The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence – especially when the other side includes a playground that features No Fault SporTurf (synthetic play turf)!
Like any other business, the play equipment industry sees its share of technological innovation and trends. One of the hot trends we’re seeing these days is artificial turf installation at playgrounds and parks across America.
Synthetic grass is trending for a lot of reasons. It’s attractive, durable, versatile, and it’s saving schools and parks administrators lots of money and time in maintenance and upkeep.
No Fault SporTurf allows schools and parks to save money in water use, fertilizer, and grounds keeping. It also gives you more usage out of your play areas. Our synthetic play turf is better suited for playground areas than regular grass for several reasons. Let’s take a closer look at them.
Why Should You Consider Synthetic Play Turf?
It’s attractive. Today’s synthetic grass looks a lot like the real thing. In most cases, it’s even more attractive than a beautifully-manicured lawn.
It’s durable. Today’s high-performance systems provide a year-round, all-weather playground surface that can withstand heavy use.
It’s always ready. Your “grass” won’t need downtime for recovery between uses.
It’s low-maintenance. Synthetic turf is a weed-free surface that doesn’t need water, fertilizer, pesticides, or mowing.
It’s More Than Just a ‘Green Carpet’
At No Fault, we specialize in synthetic play turf for playground areas (although, as we’ll see, it also has other uses as well).
Today’s synthetic turf systems are “infilled,” meaning the synthetic grass blades are interspersed with sand and/or granulated rubber to provide stability and resilience. In some systems with lower pile height and less infill, there is a pad or elastic layer beneath the turf. No Fault’s play turf is infilled with a cooling sand designed to reduce the turf’s temperature.
No Fault synthetic turf systems are installed with a drainage layer, a multi-layered backing system, and resilient “grass” blades. We usually install our turf over one of two base layers:
Grass Is No Match for Kids
A grass field that is used more than 3-4 days a week is never going to look good. That’s why synthetic turf is a smart solution for playgrounds and multiuse areas where the natural grass cover has become unsafe, worn down, and sparse making for a muddy and unattractive area.
If a grass play area is used after heavy rains, the compacted, muddy ground you end up with could mean that grass won’t grow at all. And during the hot, dry summer months, you have to irrigate and apply pesticides and fertilizers, leaving you with a potentially unsafe area that kids should avoid.
Synthetic turf can be used daily and in all types of weather. You don’t have to worry about damage. Our turf is made from polyethylene, which is more resilient than the nylon and polypropylene. Its durable, long-lasting, and the cushioned coverage provides a safer area for children to play.
Artificial Turf Uses Less Water and Costs Less to Maintain
Maintaining grass playgrounds is expensive. On top of regular cutting, watering, reseeding, fertilizing and more, areas with heavy use have to be “refurbished” from time to time. This means laying sod over bare areas and keeping kids away until the new grass is established.
One of the main reasons artificial turf has become so popular, especially out West and in the South, is because of the water savings it offers. More than ever, school and parks administrators are looking to conserve water and cut down on the maintenance of their playgrounds and other play areas.
Synthetic turf has a higher upfront cost than other solutions. However, one playground system typically pays for itself in the first 3-4 years for schools and community uses.
What About Heat Concerns?
You may have heard about synthetic turf getting hot in the sun. It’s true that the type of product used in the infill can have a significant effect on the temperature of the grass. Our infill provides an average cooling range of 30-50 degrees and works naturally when hydrated by irrigation, rainfall, and dew. This advanced cooling technology also prolongs the life of the turf fibers.
Will No Fault Play Turf Fade?
Our synthetic turf is UV stabilized to protect against color fading. If you live in a cooler climate, or if your installation is shaded, you can expect it to look great longer.
How does it look? Take a look below. Earlier this year we had a customer who wanted both No Fault Safety Surface (poured-in-place rubber) and No Fault SporTurf for their play areas at The Nest – Center for Women, Children & Families in Lexington, Kentucky. We think using both surfacing products makes their play areas look “twice as nice”!
Care and Maintenance
You’ll want to protect your investment. That’s why synthetic turf needs to be maintained to maximize its lifespan. You’ll need to hose it down with water. For other spills and stains, a mixture of mild soap and warm water can do the trick as well as a half-and-half solution of vinegar and water.
A leaf blower or a light rinse with the garden hose may be all you need to wash away dust, dirt, and pollen.
It’s Not Just for Playgrounds!
The owners at Avanti Senior Living in Covington, Louisiana were extremely pleased with the No Fault SporTurf we provided and installed at their assisted living facility. The natural look of the turf created a beautiful, low maintenance courtyard for the residents to enjoy. Our partner for this project, Terry Hill with Womack Construction, stated, “We enjoyed having knowledgeable and professional No Fault installers as our subcontractor and will definitely use them again!”
No Fault provides coast-to-coast installation services to ensure consistent quality. Having knowledgeable and professional installers makes a big difference! In fact, you’ll find that every member of our No Fault team is professional, helpful, and knowledgeable. Please contact our team today for more information about the benefits our synthetic play turf can bring to your new playground areas.