Patio & Balcony
Artificial turf over a patio, concrete slab or balcony
Short answer
Turf over a patio, slab or balcony is a hard-surface installation, not an excavation. The slab's fall and drainage decide whether water leaves, a shock pad or underlay usually sits between slab and turf, and the fixing method depends on whether you can penetrate the surface. These are quoted after a site measure.
Over concrete, the slab decides everything
Overview
Laying grass on a patio is one of the most searched turf applications and one of the least like a lawn. There is no base to build, which sounds simpler and is not: everything the base would have done has to be achieved some other way.
Where the water goes
On a lawn install the aggregate base moves water. On a slab there is no base, so the slab's existing fall is what you have. If the patio ponds now it will pond under turf, and the turf will hold the damp longer than bare concrete did. Checking fall and existing drainage is the first thing to do, before any product is chosen. A slab that drains toward a structure needs that addressed first.
- Existing fall and drainage are the constraint, not a design choice
- Turf holds damp longer than exposed concrete, so ponding gets worse not better
- A slab draining toward the house is a problem to fix first
Underlay, fixing and finished height
A pad or underlay usually sits between slab and turf, for comfort, for a little level correction and for drainage channelling. Fixing depends on whether the surface can be penetrated: a garden patio usually can, a balcony or a waterproofed deck usually cannot, which changes the method to adhesive, perimeter fixing or a weighted edge detail. Finished height has to meet thresholds and door swings, and on a balcony it has to clear any existing drainage outlet.
Balconies are their own problem
Balcony installs carry constraints a garden does not: a waterproof membrane you must not puncture, a drainage outlet that must stay clear, weight limits, and often a building or association rule about what may be fixed to the structure. Search demand for balcony turf is about ten times rooftop demand, so this is a common project, and it is the one where asking your building first saves the most grief.
The code angle on hard surfaces
Frisco's Artificial Turf Plan requirement is relevant here because it requires drainage and runoff calculations and a statement of impervious surface percentages. Turf over an existing slab does not add impervious area, but a city may still want the drainage documented on a permitted project. If yours is permitted work, raise it early.
Answers
Frequently asked questions
Still stuck? Call (817) 809-9236 and talk to someone who does this every day.
Can you lay artificial grass straight onto concrete?
Usually with an underlay rather than directly. The slab's existing fall and drainage are what determine whether it works, so that gets checked first. A patio that ponds now will hold water under turf.
Does turf on a patio drain?
The turf backing passes water, but on a slab there is no base to carry it away, so the slab's fall does that job. If the fall is wrong, the turf will stay damp.
Can I put turf on my balcony?
Often, but the constraints are different: a waterproof membrane that must not be punctured, a drainage outlet that must stay clear, weight limits, and usually a building or association rule. Check with your building before planning it.
Will it smell on a patio?
Only if water is retained. On a hard surface that means ponding, so drainage is the thing to get right. The same logic as a dog run applies.
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Learn moreReady to get patio turf handled?
Call (817) 809-9236 or send the form. We answer quote requests the same business day, and we have been doing this across DFW since 2001.