WB Rubber installs and mechanically compacts crushed granite and decomposed granite bases for artificial turf projects across Texas. A properly compacted 3-to-4-inch base layer handles Texas heat, heavy rain, and repeated use without shifting, settling, or draining poorly. This is the foundation that determines whether a turf system holds up.
We use crushed granite or decomposed granite as the primary base aggregate for artificial turf installations. Both materials compact tightly, pass water freely, and resist the shifting that looser fill materials develop under load and seasonal moisture changes. Material selection is based on your site conditions and drainage requirements.
Standard residential artificial turf installations require a compacted base depth of 3 to 4 inches. This depth provides the stability and drainage capacity needed for the turf system above it. High-traffic commercial applications or problem soils may require a deeper base. WB Rubber specifies the correct depth for each project based on the site evaluation.
Hand-tamped aggregate is not compacted aggregate. We use plate compactors and mechanical rollers to achieve proper compaction density throughout the base layer. A mechanically compacted base does not develop ruts under foot traffic and equipment load, does not shift as soil moisture changes, and holds the turf surface flat through years of use.
A compacted base that does not drain is not a functional base. We grade the base to the correct slope before and after compaction so water moves to the intended drain points rather than pooling under the turf. Drainage is verified before the turf is installed, when corrections are still practical and inexpensive.
Texas delivers extremes that test any outdoor installation. Intense summer heat causes thermal expansion in surface materials. Heavy rain events, common across Houston and the Gulf Coast, need rapid drainage to prevent waterlogging. Central Texas clay soils expand and contract with moisture. WB Rubber's base installation accounts for all of these conditions so the finished system performs year-round.
Our compacted base work is designed to pair directly with SportTurf installation. The base specifications we use are calibrated to what SportTurf requires for proper anchoring, drainage, and long-term stability. When you use WB Rubber for the base and the turf, both components are engineered to work together rather than assembled by separate crews with different tolerances.
A compacted base installation begins before any material is delivered to the site. WB Rubber evaluates the existing soil, measures the area, checks existing drainage patterns, and determines what depth and aggregate type the project requires. This evaluation is not a formality. Base specifications that are wrong for the site lead to installations that fail in predictable ways, and correcting them after the turf is installed is expensive.
Once the existing surface is cleared and the grade is established, we bring in the aggregate material. For most artificial turf applications in Texas, this means crushed granite or decomposed granite. These materials have the particle size and angularity needed to compact tightly and interlock under mechanical pressure. Rounded gravel, sand, or native soil does not achieve the same compaction density and should not be used as a primary base layer for artificial turf.
We spread the aggregate to the specified depth and run a plate compactor or roller over it in multiple passes. Each pass increases compaction density by eliminating voids between aggregate particles. A single pass does not produce a fully compacted base. We make the number of passes required to achieve the density the installation needs, then check the surface for uniformity before proceeding.
After compaction, we verify the drainage slope and confirm that the finished base surface is ready to accept the turf layer. If we find low spots or areas where compaction is uneven, we correct them at this stage. The time to fix base issues is before the turf goes down. Learn more about the full base prep process on our turf base preparation page.
Artificial turf is a significant investment. A residential backyard turf installation runs into thousands of dollars. A commercial sports field or athletic facility installation can reach tens of thousands. The expected service life of a quality artificial turf system is 15 to 20 years with proper installation and maintenance. Whether you actually get that service life depends largely on whether the base under the turf was installed correctly.
An inadequately compacted base fails in ways that are difficult to correct without removing the turf. The most common failure is uneven settling. Areas that received less compaction pressure, or where the aggregate was spread too thick in a single lift, settle at different rates under repeated use. This produces a surface that feels uneven underfoot and, in more severe cases, visible low areas that collect standing water after rain.
Drainage failures compound the problem. Water that cannot move freely through the base layer or off the surface accumulates under the turf. Standing water under synthetic turf accelerates backing degradation, promotes odor-causing bacteria in pet areas, and can create conditions where the turf separates from the underlying surface. In Texas, where summer thunderstorms can deliver several inches of rain in a short period, a drainage failure in the base layer is not a minor inconvenience. It is a recurring problem that affects the usability of the entire installation.
Texas climate conditions specifically argue for careful base installation. The region's combination of intense summer heat, periodic heavy rainfall, and expansive clay soils in many areas creates more stress on outdoor installations than most of the country experiences. A base that performs adequately in a mild climate may not hold up to a full Texas summer followed by a wet fall and a freeze cycle in winter. WB Rubber specifies base materials and compaction standards with these conditions in mind.
When native soil grading is needed before the aggregate base goes in, see our soil grading service. After the compacted base is complete, infill spreading is the next step in the turf system. For the complete installation that follows base work, see our artificial turf installation page. For information on all our ground preparation services, visit our ground leveling services page.
Common questions about compacted base installation from WB Rubber customers.
