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Artificial Lawn Installation Guide

Published on May 11, 2010 in Artificial Grass, Artificial Lawn, bay area, bay area artificial lawn, guide, lawn installation guide and synthetic grass. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , .

Cross-section

Are you researching the possibility of installing an artificial lawn for your home? Do the different companies and the artificial grass that they offer seem to all be about the same? Perhaps one of the biggest differences is what you CAN’T see, and that is what’s hidden beneath the blades.  This is the definitive guide to how an artificial lawn is installed – from start to finish with details on what should be best practice, and what you should watch out for.

First, make sure to take the time to investigate each company’s specific installation methods. Synthetic lawns should last 15 to 20 years. It is important that the installation process and materials are of the highest quality. There are good ways to go about installing an artificial lawn and there is the best way to go about the job. You need to know the difference.

Here are the procedures for installing an artificial lawn.

1. Excavation: Standard procedure in the industry for installing a residential artificial lawn is to first excavate the area to a depth of 3 ½ to 4 inches. If there is an existing irrigation system, most companies will cap it off or redirect your water for free. Removing the soil should also be part of the installation cost. If you do not need any excavation, a per square foot price reduction should apply.

2. Bender Board Installation: The best bender board is made entirely from recycled products. It is waterproof and won’t crack, rot or chip. It should measure 3 ½ by 1½, not 3 ½ by ¾. The best method of installation is to install the plastic bender board around the entire perimeter. This provides a secure edge for the installers to staple the grass to. They should use galvanized staples placed at three inch intervals.

Some companies will only put bender board where there are no existing concrete borders, such as the soft landscape areas that border flower beds. Unfortunately, this does not guarantee that tripping hazards will not develop over time or that critters will not lift up or burrow under the edges that are without bender board. This short-cut may save their company time and money but it is not best practice.

Some installers will use wooden stakes to secure the bender board in place. This is fine when the bender board is up against concrete boarders such as sidewalks and driveways because ultimately it will be pinned in place between the compacted substrate and existing concrete, but remember this: wood rots. Make sure that the installers use plastic stakes, not wooden stakes, out in the soft landscape areas, otherwise, the wooden stakes will rot over time and the bender board may capsize, ruining your lawn.

Most companies guarantee their installation for five years. It may take five years plus for the wooden stakes to rot and you could end up paying for the repairs yourself. Again, the bender board and stakes should be part of the installation cost.

3. Substrate Installation: Crushed granite will be brought in and raked out and compacted to 100% compaction. This provides excellent drainage for your lawn. The crushed granite should be installed in such a way that there is a slight crown in the middle which insures proper water run-off. Some companies use two inches or more of base rock and top it off with decomposed granite. This is how pathways in parks are constructed.

The problem with this method is that the decomposed granite gets harder and harder over time and also, it continues to decompose. Synthetic grass installed over decomposed granite feels like a carpet lying on pavement. The crushed granite remains firm but never hardens, which results in a more natural feel. Crushed granite is more expensive, which is why so few companies use it.

4. The Turf: First, a little information about the grass itself. Artificial lawns are basically large carpeted areas. In fact, there are only seven manufacturers of synthetic lawns in the United States and six of them are located in Dalton, Georgia, (the carpet capital of the United States).

The synthetic grass comes in 15’ rolls and has a variety of backings. The best backing is made from polyolefin. It is also know as Duroflo. It has a number of advantages over the more commonly used urethane backings: it is completely permeable throughout, rather than relying on holes punched into the backing for drainage, which can become clogged. It also functions as a weed barrier, which the hole punch variety can not guarantee. Finally, the backing and grass fibers are 100% recyclable. Synthetic turf using urethane backings are not.

5. Artificial Lawn Installation: The installers will roll out the artificial lawn and install it with some of the same tools that a carpet layer uses. They will custom cut and fit the lawn to the designated areas as they go using carpet knifes and carpet kickers. The perimeter will be stapled in place with pneumatic staple guns and galvanized staples. The area in the middle, known as the field, will be anchored in place with six inch galvanized foundation spikes placed at one foot centers. Think of these as really big nails.

