Wanted to post some of my experience with my SureTurf installation.

For those who aren't familar, SureTurf is a grass seeding product. It comes
in rolls which are rolled out and then pinned down. The roll consists of
two layers; a bottom paper layer with seed imbedded in the paper and an
upper plastic cover which adds a greenhouse effect and assists with
germination. The paper holds the seed in place and degrades over a short
time. The product was mentioned on a This Old House project about 6-9
months ago.

Its is easy to install, but will probably take you longer than straight
seeding. Definately quicker and cheaper than sod and supposedly has a
higher germination rate than seed. Cost is somewhat hight, about $200 for
1400 square feet of product. The paper can be cut with a regular pair of
scissors to fit around bed, posts, etc.

There are some gotchas to the installation that you can see clearly in the
aftermath, but aren't all that clear to begin with. SureTurf's installation
instructions allude to these issues, but don't directly tell you about them.

1) Disregard the plastic spikes that are sent with the product, especially
on top of new or freshly tilled topsoil. Their spikes aren't long enough to
hold the product down in wind over 15 mph. Since the plastic stays in place
for a few weeks, during which you want to stay off the dirt, you want to get
this correct up front. Get some metal landscape staples and throw their
spikes out.
2) The installation instructions mention toeing the upper side of a slope -
you must do this everwhere. There are two reasons - A) on a large slope or
one with a high volume of water, even the smallest amout of unburied plastic
at the upper edge will get caught and ripped up. This will roll along the
entire sheet of plastic and rip up the whole thing. B) The product will
"creep" down a slope if not anchored fully at the top. I'm talking about a
1/2 % slope, its moves a good 6 inches along a 10 foot section.
3) Although the company's installation instructions don't mention it, I
found that shingling the strips for water flow was effective. Start at the
lower ends of a slope and install it going up. It doesn't seem to matter
whether you lay it out vertically or horizontally along a slope, although
I'd recommend the method that gives fewer seams - staked well at the top
(remember the creeping).
4) Definately analyze your slopes and water flow - toe in at the top of
every slope AND completely along each water flow area.

Results - we'll have to see. I'm only about a week into it, but thought I'd
post this helpful hints for others to avoid my installation mistakes. I
know that I will have to reseed at least 1/4 of the lawn because of
installation errors.

Right now - Despite my problems, I'd still recommend it if you've had
problems seeding in the past. At about 10 cents/square foot, the price
isn't that unreasonable. Work slow and be very careful with your
installation.

Brian