How Long Will Synthetic Grass Installation in Portland Take?

In a world where droughts are becoming more common and every home and business owner seeks to cut down on maintenance costs, synthetic grass is the future. This is especially true in Portland, where the hot summers, cold winters, and tall, shady trees make maintaining a natural lawn challenging.

Of course, opting for artificial turf brings its own set of questions. Is it expensive? What’s the cost to maintain it? What are the benefits it has over natural grass? How long does the installation take? We’ll answer these questions and more as we detail the facts about the synthetic grass installation Portland residents desperately want.

Why Choose Synthetic Grass?

Like any other plant, natural grass requires several components to stay alive and healthy. It needs sun (but not too much sun). It needs water (but not too much water). It needs to be regularly trimmed. It requires nutrients. It needs to be protected from too much rough play by athletes, children, and pets. If any one of these needs is not addressed, the lawn will turn an unsightly brown color and may die off completely, leaving large swaths of dirt in its place.

Synthetic grass has none of these requirements. It remains green whether it’s been heated by the sun all day, sat under a mound of snow all winter, or been installed in the shade of a hundred-year-old oak. The fact that a synthetic lawn doesn’t require water is probably the biggest benefit that home and business owners need. The monthly water bill for a natural lawn seems to be increasingly expensive each year, and synthetic grass eliminates that issue.

Besides the obvious benefit of not requiring water, synthetic grass has another key benefit over natural grass: it’s low maintenance. Synthetic grass doesn’t require mowing, which can save a great deal of money and time, but the benefits go beyond that: cleaning it is extremely easy. Unlike a natural lawn, a synthetic lawn can be cleaned much like a sidewalk is. In most cases, all you’ll need to do is hit it with a leaf blower or use a rake to gather up any dirt and debris.

Versatility is another major selling point of artificial grass. Whereas natural grass needs a certain amount of space to grow and thrive, artificial grass can be installed essentially anywhere, no matter how small or large the space. Want a lawn on a rooftop? Or indoors? Or a very small turf area to add some curb appeal outside a storefront? With synthetic grass, that’s all quite easy.

What Is It Made Out Of?

Synthetic grass needs to be made from a material that can appear quite similar to natural grass while also being highly resistant to ultraviolet light and corrosion due to rainwater. Currently, the most popular materials that fit the bill for this are polyethylene, polypropylene, and nylon. All these materials are commonly used in manufacturing. For example, polyethylene is commonly used to make plastic grocery bags. Using materials such as these has the added benefit of rendering the synthetic grass recyclable. Your synthetic lawn can be converted back into raw materials and reused, perhaps even as more synthetic grass at the end of its useful life.

The materials used to create synthetic grass are colored and pushed through an extruder until they resemble natural grass blades. These are then attached to a backing and woven in place, similar to that of the carpet fibers. The backing must be designed in such a way as to give the synthetic grass strength while also allowing for water drainage to account for the rain Portland is famous for.

Usually, the artificial grass is placed onto several layers of backing, made from different materials to ensure plenty of strength. It is then cut into sheets of various sizes, which are rolled up and shipped off to the contractors for installation.

How the Installation Process Works

Synthetic grass installation for Portland homes is now a relatively quick process. A qualified contractor, such as Sportech, can get the job done in one to two days in most cases. This is a lot faster than most home and business renovation projects.

Although it’s quick, the job needs precision. It’s not as simple as laying the sheets of synthetic turf directly on top of the soil. Rather, there must be a proper base first. This base is usually gravel since gravel offers great drainage. This is particularly important in Oregon, where regular rain and snow mean that your synthetic lawn will often have to deal with a constant assault from the elements. While natural grass can absorb a lot of rainwater, synthetic turf needs to have a dedicated artificial drainage system in place or puddles can form, which can render the area dangerous for people and pets.

Once the drainage system is in place, another layer is placed on it. This layer can be a thinner layer of gravel rendered totally flat by a bulldozer or similar piece of equipment. On top of this layer, a softer material, such as crumbled cork, is placed to give the synthetic grass the feel of the soft soil that a natural lawn grows in. Finally, the sheets of turf are cut exactly to size and secured in place with special nails designed for this task.

Finding The Right Company to Install Your New Lawn

If you need synthetic grass installed on your property, contact Sportech for a quote. We will be able to perform the installation quickly, regardless of the size of your project. The contractors at Sportech can also perform upkeep and maintenance on your synthetic lawn, helping it last for years at a fraction of the cost of a natural lawn.