DIY Turf Blog

3 Tips to Avoid Damaging Your Synthetic Lawn

 

Generally speaking, synthetic lawns are far more durable than a natural lawn. As many people know, natural lawns are subject to damage from pets, or heavy foot traffic, or the changing seasons. With synthetic grass, these are not issues, but there are some other things to consider. Despite this, artificial grass can be damaged from caustic chemicals, severe heat, sharp objects, and everything else that can damage plastic and polyethylene.

Installing a synthetic lawn is definitely a large investment. If you want your investment to be worth it, you’ll need to know how to maintain and protect your turf. Here are the things that you’ll want to avoid to maintain your synthetic lawn.

 

Extreme Heat

things that damage artificial grassWe’ve seen some strange things at Artificial Turf Express. One of the things we saw was someone with artificial turf, who accidentally left a gas-powered leaf blower on the turf. Unfortunately, the radiating heat from a gas-powered tool is very likely to damage the turf. In this case, it caused the turf to melt. If this is the case, it’s advisable to find a similar product and patch the melted spot, or to contact a professional installer.

Another potential hazard is getting your synthetic lawn installed near a barbecue grill or fire pit. The embers can get on the turf, which will definitely cause damage. Stray embers will melt the polyethylene and threads.

Chemical Spills

things that damage synthetic turfThere are several chemicals in pesticides, which can significantly damage your turf. Although you won’t be using lawn care products on your synthetic grass, you may be using them on other plants in your garden. These chemicals can be very caustic for your turf, which will degrade the turf.

You should always avoid getting paint on artificial turf. They get absorbed into the turf backing, and are nearly impossible to fix. Paint should always be pour over cement, never over the turf. If you’re painting a fence near the turf, just make sure to lay down a towel. Water and acrylic paints can be rinsed away if they aren’t allowed to dry. Conversely, oil based paint and other oils are likely to be absorbed, which can discolor the blades or grass.

 

Avoid Sharp Objects

Tips to Avoid Damaging Your Synthetic LawnKnives and garden tools can definitely damage artificial turf. When installing turf, we always use sharp blades to cut the turf to fit certain dimensions. It’s essential to remember tools like this away when you aren’t using them. A careless fall can permanently damage the turf, requiring an expensive repair.

Even are most durable products are not immune to certain types of damage. If you have a synthetic lawn, being aware of these tips can be the difference between maintaining your turf or costly permanent problems. If you need turf for repairs, you can contact our office in San Jose to see if we have remnants. Hopefully we can help!