Artificial Grass Terms (and other helpful information)

Learn these artificial turf terms to speak 'the same language' with your turf supplier or local turf installer.

Defibrillation - Simply means to brush up or 'fluff' your turf against the grain.
When installing turf and for periodic maintenance, virtually all homeowners will manually brush up their turf with a coarse push broom or a carpet rake.  You can even 'spot brush' your grass by hand or use a hair brush like this one for those small areas or to make turf seams less visible or to remove knots in turf.

Power sweepers are usually reserved for the installer.

Turf Tip: When your turf is warm, the lawn blades will be much more pliable.  For best results, defibrillate your artificial grass when it's warm or hot.

Effective Turf Density - Face Weight / Pile Height = Effective Turf Density.
In deciding which turf to choose, most homeowners like to assess how 'dense' the grass is. 

Calculating Effective Turf Density is helpful when comparing Face Weights across turfs with different pile heights.  For example, compare A) 2 inch pile height turf at 100 oz. face weight vs. B) 1.5 inch pile height turf at 1.5 inch pile height.  Which is more dense?  Take 100/2 = 50 and 80/1.5 = 53.33.  The 80oz turf is actually more dense!  How can this be?  This is because, although the 100 oz turf has 25% more face weight than the 80 oz. turf, that additional 25% weight is distributed on blades that are 33% taller (2 inch vs 1.5 inch).

Face Weight - A measure, by weight, of the amount of 'lawn blades / thatch' that is in your grass (without the weight of the turf backing). The more 'lawn blades / thatch', the higher the Face Weight. Usually measured in ounces per square yard.

Face weight can be measured by taking 1 square yard of turf, removing the turf backing, and putting lawn blades/thatch on a scale to weigh it. The unit of measure is in ounces per square yard of turf (oz./sqyd)

Artificial turf's pile shape, length, density, and thickness, and the amount of thatch all affect artificial turf face weight.

Infill - a granular material such as silica sand or recycled rubber tires, granulated down into small pellets about the size of sand grains.

Artificial turf infill is distributed on top of artificial grass to keep the lawn fibers standing (sand or rubber) and to give the synthetic lawn cushion (rubber). Many modern residential turf options are of the no-infill variety and have thatch - curly lawn blade in between the lawn piles that take the place of infill. In some high inpact areas, rubber infill may still be recommended.

Limestone (finely-crushed) - You can do a quick google image search to see examples. There are different sizes available of this stone. Choose a finely granulated stone.  The fine granularity allows for enhanced compaction and smoother and more stable base for years.  Plus, you won't feel large stones when walking bare foot on your artificial grass.

No-Infill Turf - Artificial turf that hast 'thatch', curly fibers in between lawn blades that allow lawn blades to stand.

No-infill turf generally does not require sand or rubber granules to be spread between the lawn fibers  That said, if you choose a turf that is super light in face weight, you may still want to add infill to give your turf some added density.

Total Turf Weight - is Face Weight plus the weight of the turf's backing.
For example, if a grass's Face Weight is 48oz and it's Total Weight is 68oz, how much does this turf's backing weigh? Answer: 20oz. (See Face Weight.).  When comparing different turfs, ensure that you are comparing the same measure of weight.  That is, face weight against face weight or total weight against total weight.

Turf Lean or Turf Grain - This is the tendency of synthetic turf fibers to lay away from vertical. Turf lean can be decreased with the use of infill and / or by defibrillating or brushing the grass against the grain to 'lift the blades'.

Urethane Backing – The black coating on the back of artificial turf. Some turfs have multiple layers of urethane backing to support more traffic.
Generally, we've found that a turf that has a 20oz backing is sufficient for residential applications.

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Disclaimer:The information contained on this website is provided for general informational purposes only. It is not intended as nor should be relied upon exclusive of advice from turf manufacturers or turf installers. Rather, this free turf Information is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your artificial grass manufacturer, reseller, retailer or installer. Before you use any of the information provided in this site, you should seek the advice of a qualified professional.

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