solution.

Artificial Putting Greens

We’ve all been there before, that moment of envy when we see pictures of how some industrious homeowner found a way to make their backyard even more awesome. From backyard putting greens to personal driving ranges, incorporating your favorite hobby into your backyard setup is every golfer’s dream, but for most of us, that dream may seem prohibitively expensive.

While installing a full 18-hole course on your property may be the epitome of impracticality (and if that’s your dream then we can’t help you there, sorry), practicing your game from the comforts of your own backyard is much simpler, and more affordable, than you probably originally thought.

Purchase Green Premier Putting Greens are the first texturized PE (Polyethylene) putting greens on the market. Here is a selection of our putting green grasses:

Putting Green Grasses

View our grasses recommended for putting greens.

Dark Olive Putting Green

These are beautiful dark olive putting greens. These grasses are an amazing 58 oz. face weight and 102 oz. total weight, so you get the performance of nylon with the durability, color resistance, and price of PE. Designed for golfers of all stages who want their practice green to perform like the real thing.

Tour Pro Putting Green

These are beautiful emerald color putting greens with an amazing 60 oz. face weight and 97 oz. total weight. You get the performance of nylon with the durability, color resistance, and price of PE! Designed for golfers of all stages who want their practice green to perform like the real thing!

Other Considerations

STIMP Rating

What is a STIMP rating? Why, it’s the result you get using a Stimpmeter, of course! Okay, so what’s a Stimpmeter? A Stimpmeter is a basically a metal ramp used to measure how far a golf ball will roll on a putting surface. Invented by Edward Stimpson, the Stimpmeter is used to determine a green’s STIMP rating. If a ball rolls 10 feet using a Stimpmeter, the green is said to have a STIMP rating of 10. Pretty simple. You can learn more about Stimpmeters and STIMP ratings by clicking here.

Backing Systems

Like our landscape grasses, Purchase Green’s artificial putting greens feature our industry-best backing system – a triple-layer, 8 oz. primary backing and a 32 oz. latex secondary backing.

Golf Accessories

Poles, flags, cups. and LED lights, Purchase Green offers a number of golf accessories to compliment your golf game.

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Increasingly, more property owners have come to appreciate pet friendly artificial grass as an alternative to natural grass surfaces. It offers low cost, low maintenance year-round beauty. In addition to the practical and aesthetic benefits of using synthetic turf, you can be assured that your dog or cat will love the surface just as much as you. A synthetic lawn looks and feels just like real grass, but will not irritate, nick, cut or stick in your dog’s paws. Synthetic turf frees pet owners of the hassles of protecting natural grass, such as when grass dies or turns yellow from urine.

It’s important to take the time to learn about the proper selection and installation of a grass best suited for homes with pets. How do you know which Purchase Green grass is best for you and your pet? Let’s take a closer look.

Benefits of Synthetic Turf

Besides artificial grass being a great option for dogs, it also eliminates the need to mow the lawn and is environmentally friendly. Synthetic grass cuts down on emissions from lawn mowers and does not require the use of pesticides or water. Here are a few of the other reasons so many pet owners are switching over to artificial grass:

• Eliminates maintenance like mowing, re-sodding, landscaping and re-seeding
• Reduces maintenance expenses
• Grass surfaces stay cleaner so dog paws don’t track soil, bugs, mud and other germs back into the house
• Reduces the presence of insects and allergens
• With artificial grass, you can be assured of a beautiful green grass surface that is a natural fit for your dog’s play and bathroom areas.

Recommended Grasses

Our full list of recommended pet friendly grasses is available here.

Things to Consider

The majority of Purchase Green’s grasses are suitable for pets. Some, however, may be a better choice than others depending on your specific needs.

Grass Blade Length & Shape

Grasses that are short and dense, such as the Pet Pro or Vista Sport/Pet, are very functional and easy to clean. They are an excellent choice for dog kennels, dog runs and dog parks. An item of note, however, is that very short, dense grasses are typically considered less natural looking. If you’re looking to balance function AND performance, a dense, durable 1.5” to 1.6” pile height grass is a great choice. Stay away from tall fibers and thin, fine fibers as these grasses are the most difficult to clean.

Infill Materials

Infill selection for pet areas is critical. Preferred infill types are HeroFill, MellowFill or Zeodorizor: Pet Turf Deodorizer. Both MellowFill and Zeodorizer help to reduce the ammonia buildup from pet urine. Stay away from silica sand infills in pet areas.

Zeodorizer

So how does it work? Zeodorizer infill contains zeolite, which is a natural, inert, non-toxic substance approved as an absorbent for spills in food processing facilities and complies with federal and state environmental requirements. The zeolite and the method in which its mined creates a product that traps and neutralizes even more ammonia from pet urine (the ammonia buildup in pet urine is what you typically associate with the smell). Zeolite is a negatively charged honey-combed molecular structure that absorbs liquids and gases like a magnet, preventing the ammonia from forming a gas.

HeroFill & MellowFill

MellowFill & HeroFill Infills are infused with (Zinc, ZPT, ZOE) anti-fungal protection. This fungastatic agent inhibits growth of mildew and algae. This product’s unique biocide chemistry controls odors caused by mildew, mold fungus, and algae and significantly reduces the odor caused by ammonia buildup in pet urine.

Backing Systems

Backing systems are what give a grass its strength. At Purchase Green we use a triple-layer primary backing and a secondary backing made of either 32 oz. of latex, 26 oz. of polyurethane, 20 oz of soy-based Eco Cell, or our PET backing system. Our backings are designed to allow for the aggressive drainage of water and pet urine.

