All the subtleties of the selection and installation of artificial grass in the country

Not everyone has the opportunity to grow in their summer cottage natural lawn, which requires a lot of time and effort to regularly maintain its presentable appearance. An excellent alternative was artificial grass, which is often placed near cottages or small buildings. To make such a coating look no worse than natural grass, you need to take into account a number of nuances when choosing it. Modern building stores offer a variety of outdoor surfaces.

Artificial turf is a coating made of non-natural materials that mimic the natural green cover.The coating device is a pile fiber. It may have a different level of villous stiffness. This level depends on the material from which the lawn is made.

The coating can perform various functions at the dacha. Sometimes it is set temporarily after harvest. In this case, it makes the appearance of the garden more aesthetic and gives colors to the setting. Sometimes non-natural lawn is used as a permanent decorative element in the area near a private house.

Artificial grass is used as an element of landscape design. Sometimes it is filled with only certain parts of the garden. Important in this case is the combination of coverage with other decorative details of the site.

Initially, a non-natural lawn was used during football games at the stadium. It is much better able to withstand the load, unlike ordinary grass, specially grown for such purposes. About half a century ago, a roll covering was created - nylon lawn. The structure was similar to the carpet and could be successfully used not only in closed areas, but also in the open air.

The bottom layer of the product is designed to facilitate vertical drainage. It also provides coating strength. The main material for the substrate is polyethylene. As a second layer, quartz sand is used, which in combination with rubber crumb improves the strength of the product, contributes to its depreciation and durability.

Meet such a coating most often in the following areas:

• Landscape design of summer cottages;
• Paths that serve as passages in greenhouses or greenhouses;
• Recreation areas near the pools;

• The territory near the playgrounds for games;
• Finishing of floors on open balconies or terraces;
• Areas near buildings whose flaws need to be masked;

• Window dressing of boutiques or stands at exhibitions;
• Sports fields, golf courses.

For greater comfort, the coatings are equipped with special moisture removal systems. With their help, water that has entered the products will not accumulate.

Artificial turf has many specific characteristics.among which there are both positive and negative signs.

Product benefits include:

• Long service life of artificial grass. Coverage will maintain a presentable appearance for at least five years. Some models have record numbers as much as 15 years.
• Flooring is easy to implement on your own. In contrast to the laying of stone or brick, artificial turf does not require the obligatory invitation of experts and additional expenses.

• “Grass in rolls” perfectly fills the appearance of shadow places on the summer cottages. Since little sunlight penetrates there, it is difficult to grow natural lawn on these surfaces. In such cases, artificial coverings are a great alternative to the natural.
• Synthetic coatings are resistant to mechanical stress. They can play and run throughout the day, because after active exploitation their appearance does not change significantly.

• Decks of this type will be ideal for those who like to lie on the grass. You can choose the most natural to the touch cover, which, unlike the natural, will not soil your clothes.
• It takes more time to plant a grass and grow it than to lay a purchased garden carpet.You also do not need to spend money on the purchase of fertilizers and time for regular cutting and watering the lawn.

• Non-natural grass flooring resistant to temperature changes. It can be used at any time of the year, without losing its presentable appearance and not succumbing to the processes of decay due to the presence of a special moisture drain.
• A springy layer of the surface prevents the risk of bone damage from falling. Such a layer softens the blow and makes the space much safer for active games.
• The surface of the lawn is easy to get rid of dirt with a conventional hose with water. At the same time, the dirt will not be washed away, but will simply be removed to a special drain along with excess moisture.

Among the negative aspects of synthetic lawn stand out:

• High cost of coverage. If you choose a product for a long time, it is difficult to avoid large financial expenses. The state of the wallet will also be seriously affected by the covering of a large area. Additional costs will require the installation of areas with problematic relief. Only after a while, these expenses are compensated by the quality and condition of the lawn.
• The ability of an artificial surface to heat to very high temperatures. On hot days, a synthetic lawn not only heats up on its own, but also contributes to an increase in air temperature near its surface. This can cause discomfort during operation.

• From the point of view of concern for the future of the planet, environmental friendliness is not inherent in artificial garden carpets. They can not be recycled, which in the future will contribute to the accumulation of a large number of waste. You should ask in advance about the possibility of recycling products from manufacturers.
• The monotony of design. Choosing a false lawn on the site, keep in mind that in the future there will be not very many options to change its appearance. The only way out will be the services of landscape designers, who are often expensive.

Lawn grass, used for artificial decor of the cottage, includes several varieties:

• Lime Coating - polypropylene material of green color with the parameters of 1 to 2 m. With the help of this model of the covering, you can create lawn stairs, but they are not recyclable.

