A swimming pool is a fantastic amenity to have. Not only is it a place to cool off and have fun in the summer, but it’s also a feature that can be a focal point in your landscaping, a spot around which to entertain friends and family, and a site you can further enhance with additions like sculptures, boulders, cascades, and even fire features.
One of the downsides is that water inevitably escapes the pool and ends up on the deck and surrounding areas. And that can create problems.
Why Natural Grass and Concrete Aren’t the Best Solutions
The traditional approach to the areas around pool decks has been to stick with natural grass or add more concrete or to add bricks. There are some real drawbacks to those approaches, though.
Natural grass looks great because it’s well, green and natural! However, it’s slippery when wet, and it’s also prone to developing muddy spots. Those muddy spots look ugly enough already, but over time, they’ll lead to the grass there dying. That will also attract weeds.
Concrete, on the other hand, is far more durable. However, it, too, gets quite slippery when wet, and a fall can result in a more serious injury than falling on grass will. Also, in the summer sun, it can really heat up, even to the point of causing mild burns to bare feet. In some cases, people have even suffered second-degree burns, which often require emergency hospital treatment (in other words, inconvenient and expensive).
This applies to bricks as well.
Why Synthetic Turf Is a Better Solution
More and more, people are choosing to install synthetic turf around pool decks. Here are some really good reasons why:
- Less slippage. No surface is going to be completely slip-free, but natural-looking synthetic turf is by design more slip-resistant than natural grass, concrete, and brick are.
- Softer falls. You’ve told the kids not to run around the pool because they might slip and get hurt. Did they listen any more than you did when you were a kid and the lifeguard at the community pool shouted the same thing to you? Probably not! Synthetic turf has more cushion than concrete and even most natural-grass lawns do. It won’t entirely prevent falls, but it will reduce injuries and lessen their severity.
- With a synthetic-turf barrier, mud, grass blades, and other yard debris will have a harder time finding their way into your pool, which means less work for you. Your synthetic turf is also easy to clean with just a garden hose.
- Better pest control. The puddles that can form around a pool’s deck can become breeding grounds for mosquitoes and other pests. Many of those bugs will also get into your pool. And that’s more cleanup. No thanks!
- Better Drainage. Good synthetic grass has built-in drainage properties that help prevent the bug-attracting and accident-causing conditions we’ve already talked about!
- Green All Year. Synthetic grass keeps its shape and color for years and years with very little maintenance. It looks great all year long.
If you’re thinking synthetic turf around pool decks is the way to go for you, let’s connect! LandArt Solutions can install industry-leading ForeverLawn turf, and we’ll help you take care of it. Let’s connect today!