Some companies use u-shaped ground hooks to anchor the grass down. These wire u-hooks are most commonly used to hold drip system tubing in place. They are easy to put in but unfortunately they also come out easily. They are very thin and they are not galvanized so consequently they will rust away over time. They will not last for the lifetime of your lawn.  Companies use them because they cost about three cents a piece which is about ten percent of the cost of the foundation spikes.

6. Blooming: Once the lawn is in place, the installers will use power brooms to ‘bloom’ the fibers to get them to stand up straight. If you have purchased a no-fill product, this is the final step. If not, the installers will fill in between the blades with sand and a top coat of rubber granules made from recycled tires.

A word about infill: it can be messy. It gets in your shoes and if you have kids, it will get in their shoes and clothes. If you have any pets, it will get into their paws. Water and wind move it around. It migrates. The reason no-fill products don’t need fill is because they have more blades per square inch and they also have an additional thatch layer which lives between the backing and about half way up the length of the blades. Think of it as the distinction between fine linen and regular bedsheets where the stitching per square inch makes the all difference.

Once your lawn is installed, the only tools you will need to maintain it is a nylon rake, which the synthetic grass company should provide, and perhaps a leaf blower.

If you happen to live in the San Francisco Bay Area and would like to speak to someone about installing an artificial lawn, feel free to call the professionals at onelawn. They will happily walk you through the process of installing an artificial lawn whether you buy from their or not. They can be reached at 1-877-661-5296 or one through the contact form on site.

TEN REASONS WHY BAY AREA ARTIFICIAL GRASS IS ‘GREENER’ THAN A SOD LAWN

Published on March 26, 2010 in Artificial Grass, Artificial Lawn, Green, bay area and synthetic grass. 0 Comments

The San Francisco Bay Area has always been at the forefront of  the ‘green’ movement.  Looking to preserve and conserve, more and more concerned residents are turning to artificial grass as a green alternative to “natural” sod lawns.

Natural lawns are anything but natural. Because they are not indigenous, they need an inordinate amount of watering, fertilizing, pesticides and maintenance to keep looking decent. This national preoccupation with maintaining a beautiful green lawn has resulted in some very serious environmental consequences.

Now that spring truly has arrived it is time to consider a kinder approach to residential lawns. Here are ten very good reasons why an artificial lawn is a greener alternative then a traditional sod lawn.

1.    GAS CONSUMPTION – Each weekend, roughly 54 million Americans mow their lawns! This results in the use of over 800 million gallons of gas per year.

2.    GAS SPILLED – According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 17 million gallons of gasoline are spilled all across America filling up lawn care equipment!  Just to give this fact some perspective: the Exxon Valdez oil spill is considered one of the most devastating human-caused environmental disasters of all time. That vessel spilled 10.8 million of gallons of crude oil, or 37% less than the gardeners of America spill each year. These spills result in a huge volume of emissions of hazardous air pollutants like nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide, and volatile organic compounds, like carbon monoxide. They also contribute to soil and water contamination.

3.    AIR POLLUTION – Lawn care engines, which have had unregulated emissions until very recently, emit high levels of carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides, producing 5% of the nation’s air pollution and 10% or more in metropolitan areas.  The  EPA also states: a single traditional gas powered lawn mower produces as much air pollution as 43 new cars each being driven 12,000 miles. That works out to be the equivalent of an additional 2,322 million pollution producing automobiles on the road every week-end.

4.    GRASS CLIPPINGS CREATE METHANE GAS – Grass clippings contribute to global warming by creating methane gas. Here’s how:  in a densely packed covered landfill, grass clippings don’t have access to the elements, especially oxygen, that help them break down. With the absence of air, sun and rain, grass clippings decompose and create methane, a potent greenhouse gas 21 times more effective at trapping radiant heat than carbon dioxide. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, the number-one source of human-caused methane emissions to the atmosphere is buried waste. In fact, landfills contribute 10% of the gases that are warming the globe. This is the reason that over half of the landfills across America do not accept grass clippings.

5.    PESTICIDES – Everyone knows that pesticides are bad for the environment. An estimated 70 million pounds of pesticides are applied to lawns in the U.S.A. every year – ten times more per acre than are applied to agricultural crops.

6.    FERTILIZERS – Keeping the grass green is anything but ‘green’.  40%-60% of the nitrogen fertilizer applied to sod lawns end up in surface and groundwater, contaminating and compromising the ecological health of our rivers, lakes, ponds and coastal waters.

