Essential, Premium, or Elite: Which Total Turf Tier Is Right for Your Yard?

When you get an estimate from Total Turf, you'll see three options: Essential, Premium, and Elite. All three use USA-made turf, all three include our full 10-step installation process, and all three come with a manufacturer warranty. What's different is the turf material itself, the infill, and the craftsmanship warranty — and those differences matter depending on what your yard actually needs.

Here's how to think about each one.

Essential

Essential is our entry-level tier and it's genuinely good. The turf is USA-made with a 1.5-inch pile height — clean, durable, and appropriate for most residential applications. Infill is silica sand, which keeps the blades upright, adds stability, and performs well in standard residential use.

Essential is the right call when your yard is primarily functional, you don't have dogs, and you don't need the fuller, natural look of a higher tier. A backyard for occasional use, a side yard, or a practical space that doesn't get heavy traffic — Essential handles all of that well. It carries our craftsmanship warranty on our workmanship — see our pricing page.

Where Essential isn't the right call: pet yards, front yard curb appeal installs, or any space that sees heavy daily use.

Premium & Pet Turf

Premium is the tier we recommend for most Sacramento homeowners — especially anyone with dogs. The turf runs 1.5 to 1.85-inch pile height — noticeably fuller than Essential — and the key difference is the infill. Premium uses odor-control infill instead of silica sand.

Odor-control infill is engineered specifically to neutralize pet odors rather than mask them, which keeps it fresh and clean. In Sacramento's summer heat, this matters enormously. A pet yard with silica sand infill can develop odor within a year. The same yard with odor-control infill stays fresh because the infill is doing active work rather than just sitting there.

Premium also steps up the craftsmanship warranty (see our pricing page), which reflects the durability of the product under real use conditions.

If you have dogs, Premium is almost always the right choice. If you want a fuller, more natural look without going up to Elite, Premium delivers that too. Most of our residential installs — front yards, backyards, family yards, and pet yards — land here.

Elite

Elite is our upgrade tier, built for specific situations. The turf runs 2.0 to 2.5-inch pile height — a fuller, natural look and feel. It pairs with cooling infill technology, which is the biggest differentiator at this level.

Cooling infill runs cooler in direct sun than standard infill. In a south-facing Sacramento front yard with no shade, turf gets warm in direct summer sun, and in July and August it can be uncomfortable to walk on barefoot during afternoon hours. Elite's cooling infill runs cooler in direct sun, and a quick water spray cools it.

Elite also carries a 3-year craftsmanship warranty (see our pricing page) and is the product we use on putting greens, where surface consistency and blade behavior matter beyond just appearance.

Who chooses Elite: homeowners focused on maximum curb appeal for a front yard, anyone in a high-sun exposure yard who cares about afternoon comfort, and anyone installing a putting green. If you're doing a large front yard in Granite Bay or El Dorado Hills and the visual result is the priority, Elite is worth the conversation.

The Honest Summary

Most Sacramento homeowners with dogs land on Premium. Most homeowners focused on front yard curb appeal in a high-sun yard land on Elite. Most backyard-only installs without pets land on Essential or Premium depending on how the space gets used.

The easiest way to decide is to see all three side by side in your actual yard. We bring samples to every estimate so you can see the difference in your own light before you commit to anything.

Free estimates, no obligation. Call Total Turf at 916-671-0070 or get started at totalturf.com.