Design and Installation

There are the three main stages of installation:

• Sub-base – drainage, slope and material.
• Prepared base – perimeter border, gravel and/or grid the artificial grass for dogs will cover.
• Apply artificial grass – cutting to fit, seaming, and securing.

We have a huge portion of our website devoted to teaching how to install artificial grass. For full instructions on how to install artificial grass check out the installation section of our knowledgebase or our DIY Portal for links to all our installation resources.

Pet Pads & Pet Accessories

Just looking to compliment a rooftop, patio, or some other indoor space? We also carry a large selection of pet-related accessories for synthetic turf including dog runs, pet pads, and cleaning supplies.

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So a little while ago you were considering artificial grass to beautify your home or business – easy decision, right?

No water, no maintenance (well, a tiny bit) and it looks great all year round. It even pays for itself in a few years and then…well the savings really start piling up after that. You’ll save water and help contribute to combating the drought. An easy decision. But now you’re off to your local Purchase Green store and, wham, 30 varieties of grass to choose from. How do you decide?

With so many options available, suddenly creating an awesome new synthetic lawn seems a bit more daunting. Among all the varieties of grasses, some of the differences are obvious, some are not so obvious and some are completely undetectable. In comes Purchase Green to save the day!

Throughout this website you’ll find a massive amount of information about artificial grass. In this section you can learn everything there is to know about the synthetic grass available at Purchase Green. So let’s start with the fundamentals.

Main Price Drivers of Artificial Grass

Face Weight

There are two primary price drivers in artificial grass. The first is the amount of yarn. Obvious, right? The yarn as it’s referred to is the actual blades of grass themselves. The face weight, then, is the measure of how much a particular yarn weighs over a square yard…or about 9 square-feet. Basically, it’s just like buying carpet in that it is typically (and weirdly) sold by the square yard and installed by the square foot.

An easy way to visualize this is to take our Vista Natural 80 and compare it to our Vista Natural 65. Vista is our proprietary, temperature-controlled, V-shaped fiber that is made for heavy traffic while maintaining a well-groomed look in lighter, lime-green hues. We call it “natural” because of our brilliant design that incorporates short, fake withering brown blades within the green blades that give the product amazing realism. Now, the product is either 80 or 65 because that is how may ounces those grasses weigh over a square yard…that’s the face weight. Both products contain the same yarn and backing system (more on that in a minute). The only difference is the Vista Natural 80 weighs more because there’s more material in it. And since there’s more material, it costs more than its 65-ounce counterpart.

Yarn Treatment

The yarn treatment is the other price driver. It’s not a matter of better or worse, just different. All of our grasses have the same backing system and the same warranty. We only use premium polyethylene resin and the perfect blend of UV inhibitors in our temperature-controlled fibers. But different treatments have different associated costs. Yarns (grass blades) can be treated to:

• Improve performance
• Reduce shine
• Reduce heat
• Reduce friction
• Improve softness
• Change the shape of individual blades

In each of these treatment types, there is a balance to be struck. As an example, generally the softer you make a yarn, the more you have to account for improving performance in the structure. Take our Nature’s Sod and Nature’s Sod Plush. These are two of the softest yarns we carry. But we also want them to perform, so we’ve designed the blades in an S-shape which helps maximize performance. The result is an awesome-looking, very soft, fiber that still performs. Hey, it’s the Purchase Green way.

Some people like to characterize variations of the same product as economy or premium. At Purchase Green all our fibers are premium. Our grasses feature an industry-best lifetime warranty and a 15 to 20-year useful life. It’s simply the treatments and material quantity that dictate the price.

Turf Backing Systems

Apart from the grass blades, there’s the backing system. While attributes such as matte finishes and cool, soft yarns are more readily identifiable, the backing system is one of those things that is not so easy to identify. It’s also where a lot of other folks fall short of Purchase Green standards.

Face weight includes the tall and short fibers, but not the geotextile fabric (primary backing) or glue coating (secondary backing). The primary and secondary backing make up the “backing system.” That’s what we’re going to explore next.

Primary Turf Backing

There are two primary options here:

Latex Backing

Latex is known for having a stronger tuft bind and better dimensional stability. Tuft bind is the amount of force it takes to pull a stitch of blades through the backing system. Dimensional stability is the ability of the grass to retain its shape and dimension while being used for its intended purpose (whether it be walked on, played on, or you just want people to stare at it and nod approvingly).

Polyurethane Backing

Polyurethane is known for being more pliable in the absence of heat, easier to install, and less likely to stiffen in really cold climates.

In both cases Purchase Green exceeds the industry standards by a long shot. In fact, we’ve set the standard, as there are a handful of folks who have begun to adopt the integrity of our line. For example, a standard polyurethane backing system uses 16 ounces to 20 ounces of the material. Purchase Green products use 26 ounces to 36 ounces. A standard latex backing uses 26 ounces of glue. Our latex products use 32 ounces. The additional 25 percent on our warranty and useful life is directly related to the 30 percent of additional primary and secondary backings.

Tuft Bind: What it is and Why it Matters

As mentioned, tuft bind is a measure of the force required to pull a stitch of blades through the backing system. Third party lab tests comparing our tuft bind to leading competitors illustrate that our backing system rocks! The tests illustrate that our latex and polyurethane backings both produce a tuft bind that requires a force of between 13 pounds and 14 pounds per square-inch. That’s a lot compared to leading competitors’ standard of 8 pounds per square-inch.

You may have heard people say about a particular subject that the details are “in the weeds”, meaning that to really examine a subject you have to look at all the little things. Well, our details are “in the grass” because at Purchase Green, we produce the best artificial grass. You can tell when you see it and when you feel it. And we have the test results to prove it!

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