Installing a SwingSesh with Artificial Turf: A Guide to Our Recommended Process
Artificial turf is a great surfacing option around a SwingSesh. It creates a clean, finished look and can make the entire space feel more like a purpose-built backyard gym and play area. Depending on how the space will be used, you can also choose a turf system with padding underneath to help cushion falls.
When turf is part of the project, coordination between your turf contractor and SwingSesh installer can make installation easier, reduce unnecessary work, and help the equipment and turf look great for years to come.
One of the biggest decisions is whether to install the SwingSesh on top of the finished turf or install it first and have the turf cut and seamed around the uprights. Both approaches can work well. Each has advantages and disadvantages, and your turf contractor may have a preference based on the system being installed.
Why We Recommend Concrete Footers with Artificial Turf
SwingSesh can be installed using earth anchors, concrete footers, or a combination of the two, depending on the site and configuration. With artificial turf, we generally recommend concrete footers at swing supports and other locations that see significant movement.
Earth anchors get their holding power from the soil around them. Turf installations often include a compacted aggregate base above the native soil, so the depth and condition of the soil the anchor reaches matter. Soil can expand when wet and shrink as it dries. Along with repeated movement from swinging, those changes can mean an earth anchor needs periodic retightening. Accessing it is more difficult once the turf is finished, particularly when turf covers the foot and anchor.
Concrete footers provide a stable anchoring point at the locations that see the greatest dynamic loads. Shallower bearing pads and earth anchors may still be appropriate elsewhere, depending on site conditions. The anchoring plan should account for the planned finished elevation, aggregate depth, padding thickness, and soil beneath the turf system.
Plan the Finished Elevation Before Pouring Footers
For best results, coordinate the concrete footer work, bearing pad placement, and turf base compaction as part of the same site preparation process. This allows the base material to be thoroughly compacted around the footers and bearing pads and helps ensure the equipment and finished turf surface sit at the correct height and limits settling over time. Our preference is for the turf contractor or general contractor to handle this coordinated site work.
Before work begins, agree on the planned finished elevation—the height of the completed turf surface. The turf contractor should establish that elevation and confirm the expected thickness of the aggregate base, turf, and any padding. Share the equipment layout and anchoring locations so the concrete work can be incorporated into excavation and base preparation.
Our preference is for the turf contractor or general contractor to handle this coordinated site work. If your turf installer is not comfortable installing the concrete footers and bearing pads, the SwingSesh installation team can perform that work, but it will increase the installation cost because multiple visits are required and timing is more tricky to coordinate between various teams. It also places site preparation decisions on our installer that are best made by the contractor overseeing the project. In that situation, have your general contractor establish the elevations and site requirements before our team begins. The installation teams we typically work with specialize in equipment assembly, so concrete work and site preparation may require a separate contractor with that expertise.
Two Ways to Finish the Turf Around a SwingSesh
Option 1: Install the Turf First and Place the SwingSesh on Top
The turf contractor completes the turf installation, and the SwingSesh is then assembled over the finished surface. Anchors pass through the turf into the planned concrete footers or suitable soil below.
Advantages
-
- The turf contractor does not have to cut and seam around the uprights.
- The turf remains visually continuous beneath the structure.
- If the configuration changes later, there are fewer custom seams around the original post locations.
- The turf installation may be simpler for the contractor.
Disadvantages
-
- Assembling the SwingSesh over finished turf increases the chance of scuffs, cuts, stains, or other installation damage.
- Footer locations must be accurately marked and coordinated so the equipment aligns with them beneath the turf.
- Anchors and other hardware must pass through the turf, and the upright feet remain visible.
- Feet can create depressions if the underlying surface is not properly prepared or substantial padding is compressed beneath them.
- If the turf contractor will not pour the footers, the SwingSesh installation team may need one visit for concrete work before turf installation and another to assemble and anchor the set afterward. That can increase installation cost.
For a standard turf installation without substantial shock padding, this approach can work well when both contractors coordinate the footer locations and work sequence in advance.
Option 2: Install the SwingSesh First and Seam the Turf Around It
The planned finished elevation is established, the SwingSesh is installed and anchored, and the turf contractor then fits the turf around the completed structure. It is easiest to prepare the base, including compaction, before the equipment is installed to ensure a level site for the equipment to anchor to and to allow compaction machinery access to fully compact the site. This should be coordinated by the contractors to ensure the footers, feet, and finished elevations are planned together.
Advantages
-
- The SwingSesh installer does not have to assemble the equipment on finished turf.
- Anchors and concrete locations remain accessible during installation.
- The turf contractor can fit the turf to the final position of each upright.
- The feet can bear directly on a prepared base, concrete footer, or bearing pad rather than on turf and padding.