• Greenland - A cheaper equivalent of coverage for the site. It is sold in rolls of 25 meters each. The pile has a height of 0.7 cm. This artificial grass is ideal for creating decorative carpets. The material retains heat, so it is not recommended to use it in very hot areas due to rapid heating.

Landscape variation of artificial turf, which often includes colored coverings, is represented by the following types:

• Red grass with a long nap, reaching 2 cm. This product looks very creative and can really decorate and diversify the appearance of your site. But these models have less resistance to ultraviolet rays than their counterparts are green.
• Sometimes in the landscape use more restrained, but no less original shades, such as pink. Such models also have a long nap. Positive quality is simplicity in care.

Outside, artificial grass is often used in combination with garden tiles on paths and walkways between areas of the territory.In addition to the street, there is also flooring, which is used in the apartment to create a carpet-lawn.

Carpet in the form of grass "Gress Toll" has a small half-centimeter pile, which organically fits into the atmosphere of many residential premises. This option is suitable for use in apartments where allergic people live, because it does not emit any substances. The disadvantage is the need for additional installation work for the floor.

Sometimes buyers choose a floor covering for a house that imitates natural turf very accurately. Despite the small pile, carpets of such species as “Grass Toch” resemble real vegetation to the touch. But an unpleasant addition to such realism can be behavior on the part of domestic animals, which sometimes confuse such a coating with a real lawn.

Depending on the purpose of the coatings and peculiarities of the direction of the pile, several more groups of products are distinguished:

• The lawn is not used for decorative purposes only. Its difference is in maximum similarity with the natural grass cover.Such surfaces are easily exposed to mechanical stress, so it is not recommended to walk on them. It is residually elastic and does not require adherence to the silica sanding technique.

• The lawn with a polyethylene base or a half-batch coating has a higher strength due to quartz filling. This layer allows you to use this flooring for children's playgrounds or areas where they are engaged in sports.

• For heavy loads is suitable filling artificial grass, consisting of polypropylene. Such coverage can often be found in the fields for playing football. The base layer of this grass is covered, in addition to quartz sand, also with rubber granulate.

• The flower covering assumes an interspersing of small decorative flowers among the villi of artificial grass.

False lawn is used for landscape design and interior design of premises in various styles:

• In eco-style design of the floor covering or even the space on the wall or windowsill a decorative rug with a nap, imitating natural grass cover, can be used.
• If the areas covered with marble tiles are covered with lawn, installation of decorative sculptures near one of the borders will not be superfluous.

• Tiled area can also be located in the center of the lawn. It is often issued under a recreation area or a barbecue area.
• Along the edges of the artificial lawn, you can leave part of the natural soil for planting shrubs and trees.
• With the help of stone tiles, you can create patterns around the area covered with artificial grass. Such a stroke gives the site some features of antique design.

If you want to buy ready-made lawn, then you can choose the appropriate option in the stores according to the manufacturers' catalogs or use the services of online salons. If you decide to buy the coating "live", then you have the opportunity to personally check the quality of products and choose among well-known and trusted manufacturers. Online stores often offer cheaper product options, but online shopping scams are often found on the web, so you should choose with caution.

To find a high quality product, you need to pay attention to the following signs of coverage:

• Pile should combine such signs as resilience and softness. This will ensure its resistance to mechanical stress. At the same time the lawn will be pleasant to the touch.
• Features color and texture. It is recommended to give preference to matte products, because they are characterized by a longer service life. The quality of the coating is also indicated by the degree of closeness of the color of the lawn to the shade of natural grass. The more natural the shade, the better the product characteristics.

• Pay attention to the price of the roll. In relation to the garden lawn, the principle of proportionality of price and quality.
• Pay attention to the length of the pile. It often determines the scope of application of artificial turf. Longer villi are characteristic for landscape coatings. In appearance, such models are very close to natural plants, but it is preferable to use them only for beauty.
• Consider the number of beams, which falls on 1 square. m flooring. In order to hide the imperfections of the surface, you need to use artificial grass with a large number of bunches.

There are a number of basic tools that will help you to lay the lawn yourself.

These include:

• Cutter. With this tool you can trim a lawn sheet along the line you need.
• Edge trimmer helps cut the strips of artificial fabric.
• Special metal grip for leveling the coating on the site.
• Special metal cutter for trimming the edges of artificial products.

• Lawn fixer for docking seams before gluing.
• A two-component polymer-based adhesive that adheres artificial grass to a surface prepared in advance.
• The shock absorbing substrate is necessary as a direct base for mounting a lawn leaf.
• The seam retainer is used to raise the pile and provide a firm connection of the rolls at the joints.
• To put glue on the mounting tape, you should use a special mechanical tool for applying the glue substance.
• The brush is used to finish cleaning the surface from the remnants of the soil or building materials.