7.    WATER USAGE – Did you know that landscaping accounts for almost 70% of the water Californians use at their homes?  In fact, a small lawn of only 1,000 square feet uses an average of 55,000 gallons of water each year.

8.    MOWER INJURIES – According to a report carried out over a period of 5 years in the USA, well over 60,000 Americans were admitted to hospital emergency rooms because of lawn mower accidents. The most common injuries were cuts and bruises but there were cases of bone fractures, limb amputations and even a number of deaths. Admittedly, the ride-on type of lawn mower was a contributor to the more serious types of accidents, however, power mowers and even push mowers were responsible for the lion share of injuries.

9.    LABOR – US citizens will spend three billions hours working on their taxes, whether they like it or not. Coincidentally, that is roughly the same amount of time they will be voluntarily spending maintaining their lawns! The hidden cost to the environment is the impact that the lawn care industry has on the environment: trips to the store, trucks on the road delivering goods, gardeners on the road servicing homes, factories mass producing lawn care products, super-freighters carrying imports, the list is long.

10.    HEALTH CARE – Sod grass contains microorganisms, pesticides, and herbicides which can harm pets and kids. Many people are allergic to grass as well.  There are no such issues with artificial grass.

If you happen to be living in the San Francisco Bay Area and are interested in an artificial grass synthetic lawn, please contact us here at onelawn™. We are committed in our pursuit of environmental best business practices. We are partners with Trees for the Future in planting one hundred trees worldwide for every one lawn we install. Please contact us at 1-877-661-5296 or visit our website at www.onelawn.com.

Lawnmowers vs Artificial Grass

Published on March 20, 2010 in Artificial Grass, Artificial Lawn, Green and bay area. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

So this is the last of the lawn-mowers bashing series. Maybe.

Lawn-mowers are such an easy target to dis…and now that the weather is warming up and people are wheeling out their mowers across the country, well, you have to wonder why the vast majority of these people are completely unaware of just how damaging that age-old weekly American tradition is. Here is one theory: who is going to blow the whistle on the majority?  As Pogo use to say:  “we have seen the enemy and it is us”.  We have all been members of the lawn-mower majority at one time or another.

Here is a more popular theory: the motors seem so small and the gas tanks seem even smaller! How bad can it be? It’s the sheer volume that gets over-looked. Even broken down by the week, the numbers are staggering.

Each weekend, roughly 54 MILLION Americans mow their lawns! This results in the use of over 800 MILLION gallons of gas per year while producing tons and tons of air pollutants. Lawn care engines, which have had unregulated emissions until very recently, emit high levels of carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides, producing 5% of the nation’s air pollution and even more in metropolitan areas. These figures can be found on the EPA’s website.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also states: a single traditional gas powered lawn mower produces as much air pollution as 43 new cars each being driven 12,000 miles.

Wow, that’s impressive. Let’s see… 54 million x 43… that works out to be the equivalent of an additional 2,322 million pollution producing automobiles on the road every week-end. Hey, get a push mower, will ya? Or better yet relax, reclaim your lost weekends and get a carefree, water-free and 100% recyclable artificial lawn installed.

If you happen to be in the San Francisco Bay Area, onelawn should be your first choice in synthetic grass. Not only does onelawn and The Good Nature Company have a beautiful artificial grass product, their sur-stay installation method is a superior engineered system. Check them out at www.onelawn.com

Artificial Grass = No Mower Gasoline Spills

Published on March 12, 2010 in Artificial Grass, Artificial Lawn, Green and bay area. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

American homeowners and their helpers are just plain clumsy. That’s right, I said it. Clumsy.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, American homeowners spill 17 million gallons of gasoline annually in their bungling, fumbling attempts to add fuel to lawn and garden equipment.

17 MILLION GALLONS of gasoline spilled all across America! Why isn’t this phenomena  making national headlines?

Just to give this fact some perspective, imagine this: The Exxon Valdez oil spill is considered one of the most devastating human-caused environmental disasters of all time. That vessel spilled 10.8 million of gallons of crude oil, or 37% less than the gardeners of America spill each year.

These spills result in a huge volume of emissions of hazardous air pollutants like nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide, and volatile organic compounds, like carbon monoxide. They also contribute to soil and water contamination.

