Artificial Grass Installation Enhances School Play Area

There are many challenges for landscapers and property owners in the Bay Area, from hilly terrain to unpredictable weather. That’s why an increasing number of commercial properties are now converting to artificial turf for their landscaping needs. One San Francisco elementary school recently underwent a playground remodel that provided their students with a safe and beautiful play area while saving the school time and money on maintenance.

OneLawn recently installed 2,516 square feet of TigerTurf Everglade Fescue at the LePort Montessori School in San Francisco, California. Everglade Fescue features a dual coloring of field green and olive green and has a pile height of 1.625 inches. With a 60-ounce face weight, it is ideal for moderate foot traffic and drains at a rate of more than 90 inches of rain per hour per square yard.

OneLawn knew that any play area would have to be installed with a durable turf solution. OneLawn chose Everglade Fescue from SGW for its Omega fiber shape and ability to withstand playground usage. Omega fibers provide a soft and realistic feel while handling high amounts of foot traffic. They incorporated IPEMA-certified underlayment and antimicrobial infill along with a permeable backing to make the playground as safe as possible for the children and low-maintenance for the school staff.

The LePort school provided a unique challenge in that they had a steep mound in the center of the play area that needed to be accommodated. According to Damien Stokely, the operations manager for OneLawn, “The school has always had a mound there. Originally there was sod grass there, but since it’s in San Francisco, you can’t get anything to grow. They kept having to re-sod and re-sod repeatedly, so this was the alternative for a sod nightmare.” To maintain the safety for the kids, a one-inch layer of poured in place rubber was troweled over the mound before installing the durable and kid-friendly turf.

OneLawn, operating since 2008, prides itself on providing innovative surfacing solutions across the Bay Area. They perform residential and commercial turf installation, including landscape design, pet turf, playground systems, putting greens, and multi-purpose play fields and courts. Although they entered the market as a residential turf installation company, their primary customer base has evolved over the past ten years. They now place emphasis on commercial jobs, including projects for public playgrounds, schools, high-end landscape architects, and general contractors. “These types of commercial jobs are where we’re going now, and they’re where we want to continue growing,” explained Stokely. They also boast their own CAD details department, which allows them to provide their clients with a thorough analysis of the project from the exact turf demand to the detailed layout.

OneLawn is Synthetic Grass Warehouse’s “Install of the Month” winner for May 2019.