There is a special technologyaccording to which the laying of artificial grass on the site. It includes several stages and stages.

The first stage includes the preparation of the base coverage.

It comes from a variety of materials, but in the suburban areas the soil dominates. Stages of work:

• Soil should be cleared of vegetation.
• It is necessary to level the surface. For this, an additional soil layer is usually laid in those places where the level is lower.
• The soil surface is compacted using a vibrating plate or other tamping mechanism.

• After that, a drainage layer should be created, which will eliminate excess moisture. For this impose a double layer of rubble. One layer is the material of the fine fraction, and the other is the material of the middle fraction.
• To check the drainage layer, it is recommended to soak it with water in order to detect subsidence in advance and fill them with the necessary amount of material.
• The installation of the next layer depends on the base of the structure. In the case of a concrete structure, reinforced concrete is applied after rubble, and then geosynthetic materials must be fastened.If the installation used sand, then after the rubble there is a layer of granotsev. In the case of using only rubble after a small granotopev, a shock-absorbing substrate is installed.

• Before fixing the top layer of the roll fragments must be cut into the required size of the pieces. In case of need to create non-standard forms of coating, it is necessary to cut the material as economically as possible.
• The top layer of synthetic turf is attached using special adhesive mixtures in the next step.
• The final touch is the removal of excess building materials from the surface of the rolled lawn. The best option for this is abundant watering.

The material is a very important point for choosing the method of fastening the top layer of artificial grass and the use of additional materials.

When a rubber-based coating is chosen, in addition to sand, rubber components must be included in its filling. They contribute to giving the lawn extra strength and elasticity.

Plastic lawn is attached with a special adhesive that is applied to the cushioned substrate.For additional security, sometimes placing foam polymers under the top layer of the lawn. This option can be found at playgrounds.

Even at the planning stage of surface design using artificial grass, you should consider the standard sizes of sheets in rolls:

• The width of the strip is 40 cm;
• Length - 200 cm;
• Area - 800 square meters. cm.
• The thickness of each roll fragment is from 1.5 to 2 cm.

Among the coatings, in addition to the classic colors, there are also unusual colors - yellow, blue or white. A colored patch or line is needed to create a markup on the lawn area. Fans of landscape design can create on their site a two-color coating or decorate the surface with the help of drawings.

In order for the synthetic grass to retain its presentable appearance as long as possible, you need to listen to the tips and recommendations for lawn care in the area:

• Remove fallen leaves and other large dirt with a light rake.
• At least once a week, the surface should be rinsed for deeper cleansing.
• To prevent wear, replenish backfill a couple of times a year.
• Do not throw garbage on the lawn that is difficult to clean, such as chewing gum.

• Avoid cooking kebabs or making an open fire on or near the artificial turf. Fire significantly spoils the look of the coating.
• It is not recommended to remove snow from it during the period of frost. With the presence of snow, the villi will tolerate cold temperatures more easily. There is also no risk of breaking them during the cleaning process. Only when the positive temperature lasts for several days, can the snow be cleared.
• Grooming is not so necessary for patch grass, but it can be used to create patterns on the site. Due to the different lengths of the villi, you can diversify the area near the house with an interesting pattern.

In most cases, customers leave positive feedback on the green flooring they acquire for their plots. Artificial grass is produced by a fairly large number of firms whose products customers can compare with each other.

Many manufacturers from foreign countries are very popular.Products of the Dutch company Avalon are popular because of the high level of wear resistance of the lawn and a large range of coatings.

Among manufacturers of garden carpets, such companies as JUTAgrass and Kalinka have success with buyers. Buyers appreciate in them a huge variety of models that can be applied in various fields. Most public and private institutions prefer products of these companies.

Designers do not stop at the traditional laying of synthetic turf. They come up with interesting options that turn the plot in the country into works of landscape art.

Unusually looks like a combination of grass flooring with tile or stone, made in a checkerboard pattern. This design can be complemented by accessories such as marble vases, in which you can also see some plant varieties.

With the help of decorative lawn create fancy elements on the sites.Sometimes the relief is like furniture.

If you are setting up a volleyball court near the house, use the blue color of the lawn for this area. Such a shade will also look very unusual in the winter when the surface becomes slightly covered with snow.

Artificial turf is a great option for any summer cottage. With proper installation, such flooring will not only bring spring freshness and novelty into the atmosphere of your garden, but will also give you aesthetic pleasure every day.

The process of laying artificial grass and features of its installation, see the video below.