What is Artificial Turf?

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What is Artificial Turf?
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'Artificial Turf' or 'Synthetic Turf' has been
talked about quite a lot in the past few years.
But, what really is it? We will try and explain
you what it is and how is it different from the
natural turf.
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Firstly, Artificial Turf, a.k.a. Synthetic Turf
is a type of surface that resembles natural
grass. It has been used quite widely in sports
arenas, commercial and residential properties for
landscaping, having a backyard golf course among
other usages.
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Artificial grass was created back in 1960 by a
team headed by David W. Chaney of the Research
Triangle Park. Although, Artificial turf came to
prominence in 1966 when AstroTurf was installed
in the Astrodome in Houston, Texas. Due to this
creation, David Chaney was declared by the Sports
Illustrated as "the man responsible for indoor
major league baseball and millions of welcome
mats." After this, the use of artificial turfs
became widespread in the 1970's in both indoor
and outdoor stadiums for baseball and American
football in the USA and Canada. Over the years, a
lot of research went into the synthetic grass
products and led to a lot of improvements in the
products both in terms of the look, feel and the
safety of usage.
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So, now that we know a brief history about the
fake grass, let us look at what is it made up of.
Artificial grass is available in 3 different
materials - polyethylene, polypropylene and
nylon. The material that is used for the
artificial lawn is dependent on where is it going
to be used and the budget available to spend.
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Talking about the best first, 'Nylon' is by far
the strongest and highest quality artificial turf
available. It is the sturdiest materials and the
grass can withstand even the weight of a vehicle
(say your car) if it is parked over it. It simply
bounces back once the vehicle is removed. It is
ideal for use in playgrounds as it is highly
resistant to friction created by kids running all
around the lawn. But the best quality of a nylon
turf is that, it has a multi-directional
interlocking design that makes it a perfect
choice for an indoor golf course.
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The slightly less expensive option is the
Polyethylene turf. The most important
characteristic of this kind of turf is that it is
extremely soft in its texture. This makes it a
natural choice when you are thinking of
artificial turf for play areas at home, in
schools or parks. This type of grass can be cut
to different heights, but it is advisable to have
a maximum height of 3 inches as it bends over on
itself if it is any longer than that. It is a
great option for your front garden, but you
should avoid it for your putting greens.
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Polypropylene synthetic turf is the most
economical option among the three materials that
has made it the most popular and used type of
artificial lawn. This turf can be a cheap option
for your backyard golf course due to its natural
stiffness. Saying that, as the blades of the
grass are only manufactured in one direction, the
ball also rolls easily in one direction. So, it
is not an ideal solution. Moreover, this type of
material is not able to tolerate temperatures
higher than 155 degrees Fahrenheit and is prone
to melting. So, please be careful about the
weather in your part of the country before
choosing this kind of turf.
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Sounds Interesting ? Then what are you waiting
for? Go Ahead and find out about your
Artificial Turf options on http//www.garden-ma
rk.com