Category: Artificial Lawn Experiences

Concerns that artificial turf play areas may pose health risks have been proven to be unfounded, after a peer reviewed study conducted by four state agencies in the USA found that outdoor play areas containing crumb rubber infill did not pose a danger to children or adults.

The assessment only identified issues with one indoor play area, which did not pose an elevated health risk but did highlight the need for proper ventilation. The Wilton Bulletin reports that all outdoor play areas reviewed by the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering received a clean bill of health.

“This study presents good news regarding the safety of outdoor artificial turf fields,” said Department of Public Health Commissioner, Dr J Robert Galvin.

“What we’ve learned from this study in Connecticut will provide valuable guidance to municipalities, schools, and others who operate or are considering installing artificial playing fields.”

Play areas made of artificial grass are becoming an ever more common sight in schools worldwide, allowing educational institutions to reduce maintenance duties as well as save water and eliminate the need for pesticides.

Not only does synthetic grass save time and money, but it’s also being increasingly recognised globally for its environmental benefits too. The Swiss Residence Abu Dhabi recently laid artificial grass outside its buildings as part of the larger Swiss Environment Initiative, which embraces synthetic grass for its water-saving potential.

The Swiss Ambassador to the UAE, Mr Wolfgang Amadeus Bruelhart, explained: “Switzerland has worked very hard over many years to become one of the most environmentally friendly nations and we are taught from an early age to look for ‘green’ options whenever we can.

“Saving water is one of the most important issues today, and artificial grass can help do just this as it does not need watering.”

According to Business Intelligence, the cost of installing artificial grass can typically be paid back in less than four years, in terms of the money saved on watering and other maintenance. Not having to use a lawnmower can also be highly beneficial for the environment, as using one petrol-powered lawnmower for an hour can cause as much pollution as 10 cars.

Dogs love to play, and having their own garden to roll around in at their leisure can ease the strain on their owners of having to find a public park nearby, something that can be especially difficult in built-up urban areas.

Of course, the downside of letting your dog roam free in your garden is that the lawn can soon become a dirty, muddy mess, especially in bad weather - that’s why more dog owners are turning to artificial grass to provide a low maintenance play surface for their canine companions whatever the weather.

Some dog owners worry their animals won’t take to an artificial lawn as eagerly as they do to natural grass, but a synthetic play area has plenty of advantages to owners as well as pets: dogs will be able to play in all weather conditions, without having to be cooped up indoors when the ground is too soggy or too hard and dry, and their owners won’t have to deal with muddy paw-prints on the carpets.

In fact, the only thing your dog may miss is being able to dig up the lawn - which should come as a relief to owners.

Soft artificial grass can be an ideal environment for dogs to play in, and will remain free of stains and smells, however hard your dog tries to leave its mark. It’s easy to scoop up waste, and no odours will be left behind if you’re hosting barbecues or garden parties.

With the recent news that more people will be turning to artificial grass to combat summer droughts, many dogs across the UK will surely be thanking their owners for their new all-weather play areas.

Just as Brits are starting to embrace the warm weather with barbecues and garden parties, the nation’s lawns are already turning brown, due to lasting damage from the coldest winter in 30 years combining with the hot and dry summer.

According to the Telegraph, England and Wales received only half their typical rainfall for May and June (average 34-35mm), and wet weather isn’t expected to return in full force until at least September - which will leave many home owners disappointed when looking out over their barren gardens this summer.

Even public gardens like the RHS Wisley and Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew are suffering from the drought, combined with diseases left over from the wet autumn and winter that are still affecting gardens nationwide.

With no amount of treatment seeming to restore the healthy appearance of lawns, ever more people are turning to artificial grass as an all-weather solution for a fresh looking lawn. Not requiring the expensive and time-consuming maintenance of natural grass, modern artificial lawns look every bit as good as the real thing, with the advantage that their UV stabilised tufts will look fresh and vibrant even in the driest conditions.