So how can the gardeners of America go green and still enjoy lawns that have the look and feel of a sod lawn? The answer is to install artificial grass.

For those homeowners who live in The San Francisco Bay Area,  onelawn™, a line of estate-quality synthetic grass developed and installed by The Good Nature Company,  is  the most realistic and affordable artificial lawn available. Contact onelawn™ for a free, no obligation in-home consultation today.

Artificial Grass: No Mow Grass Clippings!

Published on March 9, 2010 in Artificial Grass, Artificial Lawn, Green, Uncategorized and bay area. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

My last entry described the very real possibility of injuries resulting from the use of lawn mowers. A few people thought the odds were with them on that one. Fair enough. Next time you hear your fence getting whacked by a rock picked up by your lawn mower blade, you might want to think about those odds again…however, today I want to cover a sure thing and that is grass clippings.

Those little green clippings seem innocent enough, and you’d think they’d just break down nicely like the table scraps in your backyard composter, but grass clippings dumped in landfill actually contribute greatly to global warming.

The reason grass clippings contribute to global warming is that in a densely packed covered landfill they don’t have access to the elements -especially oxygen- that help them break down in an aerobic process (unlike a well-functioning compost pile). With the absence of air, sun and rain, grass clippings decompose anaerobically (without oxygen) and create methane, a potent greenhouse gas 21 times more effective at trapping radiant heat than carbon dioxide. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, the number-one source of human-caused methane emissions to the atmosphere is buried waste. In fact, landfills contribute 10% of the gases that are warming the globe.

For this reason, many countries around the world and approximately half of all of the landfills in the U.S. have made it illegal to landfill grass clippings. Additionally, grass clippings rot in the landfills, introducing pesticides and fertilizers as well as creating leachate which ultimately contaminates our community drinking water supplies.

The average lawn produces clippings at a rate of about 7.25 pounds per square foot each year. The average lawn measures approximately 650 square feet, resulting in a total of 4700 pounds or 2.35 TONS of clippings a year per lawn! That’s just a single lawn, folks.  Last year Americans threw away a stunning 31 MILLION tons of grass clippings. Is there a “greener” grass out there?

If you want the look of a sod lawn but want an eco-friendly alternative, you should consider a product like Onelawn, an artificial grass that is 100% recyclable and will last 15 to 20 years. That’s 15 to 20 years of NO CLIPPINGS, which means no landfill, no methane gas and no water pollution. And did I mention no more mowing? Save your back and help save the planet.  Install a synthetic lawn today! If you are interested in the San Francisco Bay Area artificial lawn of choice, contact onelawn toll free at 1-877-661-5296.  www.onelawn.com

Artificial Grass Shouldn’t Need Infill

Published on February 15, 2010 in Artificial Grass, Artificial Lawn and bay area. 0 Comments Tags: , .



If you have done any research regarding artificial lawn installation, you will have learned that almost every synthetic grass company out there require infill as part of their synthetic grass installation process. This practice dates back to the development of AstroTurf type athletic fields… a practice that continues to this day. What is infill, you might ask? Infill is a mixture of playground sand and cryogenic black crumb rubber made from recycled tires. There are five basic reasons why athletic fields use this infill:

  1. The blade count on the turf is kept at a minimum to keep the cost of the synthetic grass down, therefore infill is required to make the sparsely populated blades of grass stand up.
  2. The infill helps protect the blades from the grind and torque delivered by the athlete’s shoes.
  3. The infill helps provide some cushion for the athlete when they fall on to the turf.
  4. The weight of the infill (five pounds per square foot minimum) helps keep the turf in place.
  5. The infill helps hide imperfections of the product and/or of the installation.

While all these points may be a good idea if you are planning to have 350 pound linemen scrimmaging on your front lawn on a daily basis, they are bad ideas if you are looking for a beautiful natural looking lawn for your home. Here’s why:

  1. The playground sand gets very hard as time goes on – and because it stays wet much longer, the sand becomes a prime environment for the growth of bacteria.
  2. Pet waste products get trapped in the sand and rubber, creating an unsanitary and smelly condition.
  3. When black rubber heats up, it has the potential to off-gas, making an unpleasant odor.
  4. The dust given off by rubber fill can potentially be harmful to the respiratory system.
  5. The black rubber infill significantly raises the temperature of the grass on warm days to uncomfortable levels.
  6. Infill migrates: the wind blows it around, it gets washed away, it gets into your shoes and into your pet’s paws, which means it ends up in your house and in your car.
  7. Because infill migrates, the black rubber will also need to be periodically refilled.  This is especially true if any slope exists in the lawn.

