Ask JW: Don't Power Broom Before Installation
March 31, 2026
Hello everyone, JW here. In this month’s vlog, we’re talking about why you should never pre-power-broom artificial grass before your installation, especially “Thatched” products.
Many installers believe that power brushing the turf before installation is the correct step in the process. This is so untrue, and I will explain why.
• Most landscape turf today is manufactured with a texturized curly-cue yarn that is typically thinner than the primary fiber.
• Installers think that the solution is to power-broom the turf right off the truck and immediately brush the crap out of the fibers. Yes, I agree this makes the turf look alive and plush, but this premature move will cause issues with the infilling process.
• When you pre-brush a thatched product, you are fibrillating the fibers and causing them to crisscross, go all types of directions, like a bad hair day.
• Power brooming is a process within the “infill placement process”.
• When you pre-brush the turf, this prevents the infill from dropping to the base of the turf to ensure complete ballast. Ballast is what infill does. It weighs down the system and helps extend longevity.
The longer you allow the fibers to be a “SPLINE”… the better and faster the infill will drop to the bottom. Don’t make it “Hairy” so the infill sits on top of the fibers!
Have you ever noticed that after walking behind dropping the infill, your foot traffic alone helps the infill drop to the base by itself?
Depending on the face weight, I recommend power-brooming the fibers after at least eight passes of the infill placement.
So lay down enough product after 8 to10 passes. The infill will drop to the base of the turf without the fibers preventing it like you would prevent it if you pre-power-broomed it!
And remember these steps are very crucial when installing an All Infill Putting Green System.
So what JW is saying is stop the premature fraying and pre-power brooming your turf before you get the infill in.
I’m JW, and I’ll see you on the next one.
