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Hot take: artificial turf isn't worth the hype after my neighbor's story
Talked to my neighbor Dave last weekend and he said his fake grass hit 150 degrees in the July sun here in Phoenix, making it unusable for his kids and dogs. He's ripping it out after just 18 months. Has anyone else seen turf turn into a heat disaster like that?
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sean_torres7117d ago
Did you ask Dave what kind of base layer he had put down under the turf? I've seen a ton of people skip putting in the right underlayment or drainage, and that's what really turns it into a heat trap. If you do turf right with a good 2-3 inch base of crushed rock and proper infill it stays way cooler than just laying it on dirt or concrete. The cheaper installs are the ones that hit 150 and fry your feet. I've got turf at my own place and on 110 degree days it's warm but not burn-your-skin-off hot. Also, going with a lighter color helps a ton instead of that dark green stuff everyone buys. Just something to think about if anyone else is still considering it.
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joelt7014d ago
That "lighter color helps a ton" part you mentioned @sean_torres71 is a good point I saw in a landscaping blog last week. They said a lot of people don't realize the dark green stuff is basically a solar panel for heat. My buddy in Phoenix used a tan turf and said it's noticably cooler than the dark stuff his neighbor put in.
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mila_harris17d ago
Oh man, I almost went with turf last year until I remembered my own backyard is basically a pizza oven during summer. I swear I'd probably catch a burger craving just walking across it barefoot. Dave's got the right idea though, 150 degrees is insane, that's like "don't touch the steering wheel after parking" level hot. My cousin in Vegas tried it and said his dog refused to go outside after noon because it burned his paw pads. I'll stick with my heat-blasted concrete and patchy real grass that's half dead anyway, at least it's not actively trying to cook me alive.
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