The benefits of buying fake grass for a balcony should be clear. Most importantly, it doesn’t require soil and is incredibly low maintenance. If you want a way to add a more natural outdoor feel to your balcony, artificial grass could be the answer.
But the right fake grass for an apartment balcony ultimately depends on your space and overall needs. Luckily, we’re here with a roundup of the best types of fake grass for a balcony.
Before we jump into the reviews, here are our top picks for various categories:
Best Overall: Petgrow Putting Green
This fake grass strikes the right balance between quality and budget.
Best Budget Pick: Conscience Trading Artificial Grass
Compromising on budget doesn’t have to mean compromising on quality, as this fake grass proves.
Best Splurge: Petgrow Synthetic Grass Roll
With soft pile and realistic colors, this fake grass shows what you can get when you’re willing to spend more.
Best for Tiny Spaces: Progoal Grass Interlocking Tiles
The beauty of using interlocking tiles is that you can be more flexible with installation and placement.
Best for Pets: Petgrow Artificial Grass (product is featured in main article photo)
Hopefully, this fake grass is real enough to trick your pet! Importantly, it’s super easy to clean.
Best for High Traffic: Golden Moon Artificial Grass
With 5 color tones and 1.5-inch tall grass fibers, this roll is both realistic and durable.
Best for Easy Installation: Golden Moon Grass Squares
All the benefits of the Golden Moon roll with none of the hassle! Simply throw down the tiles, and you’re done!
What to Consider When Buying Fake Grass for a Balcony
Buying fake grass for an apartment balcony might seem easy, but once you start getting down into materials, pile height, color, and more, it suddenly becomes overwhelming.
Be sure to consider the following when making your pick:
- Purpose
- Material
- Pile height, density and weight
- Durability
- Backing material
- Color
- Installation
We’ve already written an extensive guide on how to pick artificial grass for a balcony. Make sure you check that out before going through the list, so you have a better idea of what you’re looking for.
We consider these factors in our reviews below, too.
Best Fake Grass for an Apartment Balcony
Best Overall: Petgrow Pro Putting Green
Despite being a putting green, you can still use this fake grass on a balcony. It’s our top pick because it’s a good balance between price and quality.
Made from polyethylene, it’s weather-resistant. Also, the backing is rubber, so it won’t slip around like some other rolls will. The pile is very short (as you’d expect from a putting green) but this isn’t a bad thing.
There aren’t really any massive downsides to this fake grass. The pile height is around half an inch, so might be a bit too short for some people. It doesn’t look as realistic as some other picks on this list, but overall it’s a decent roll of fake grass.
Pros
- Good balance between budget and quality
- Durable and weather-resistant
- Non-slip backing
Cons
- Shorter than other options
Best Budget Pick: Conscience Trading Artificial Grass
If you want fake grass for your apartment balcony, this rug from Conscience Trading might be the one for you. While it’s not the cheapest you’ll find, it’s about as cheap as you’ll want to go.
It features 4 color tones and 0.8-inch tall blades, meaning it looks surprisingly realistic. However, it feels quite rough, so might not be the best option if you have kids.
Installation isn’t too difficult, but you will need artificial lawn tape to stick down the edges. This is pretty common, and is usually the most basic level of installation required. You can use staples, but tape is less invasive.
The roll is quite thin, even with the backing. However, you get what you pay for with a budget option, and this at least means it’s easy to cut to size.
Pros
- Good balance between budget and quality
- Looks very real
- Easy to install
Cons
- Doesn’t feel real
- Roll is quite thin
Best Splurge: Petgrow Synthetic Grass Roll
This pick from Petgrow is by far the most expensive, but the quality is noticeable. It’s made from polypropylene fibers but is very soft and feels realistic. The pile height is 0.8 inches, which, while short, looks like a well-kept lawn.
It’s UV- and water-resistant, so is suitable for covered and uncovered balconies. It’s also quite durable, making it suitable for medium-to-high traffic areas. Of course, if you’re paying this much for fake grass for your balcony, you’d expect nothing less.
Installation is fairly standard: you can use tape or staples. Unlike some other options, it’s much easier to cut to size, too. You could use a pair of standard household scissors on this grass roll.
