Polyurethane or Latex backed Artificial Grass for dogs

Written by Love It Lawns

May 28, 2019

Yes Polyurethane is the best for Dogs, good that’s answered that question then… well not really. Now I’ve written a blog on artificial grass and dogs before but the difference between the two main backings available I feel needs a bit more of an explanation.

Polyurethane (PU) Backing

If you type in Polyurethane backed artificial grass into your web browser (Google, Yahoo etc) and you will get several companies explaining why it’s the best option for your Dogs.  To be fair they all have good points to make, but again it’s all about the Dog and not about the Dog owner.

Latex Backing

Let me try and clear up a few points about Polyurethane backed artificial grass

A) If you see them describing Polyurethane backed artificial grass as “hypoallergenic”, it means that the maker claims its product causes fewer allergic reactions than other ones.
That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s allergy-proof or gentler for your skin.  However, because unlike Latex backed artificial grass the polyurethane backing can’t absorb urine or nasty bugs, the polyurethane is better than Latex.

B) Or they may say Polyurethane backed grass is 100% recyclable.
Well yes but not yet as they haven’t made the machinery to separate the blades from the backing. However, Polyurethane is still a better choice as one day it will be able to be recycled where the Latex backed artificial grass will never have this option.

C) Or even Polyurethane is better than latex because the latex can make your dog seriously ill.
Now this question is the hardest to answer.
There are claims that Latex artificial grass causes bad skin allergies, sore eyes, bad paws etc.  It is also claimed that because latex can hold the dog urine and the odours released from this burns the dogs noses, again making them seriously ill.
Well, this sounds all a bit frighting which is maybe their plan.
I actually asked one company to send me proof about this happening and all they sent me was something about the dangers of ammonia in people from the NHS.

So is there a point to all of this?…. Well, yes there is but maybe it should be explained in a different way.

Whether you’re the family pooch or a human being, latex can cause allergies. Most people who are allergic to latex know and if you do have concerns about your children or the family pooch the better option over Latex would be to have a Polyurethane backed artificial grass.
Now, I must make a couple of points here. It’s hard to find anything on this planet that someone isn’t allergic to, so if you have any concerns talk to your supplier and you should also remember that the Latex is on the back of the grass against the base stone.

We at Love It Lawns have been installing artificial grass for many years now and for most of that time we have laid Latex backed grasses because it was the only option available. Also during this time I have never heard of any artificial grass making a dog ill, neither have any of my friends in the business, in fact every company out there tells you their grass is dog friendly.  If anyone has proof that their dog has been made ill from a latex backed grass please let me know, it would be great to get some feedback.

So what is the main reason Love It Lawns sells Polyurethane backed grass to dog owners? Well that’s simple, it helps in the process of keeping it clean.
When your dog pees you don’t want it getting into the Latex backing as that’s the layer at the bottom and the hardest to get to and clean.
Your dog pees on the artificial grass and the urine sticks to the blades, you put your artificial grass cleaner on and this is what washes the urine into the latex backing where it gets stuck and is harder to remove again.
As mentioned previously the Polyurethane doesn’t absorb so problem sorted, bottom line is polyurethane backed artificial grass is easier to keep clean, but not maintenance free.

Love it Lawns do 4 main polyurethane backed grasses from £20.00 to £29.00 per meter including Vat@20%, with all the Latex backed grasses out there why would we bother with polyurethane if we didn’t think it was worth it.

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