A short guide to synthetic turf

A short guide for homeowners and property managers considering synthetic turf. The category has more jargon than it needs and most of it is selling you something. This guide pulls the jargon apart and explains what matters.

Yarn

The thing that looks like grass. Two categories matter: polyethylene (softer, more realistic) and nylon (harder, used for putting greens and high-traffic). Inside each, the spec sheet calls out face weight (ounces per square yard), pile height (millimeters), and dtex (yarn thickness). Higher face weight means more material, which usually means more durability — but past 70 oz/yd² the returns drop off and the price keeps climbing.

Infill

The granular material brushed between the blades. Sand, rubber, zeolite, or a mix. Sand stabilizes the pile and ballasts the turf against wind. Rubber adds bounce for sports applications. Zeolite traps and breaks down ammonia for pet applications. The right infill depends entirely on the use case — don’t let an installer talk you into the cheapest one.

Drainage

Synthetic turf doesn’t absorb water — it has to drain through. The backing is perforated; the base under the turf has to do the rest. South Florida sees 30-inch-per-hour rain events. The base should be 4 inches of compacted crushed concrete graded at 1% minimum away from the structure.

Warranty

Manufacturer warranties typically run 8 to 20 years. Read them — most cover yarn UV stability and seam integrity, not infill loss or matting. A good installer warranties their own labor for 5 years minimum. Both warranties should be in the contract.