Need advice on area surrounding pool

[Grayson73]

If you get a high quality brand of turf (i.e., not cheap stuff used to make backyard putting holes), then it can look very real. I have over 800 sq ft of turf in my backyard and it looks great. It's is zero maintenance except for the occasional leaf blower and turf rake to fluff it up and it doesn't use a drop of water. If you lay down over a good layer of DG fill and use landscape fabric, there will be no weeds or insects on it at all.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk,16k gal SWG pool (All Pentair), QuadDE100 Filter, Taylor K-2006

What are some of the high quality brands?

 

[Lou.]

Since the back near the fence is narrow, I'd like something that we could walk on barefoot, so pea size gravel seems like a good idea, but I'm afraid that it will go into the pool and filters. Artificial turf seems like a good idea but will it look tacky?

For the area on the right side, pea size gravel might work since it's far from the pool.

There are different sizes of gravel. Go up a couple levels just make sure can't fit down into this pool filter.

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[Lou.]

Now that the weather is warming up, I'm ready to get estimates. Where do I go to find companies to give me estimates? Do I look for landscapers or pool specialists?

I got mine at home Depot.

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[Grayson73]

Thanks for everyone's advice. I've gotten quotes and samples from 3 artificial turf companies now. I'm having a hard time determining which is the best turf. I can go by feel and look, but durability is hard to determine other than comparing the warranty on the turf and labor.

The turf brands are Synlawn, Challenger, DuPont, and SoftLawn.

 

[bigevilgrape]

I'd get a flame weeder for the brick.

 

[Grayson73]

Do you recommend infill for the turf?

One company said Filter cloth, perimeter board, 3" CR6, 1" stone dust, no infill because their turf doesn't require infill.

Another company said 3" base, Trex board, silica sand

A third company said 3” compacted base, PVC nailer boards underground around entire perimeter, Envirofill acrylic coated infill product

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Do you recommend infill for the turf?

One company said Filter cloth, perimeter board, 3" CR6, 1" stone dust, no infill because their turf doesn't require infill.

Another company said 3" base, Trex board, silica sand

A third company said 3” compacted base, PVC nailer boards underground around entire perimeter, Envirofill acrylic coated infill product

Our turf was hemmed in on all sides by hardscape and walls so there was no need to add any perimeter board materials. Our installer did 4" nail spikes straight into the underlying fill (DG material) without any nail board underneath. It's help up just fine and I've never had any of the spikes come up. Local soil conditions are going to dictate what is needed and that will vary a lot by geographic location.

If weeds are a huge problem, then using landscape fabric underneath might help but our installer did not use any weed barrier material and I've never had a problem.

 

[1herm4]

Option three would be my choice. A nailed perimeter will insure the turf wont come up and allows the installer the ability to tuck the edges. Infill will add weight and allow blades to stand up giving a more natural look.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

You have to careful with top-fill materials. If the turf is going to be travelled on, any type of top fill (infill, sand, etc) will get dragged out. For a static section of turf that is for purely aesthetic look, infill provides a nice "look" to turf. If the kids are going to play on the turf and infill or sand is there, it's going to get kicked around. Also, the use of top fill materials makes using a leaf blower for cleanup harder as the blower will scatter the top fill around. You can still use a turf rake with top fill material but clean up is A LOT easier with a blower.

 

[Grayson73]

You have to careful with top-fill materials. If the turf is going to be travelled on, any type of top fill (infill, sand, etc) will get dragged out. For a static section of turf that is for purely aesthetic look, infill provides a nice "look" to turf. If the kids are going to play on the turf and infill or sand is there, it's going to get kicked around. Also, the use of top fill materials makes using a leaf blower for cleanup harder as the blower will scatter the top fill around. You can still use a turf rake with top fill material but clean up is A LOT easier with a blower.

Thanks for the info. I asked and they said "Once it is broomed in you can't see it. Blowers won't move it around. It's in the lower thatch layer. "

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Thanks for the info. I asked and they said "Once it is broomed in you can't see it. Blowers won't move it around. It's in the lower thatch layer. "

That's great to hear. Can you share pics when they do the installation? It would be great to see what they do.

When we went to our local Home Show a few years back, the turf samples I saw with the infill did not look stable. I could run my hand through the turf and you could see the infill pop up and out of the thatch. The installers I talked to said the infill definitely gives the turf a more realistic grass look but it also added to the maintenance complexity as the infill would move around and had to be periodically refreshed. That was several years ago so, like any new products, I bet the infill has gotten better since then.

Either way, best to go with what the installer thinks is best. They put the stuff down day-in and day-out so they should know what works the best. Good luck with the installation and I hope you love having turf...I definitely love my backyard and the near-zero maintenance the turf provides.

Best wishes,

Matt