STC Whistle Stop Seminar Brad Borgman and John Baize

Buyer Guidelines

Synthetic Grass – Landscape Use October 7, 2013

Introduction o Brad Borgman – Director of Sales and Business Development of Heavenly Greens (San Jose, California) o John Baize – Managing Director of Act Global, a

synthetic turf manufacturer. Also Chairman of STC.

o STC created a task force of industry specialists and recently published “Guidelines: Considerations When Buying Synthetic Grass for Landscape Use” o Information presentation and open discussions

STC Whistle Stop Seminar Brad Borgman and John Baize

Introduction o Scope – synthetic grass for residential, commercial, or municipal landscape lawn applications o Promotes buyer research – provides suggestions on evaluating a provider and the product offering. o Insist on quality – product should meet or exceed STC Quality Guidelines o Buyer review – including work plans, contracts, schedules and warranties. o Informational document – just a starting point - not a warranty document - every situation differs.

STC Whistle Stop Seminar Brad Borgman and John Baize

Quality Guidelines o Face Weight – Suggest at least 40oz/sy yarn weight o Primary Backing – Dual fabric weighing at least 7oz/sy. o Coating – Mutliple options but yield a tuft bind of at least 6.8 lbs (equal to sport tuft bind guidelines). o Water Permeability – Drainage of 25” of water per hour. o Yarn Type – note that PE, PP and nylon fibers can all be of high quality and performance. o Testing can confirm that you get what you ordered! STC Whistle Stop Seminar Brad Borgman and John Baize

o  YARN WEIGHT (aka Face Weight) n  Total weight of the yarn above the

backing n  Dictated by several factors; pile height,

tuft gauge. n  Typically, products between

40oz.-100oz. FW will be more desirable

o  PRIMARY BACKING n  Woven or non-woven layered fabric n  Provides dimensional stability n  STC Recommends dual backing with a

minimum of 7oz per square yard

o COATING (aka Secondary Backing) n  Coating that covers the back of the turf n  Locks fibers into place (tuft bind) n  Materials can be PU-Polyurethane, HMP-

Hot Melt Polyolefin and Latex

o  TUFT BIND n  The force (usually measured in lbs)

required to pull a tuft from the backing n  Minimum standard is greater than or

equal to 6.8lbs.

o  PERMEABILITY (Drainage) n  Minimum of 25” of water per hour n  Typically a hole-punched or flow through

technology

o  YARN CHARACTERISTICS n  The following should be validated in

report by an independent test lab o  UV Resistance – ASTM D2616-12 3,000hrs o  Tensile Strength – FIFA/EN 13864 – 3,000hrs o  Denier – 8,000 per bundle – ASTM D1577;D1907 o  Heavy Metals- Compliant w/ state and ASTM

standards (common yarn types incld: Nylon, PE or PP)

Quality Guidelines

STC Whistle Stop Seminar Brad Borgman and John Baize

o  INFILL n  Granular material used as a “top dressing” over the

turf fibers and then brushed into the base of the blades where it settles.

n  FUNCTION: Ballast, cushion, UV barrier, realism n  Crumb rubber, silica sand, heat treated acrylic coated

sand, TPE coated sand and TPE and EPDM granules Note: For safety reasons, we do not recommend

using landscaping spikes in the middle of the turf area to replace the need for infill

o  ENSURING A NATURAL APPEARANCE

o SELECTING A PROFESSIONAL n  History and proper licensing

o  References, tenure in the industry, types of projects

o  Warranty Terms o  Installation Procedures and Requirements o  Product Transparency

IN CLOSING…

Thank you!

Synthetic Turf Council 400 Galleria Parkway, Suite 1500

Atlanta, Georgia 30339 Phone: 678.385.6720

www.syntheticturfcouncil.org rick@syntheticturfcouncil.org