How turf should be built.

The base is the drainage system

Old grass and soil come out, two to three inches below the sod line, and the base is never built on topsoil. In Southwest Florida the base that works is screening sand, the same sand paver crews bed driveways on. It is wetted and compacted in lifts to a minimum of 95% Standard Proctor (ASTM D698), the Synthetic Turf Council's guideline for base compaction. Firm enough to hold its grade, still free-draining. Crushed gravel only comes into it when a yard needs deep fill, and even then it gets capped with screening sand.

The edge decides year five

The industry default holds turf down with steel spikes driven through the lawn. Each spike is a single point that works loose as the turf expands and contracts. A poured concrete border, with the turf glued along the whole perimeter, removes the moving parts. Underneath the turf, nails and spikes still pin the weed barrier and the seam tape, which is where they belong.

What goes under the turf, top to bottom

Layer	Job
Turf and infill	The surface. Infill weights it and holds the blades up
Woven weed barrier	Stops growth from below. Woven fabric is far stronger than pressed sheet
Screening-sand base	Compacted, graded and free-draining
Native soil	Left able to absorb water. It isn't pounded hard

Seams and infill

Turf comes in rolls 15 feet wide, so most yards need seams. Every piece is laid with the blades leaning the same way (toward the house in a back yard, toward the street in a front yard), joined on seam tape, glued sparingly (excess glue seeps through and mats the blades) and weighted while it cures. Infill goes in at 1.5 to 2 pounds per square foot and is brushed against the grain until the blades stand.

Sprinklers and timing

Existing sprinkler heads inside the turf are capped and left in place, so the system stays intact and the yard stays reversible. Plan on about two days for every 1,000 square feet.