So you might ask why would any company use infill for residential synthetic lawns? The simple answer is that their artificial grass products do not have enough blades of grass per square inch to stand up without infill. Similar to the different qualities of bed sheets, where a higher thread count means a silky soft texture, a higher blade count in an artificial lawn means a softer, thicker, more lush look and feel and no infill!

San Francisco Bay Area artificial grass onelawn™  not only has a very high blade count but also has a layer of thatching below the blades that adds durability without sacrificing the beauty and natural look of this estate quality product. This combination allows the onelawn™   line of products to be entirely fill-free.

Contact onelawn™ today, get a free in-home consultation and see and feel this beautiful product for yourself.

Top 5 Reasons for a Bay Area Artificial Lawn

Published on February 5, 2010 in Artificial Lawn, Green and bay area. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Residents of the San Francisco Bay Area have pushed the boundaries over the years.  The Bay Area is known to be the home of a forward thinking populous in terms of environmental concerns, technology adoption, and equal rights.   When a nationwide problem arises, a solution often originates from Northern California.

One recent concern Bay Area residents have faced is a three year California drought, which despite recent heavy rains, has pushed homeowners to conserve water through any possible means.  Installing Artificial Lawns instead of traditional water-thirsty sod lawns is one clear way that forward thinking Bay Area homeowners have combated the drought so far.  However, artificial lawns are not only relevant because of the drought – they also provide a solution to  other problems that the country faces as a whole, including economic concerns.

I’d like to take this opportunity to list the top 5 reasons for Bay Area residents to consider installing an artificial lawn.

1. Eco-Friendly Lawns - Bay Area residents are know to be extremely eco-friendly.  Long before global warming became a ‘global concern,’ San Francisco homeowners were recycling, composting, and driving hybrids.  That’s why many residents are taking to artificial lawns that are far better for the environment than their sod counterparts.   Artificial Grass requires no water, compared to the average 57 inches a year of water that a sod lawn requires.  A Bay Area Artificial Lawn also uses  none of the harmful pesticides or fertilizers that are used on normal lawns, which continually contributes to contaminating the environment around us.

2. Cost Saving Benefits – After last year’s economic woes, if Californians have learned anything, it’s to implement cost-saving strategies ahead of time.  Artificial Lawns are on par with Solar Panels or good home insulation in that they are eco-friendly and also have long term cost saving benefits.  With almost no maintenance required, an artificial lawn will pay off its up front cost within 4 years, and from that point forward will save money for the Bay Area homeowner.

3. Child Safe Lawns - The future of the Bay Area rests in the hands of the children.  Making Bay Area homes and the surrounding areas as safe as possible for the next generation is integral.  Artificial Lawns provide the perfect place for kids to play – no mud, no grass stains and no allergies.   The synthetic surface also provides a sanitary place for playgrounds that are often full of germs and bacteria.  On top of that, an Artificial Lawn dries extra fast so kids can play outside soon after a storm.

4.  Pet Friendly – Bay Area residents are known for their love of animals – just take a stroll in San Francisco and you’re likely to see every other person walking side by side with a beautiful dog.  Artificial Lawns provide a great option for all those Bay Area homeowners / pet lovers by providing pet grass that is easy to clean up and won’t wear down due to pet waste.

5.  Perfect for Putting Greens – Finally, for those Bay Area golfers that just can’t stay away from the greens, Artificial Grass provides a great surface for a putting green.  Artificial putting greens have a uniform grass density and height, which makes the surface the perfect place to practice putting at any time.  Artificial greens are also far easier to maintain than natural grass greens which require constant attention.

Bay Area residents are installing Artificial Lawns because they are often one step ahead with integrating efficient and attractive new technologies. onelawn™ is the Bay Area’s premiere artificial lawn company, providing  affordable and efficient installation for Bay Area homes and businesses.  Contact onelawn™ today and get a free in-home consultation for installing your Bay Area Artificial Lawn.