- The turf can conceal the upright feet for a cleaner finished appearance.
Disadvantages
-
- The turf contractor must make cuts and seams around the uprights, which requires more detailed finish work.
- If the SwingSesh is moved or reconfigured later, the turf may need repair or new seams.
- The turf contractor may need to return after the SwingSesh installation rather than completing the work in one visit.
Discuss both options with your turf contractor and SwingSesh installer. The right choice depends on the turf system, anchoring plan, schedule, cost, and desired appearance.
A Special Note About Playground Padding
If your turf system includes a substantial shock-absorbing pad underneath the turf — sometimes referred to as playground turf or a playground pad system — we generally do not recommend installing the SwingSesh directly on top of the completed turf and padding.
Tightening the uprights against a compressible layer may create depressions around the feet. The padding and aggregate base also add distance between the foot and the suitable soil below. If earth anchors are used, they must pass through all of those layers and still achieve adequate engagement in the soil. That cannot be assumed from the finished surface alone.
For these installations, we generally recommend installing the SwingSesh first, fitting the turf and padding around the uprights, and planning concrete footers or other appropriate anchoring solutions in advance.
Combining Concrete Footers, Earth Anchors, and Bearing Pads
Not every upright necessarily needs a deep concrete footer. Depending on the configuration and site, an installation may use the recommended 36" deep concrete footers at swing supports and other high-movement locations, earth anchors at appropriate secondary locations, and small bearing pads under other feet. A bearing pad can be a relatively shallow (8" round x 12" deep) poured concrete footer or a patio paver.
A firm bearing surface under an upright can help prevent its foot from settling into the aggregate base. Even a small amount of settlement can leave a visible depression or wrinkle in finished turf or change the equipment elevation. Decide where bearing pads make sense once the planned grade, base depth, padding, and anchoring requirements are known. A bearing pad supports the foot; it does not replace an anchor where one is needed or desired. If using patio pavers, they should be placed so that they do not obstruct an anchor from passing through the hole in the foot of the post and into the soil below.
Choosing the Right Installation Sequence
- After purchasing your SwingSesh, confirm the anchoring requirements for your configuration. Identify where concrete footers are recommended, where earth anchors may be appropriate, and the required footer locations. Share the equipment layout with the turf contractor.
- Agree on and mark the planned finished elevation. Confirm the expected thickness of the aggregate base, turf, and any padding. The area does not need to be filled to that height yet.
- Choose the finish method and assign the concrete work. Decide whether turf will go beneath the SwingSesh or be fitted around its uprights. Confirm who will pour the footers and whether either contractor will need a return visit.
- Place concrete footers at the planned locations and heights. Coordinate this work with excavation and base preparation. Allow the concrete to cure as directed before anchoring the equipment.
- Complete the chosen sequence. For turf first, prepare the base, install the turf, then assemble and anchor the SwingSesh through it. For SwingSesh first, prepare the base, install and anchor the equipment at the planned finished elevation, and then fit the turf around the uprights.
Frequently Asked Questions: SwingSesh & Artificial Turf
Can I install the SwingSesh over existing turf? Yes. A SwingSesh can be installed over an existing turf area, but the anchoring plan must account for the turf, padding if present, aggregate base, and soil below. The anchors need to engage suitable material; an aggregate base alone should not be assumed to provide the same holding power as compacted natural soil. Swing supports may need concrete footers or another appropriate anchoring solution. Contact us with details of your existing turf system so we can help plan the installation.
Do I need concrete beneath every upright? Not necessarily. We generally recommend structural concrete footers at swing supports and other locations with significant movement. Some other uprights may use earth anchors where site conditions permit. A small bearing pad can help support a foot without serving as its structural anchor. The layout and site conditions determine the appropriate combination.
Should the turf be installed before or after the SwingSesh? Either sequence can work for a standard turf system. Installing turf first avoids seams around the uprights but requires assembly over the finished turf and careful planning of footers beneath it. Installing the SwingSesh first keeps anchors accessible and lets the turf contractor fit the surface around the uprights. With substantial playground padding, we generally recommend installing the equipment first and fitting the turf and padding around it.
The Contractor’s Guide to Turf Applications Beyond the Backyard - FieldTurf Landscape
Building a SwingSesh and Turf Project?
If you are planning to combine a SwingSesh with artificial turf, let us know before installation. We can provide your contractor with the equipment layout, anchoring locations, and concrete requirements so the turf preparation and SwingSesh installation can be coordinated before either crew arrives.
The goal is to establish the grade once, choose the right anchoring method for the actual site conditions, and end up with a SwingSesh and turf installation that look like they were designed to be together from the beginning.
