Get In the Grain

Hello everyone, JW here.

Let’s talk about something that doesn’t always get enough attention: turf grain and direction.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve shown up on a jobsite and heard, “JW, I don’t get it. I did everything right, but the turf still looks off.”
Nine times out of ten, it’s the grain.

Every piece of turf has a tufted direction the way the blades lean. You’ll notice it when you unroll and see how the light hits it. When fibers bend and light strikes the angles, various shades of color begin to appear, that’s the grain.

And here’s the thing: if your seams are not placed in the same grain direction, your turf will look like it’s two different colors even if it’s the exact same dye lot.

The sunlight hits each section differently, and boom! Two different shades of lawn your customer can’t unsee.
So before you make your cuts or start seaming, always check and maintain the grain.
Here is a little trick for ya, Take the roll and fold over one edge about three feet where the backing is faced up. Take a sharpie marker or upside-down marking paint and mark arrows down the entire roll going the same way as the grain. When you make your cuts and do your layout, all the cuts will have an arrow indicating the grain direction.

Step back, look at it from a distance, and make sure all your arrows and pieces are running in the same direction. Trust me, a few extra minutes here will save you hours of frustration later.

I often get asked, JW, which way do I face the turf fibers?
That is a great question, but it also needs to be part of the initial design.
The industry always states that the fiber direction should be placed towards the focal point. This way, the fibers create a darker, deeper color, as you can see by me just rotating this sample.
For me? I recommend minimal seams. If this means turning the turf away from the focal point, then do so. Also, you need to consider the waste and the money that will be spent facing the fibers to the focal point.

Why worry about the direction of the fiber if you are a true craftsman?
The main goal of fibrillated turf is to have all fibers vertically aligned so that UV light does not affect the color or appearance when viewed from any angle. A true craftsman will fibrillate the fibers vertically all the way around during the infill process and won’t worry about fiber direction other than ensuring the sections are placed the same way.

A true craftsman can make this happen.
So to wrap it up, check your grain before you cut, lay it all in the same direction, and fibrillate the fibers vertically.

It’s the little things like this that separate good installers from great ones.

I’m JW, thanks for watching, and I’ll catch you on the next one.