Artificial Turf Offers Year-Round Fun for High-Traffic School Playgrounds

Beautiful green grass is great to look at, but lawn care professionals know that the more you trample grass, the harder it is to keep green.

And when it comes to high traffic outdoor areas, nothing gets beaten up like a school playground which sees the footsteps of children daily from opening to closing bell.

Fortunately for schools, artificial turf offers their students year-round fun on a safe and durable surface.

Artificial Turf: Not Just for Pro-Athletes

Most people are familiar with artificial turf from watching high school, college and professional athletes excel at their sports on synthetic turf.

School playgrounds, public parks, and other outdoor spaces where the young (and young at heart!) gather to play can also take advantage of artificial turf.

In fact, the Shaw Play 50 Sports Grade Turf installed by Churchich Recreation and Design is made by Shawgrass, an affiliate of Georgia-based Shaw Industries, the largest American-owned and operated synthetic turf company in the world.

Shawgrass products are designed and developed by the same research and development team that is responsible for the world-class athletic fields created by Shaw Sports Turf.

“Shawgrass products are designed to provide the look of natural grass and the performance characteristics that deliver extreme durability,” says Shawgrass.

Advantages of Artificial Turf on School Playgrounds

There are many advantages to installing artificial turf on a school playground starting with the fact that children can play year-round outside for recess and P.E. no matter the weather.

With artificial turf, you no longer have to worry about children tracking mud into the classroom during rainy times and in climates where the ground can become very hard in the winter, artificial turf, which does not freeze, remains a safe surface.

Other advantages of installing artificial turf on school playgrounds include:

• Safe, soft and durable playing surface for children year-round
• Stays green, looks good year round
• Less maintenance that natural turf
• Allergen-free and toxic-free surface
• Sustainable option that does not require the water and chemicals that grass requires

Keep Your Cool with HydroChill Treatment

One of the worries with outdoor activities in the summer is the heat radiating off the local playground surfaces.

Churchich Recreation and Design has a way for everyone to keep their cool as they use an infill of silica with a HydroChill treatment to finish off installation of artificial turf.

The innovative HydroChill technology is designed to keep children comfortable, even in extreme heat.

Here is how HydroChill Works:

• HydroChill is a pre-coat that is applied to the sand infill
• It is activated by adding moisture and can provide significant cooling for days, depending upon local conditions
• As the synthetic surface is heated by the sun, moisture stored in HydroChill is released slowly through evaporative cooling
• The evaporating moisture removes heat, leaving a cooler, more comfortable surface

“Although results will vary due to geographic location and local conditions, HydroChill has achieved 30°F – 50°F lower surface temperatures compared to a standard synthetic lawn surface,” says Shawgrass.

Drainage the Key to Successful Artificial Turf Install

Churchich Recreation and Design crews will assess and add what is needed to ensure that there is no standing water once they install artificial turf.

“Proper drainage is the key to a successful turf installation,” says Jeff Churchich, Vice President of Churchich Recreation and Design

Churchich uses a mix of compacted stone bases to prevent sinkholes as well as a P300 pad to keep from feeling the crush of stone under children’s feet.

Adding to that peace of mind is a 20-year warranty offered on the P300 pad plus a 7-year warranty7 on the Shaw Play 50 Sports Grade Turf.

Contact Churchich today to find out how you can install a safe, year-round artificial turf surface at your local school.