The major drawback is that the thinner backing means it’s less durable around dogs. You might find your dog can chew the edges if they’re not stuck down properly. A thicker roll might be a better choice if you have pets.
Pros
- Very realistic
- Easy to install
- Soft fibers feel nice underfoot
Cons
- Not suitable around dogs that chew
Best for Tiny Spaces: Progoal Grass Interlocking Tiles
Progoal’s interlocking tiles are best for small spaces because you have far more flexibility with coverage. While you could buy a roll and cut it to size, using these tiles means you don’t even need to do that.
They’re made from polyethylene fibers on a polypropylene base. As discussed in the guide above, polyethylene is a good middle ground between durability and realism. As such, these are a good choice for all-round balcony needs, but might not be durable enough for high-traffic areas.
Each tile is 12 inches square with a 1.5-inch pile height. You don’t need adhesive or groundsheets for installation, making them a good choice for renters, too.
The biggest downside is that, even when you arrange the tiles in the same direction, the joins are quite obvious. It’s not a major problem, but you can avoid it by choosing a roll instead.
Pros
- Good flexibility of size and shape of lawn
- Balance between durability and realism
- Easy to install
Cons
- Joins between tiles are obvious
Best for Pets: Pet Grow Artificial Grass (product shown in article feature photo)
This pet pad from Pet Grow is realistic enough that it should trick most dogs into thinking it’s real. It has 4 color tones (not that it matters to dogs!), but it also nice and soft. It’s made from a blend of polyethylene and polypropylene and is non-toxic.
The mat is 6 feet by 8 feet, which is pretty large. However, you’ll find it difficult to cut because the backing is quite thick. If you need something smaller, it’ll be easier to choose one of the other options on this list.
The backing lets water run through, so with careful enough cleaning, it shouldn’t hold smell from your pet going to the toilet. Just hose it off and that should be enough if done regularly.
While it looks realistic, the major downside of this fake grass for a balcony is its price. There’s nothing wrong with splurging on some nice fake grass, although it might not be justified if your dog is going to pee on it!
You’ll also find cheaper options, some of which have absorbent pads built in. However, they’re unlikely to trick dogs, so could be an even greater waste of money.
Pros
- Very realistic
- High-density pile is comfortable on bare feet
- Large rug covers a big area
Cons
- Might be too expensive for a pet toilet
Best for High Traffic: Golden Moon Artificial Grass
If you’re looking for a durable option for high-traffic areas, the Golden Moon Artificial Grass could be the pick for you. The pile height is 1.5 inches, which looks like a more realistic lawn but also helps reduce wear on the backing. It’s made of polypropylene, so is soft enough for kids to play on.
There are 5 color tones in the grass, giving it a more realistic look than others. Installation isn’t too hard; you can use staples or tape. This roll has rubber backing, meaning you don’t even need to stick the edges down. It won’t roll around, and you could just treat it like any other rug.
It’s UV- and weather-resistant, and water drains through pretty quickly. There are numerous size options available, but you can always cut the roll to size with a pair of heavy-duty scissors.
There’s not much bad to say about this fake grass, other than that some people might find the yellow and brown tones to look a bit dead. If you want really green fake grass for your apartment balcony, pick another option.
Pros
- Very durable
- More color tones than other picks
- Long and soft grass fibers
Cons
- Not everyone will like the yellow and brown tones
Best for Easy Installation: Golden Moon Artificial Grass Mat Squares
These grass squares from Golden Moon win easiest installation because you just lay them down. Sure, you could stick them, but the rubber backing makes them heavy enough for this to not be necessary.
Each tile is 12 inches squared, and you get 4 in a pack. Work out the rough dimensions of the area you want to cover and just order enough packs. Then unpack them and lay them down – easy!
The grass fibers are polyethylene and have 5 color tones. Like the other Golden Moon pick on this list, they look pretty realistic, although the pile height on these tiles is shorter.
Pros
- Easy to install
- Flexible area coverage
- Good pile quality
Cons
- Tile joins are obvious
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, this article has given you some options for the best fake grass for your balcony. Even if none of the picks mentioned here are right, there should be enough information for you to make a decision.
Happy hunting for some great fake grass!