On 10/21/11 6:42 AM, Loobylou_82 wrote:
Hi, I currently have an area of lawned garden which doesn't get much
sunlight and is more of a threadbare boggy mess at the moment, I have
two young children which are getting to the age where they can play
outside and I was just wondering if anyone has artificial lawn, what are
peoples views on it and where would be the best place to get it from.
Thanks

I have relatives and friends who have it, some in pretty good sized patches.
The best things I can say is that there is a difference in them, and you get
what you pay for. Installation is critical, and if you have any drainage
issues, address them BEFORE you put the grass down. Cheap stuff won't last
long. Maybe like a French drain.

Pay a reputable company, and get a good guarantee. I was skeptical of it at
first, but now have seen it down for 5-7 years, and it looks like new. You
do have to keep care of it, and I would say that means actually vacuuming it
to get organic debris and flying sand out of it and maintain the space
between blades. I can think of no reason not to do it, and if I had that
situation, I would not hesitate.

I just did 3500 sf of live sod, and it looks great. But that's in the
country, and I get cheap agricultural water. If I had a little spit of yard
or somewhere to cover, I'd go fake, and have one less thing to maintain.
Some of it, you have to get up to about ten feet from it to tell if it's
real or plastic. People say it may be too hot to walk on. My grandkids
have it in their yard, and they live in Las Vegas, and I have never noticed
it being hot to walk on. They could destroy an anvil, but have yet done any
damage to the fake grass.

YMMV

Steve