While the dry weather will continue to hit all areas of the UK throughout the next few months, homes in North West England could be particularly affected, with hosepipe bans expected to come into force shortly. Even areas that are not hit by watering bans could still face steep charges when irrigating natural lawns - especially as more water supplies are now metered.

By installing synthetic grass in their gardens, Brits can avoid the increasing costs of maintaining a natural lawn. Artificial grass is guaranteed for up to 10 years, but garden owners can expect a much longer lifespan than that from their synthetic lawns, with most lasting between 15 and 20 years to provide a long-term solution for a greener garden.

With the Met Office predicting one of the hottest summers in recent history heading our way, there’s sometimes no better way to enjoy the British summertime than by relaxing in your own garden. But for those who suffer from allergies such as hay-fever, ‘relaxing’ can be easier said than done.

Hay-fever is a common condition that affects as many as one in four of the population - that’s over 10 million people in England alone who suffer from sneezing, itching and other sources of discomfort when trying to enjoy the great outdoors.

Fortunately, although country walks may still present a problem, taking steps to reduce the effects of hay-fever in your own back garden can be simple when replacing your natural lawn with artificial grass.

Not only will an artificial lawn be safer for allergy sufferers, but synthetic grass also doesn’t require maintenance. Considering grass cuttings can be one of the main sources of hay-fever, this means a lot more than just saving you the time involved in mowing the lawn!

While replacing your natural grass with durable synthetic turf won’t cure your hay-fever, of course, it can be a great preventative measure, and go a long way towards letting you unwind in the summer. Other steps you can take to minimise the effects of hay-fever include wearing large or wrap-around sunglasses to protect your eyes from airborne pollen, and keeping doors and windows closed to make sure you don’t suffer when inside.

Even beyond alleviating allergies, there are many more advantages of upgrading to artificial grass this summer - not least the fears over water shortages that are already seeing communities being advised to limit their use of hosepipes and sprinklers. Because artificial grass doesn’t need to be watered - and is UV stabilised to keep its fresh and natural look even in dry conditions - synthetic lawns are ideal solutions if you’re looking to do your bit towards helping with water shortages in your area.

If it’s not the World Cup that’s on everyone’s lips, it’s the return of Big Brother that’s got tongues wagging as the iconic TV show enters its final year. Along with a new batch of colourful characters and bizarre challenges making sure the show goes out with a bang, the iconic house in Elstree has been kitted out with some intriguing new areas for series 11 - including brand new rooms in the garden.

The Big Brother garden is a core area of social interaction between the housemates, and is fitted with artificial grass, which is perfectly suited to stand up to the ever-changing weather of the British summertime and always looks great under the scrutiny of the TV cameras.

The Big Brother garden was once again fitted by Evergreens UK, the leading supplier of artificial grass and event flooring in the UK. The series’ production company Endemol decided that natural grass was unsuitable for use in the house several years ago, and called in Evergreens UK to fit synthetic lawns for several series of Big Brother as well as Celebrity Big Brother. These lawns were fitted in just one day, during construction of the house.

The new artificial lawn for the current series is 120 square metres in size, and uses durable artificial grass that keeps its shape and won’t show signs of wear and tear even under the feet of housemates for the next few months - it also won’t add muddy footprints to their list of cleaning duties.

This year’s Big Brother garden may end up hosting the most activity yet - and not only thanks to the great weather! The ‘natural world’ theme of this year’s garden has seen the construction of a unique room named The Nest, which Channel4.com says contains enough chairs to comfortably contain all the housemates. Viewers can be sure that this outdoor room will be the scene of many dramatic encounters over the course of this landmark series.

We are conducting a survey on artificial lawns that have been installed by customers or installation companies. We are looking for comments on how it went, did you encounter any problems during installation?, also ideas and tips you have for new customers looking to install an artificial lawn. We would also like your thoughts on your decision to install an artificial lawn. Please use the comments link below to submit your thoughts to help our customers and us.