Artificial grass in Bengaluru: what it costs, and what goes under it

On an open terrace, most of the money goes under the grass. For 500 sq ft:

A green wall is priced differently, by the sq ft of wall. The questions at the end have it.

What you need: the roll, joining tape or glue, and a sharp blade. Measure first, and buy a roll wide enough to cover the floor in one piece if you can, since a join is where it shows. On a small, flat balcony, laying it usually takes a few hours for someone who has done it before, so give yourself a day.

Check the floor drains before you buy. Pour a bucket of water on it and watch it run to the drain. If it pools, grass will hold that water under it.

• Lay every piece with the blades facing the same way. Pieces laid different ways look like two shades of green.
• Cut round the drain, never over it, so wash water still finds it.
• If you rent, lay it loose or with tape that peels off, so nothing is glued to the landlord's tiles.

What a fitter's money buys is the cutting and the finish. Grass cut round corners, pillars and the drain, joins that don't show, edges tucked in, and someone to call if a join lifts after the rain. A local mali for the day costs about ₹700 to ₹1,100, by our estimate. A gardener who lays it as a job costs more: on one RR Nagar terrace quote, his gardener was ₹1,500 for the job and transport ₹1,350.

On an open terrace or bare soil, get someone who does the base. That's where water and weeds come from. Questions 4 and 9 cover what goes under it.

Doing the whole balcony, with plants and a seat? Our guide to balcony makeovers has what that costs.

On a small balcony, labour and transport can cost more than the grass. They don't usually shrink much with the job. On one gardener's quote for a 216 sq ft terrace in RR Nagar, his gardener was ₹1,500 for the job and transport ₹1,350: ₹2,850 before any grass. Spread over 40 sq ft that would be about ₹70 a sq ft, and over 150 about ₹19. Ask anyone who quotes whether there's a smallest job, and what it is. Most balconies people asked us about were 40 to 160 sq ft.

The grass itself changes the price too, and the mm is only the height. Naviisha Greens sells 50 mm at ₹85 a sq ft on her website, and quoted us her 50 mm HD at ₹6,000 for 55 sq ft, about ₹109 a sq ft, for the same height in a different grade. How densely the blades are packed and whether the grass is UV-stabilised decide how it looks after a year, so get both in writing.

Before the grass, get the terrace checked by a waterproofing contractor. They inspect it, fix cracks and gaps and clean it. Waterproofing can go over tiles once the old sealant is off.

On an open terrace, ask for drain cells and a geo cloth under the grass. That's how installers usually do an open terrace, because heavy rain can otherwise wash the base and the grass out. On one gardener's terrace quote, the drain cells took the rate from ₹65 a sq ft to about ₹115.

Ask how the grass is fixed down. Glued grass doesn't come up clean, and it has to come up if the terrace ever leaks.

In an apartment, get the association's yes in writing first. The terrace is usually common property, and if a leak is traced to work you had done, the repair can become your bill.

In full sun, plastic grass gets far hotter than the air. A vet in the UK puts it at almost 50°C on a hot day, and Bengaluru's air passed 37°C in April 2026.

• Shade is the fix that lasts: an awning, a pergola or a tree.
• Hosing it down cools it for two or three hours, sellers say. Check the city's water rules first: in July 2026 Bengaluru's water board announced a ban on using drinking water for gardens.
• Under a play area, plan for the afternoon. Keep afternoon play in the shade, or have the children wear shoes.

• Dust: brush against the way the blades lie, so they stand up, then hose it. Where people walk most it goes flat first.
• Leaves and pigeon mess: pick them up dry, then rinse the spot. They're harder to get off grass than off tiles.
• Fungus and algae: they grow where water sits under the grass. Lift a corner after a heavy rain, and if it's wet underneath, the floor isn't draining.
• Heavy pots: put them on stands. They dent the grass, and water from the pot rots the backing.
• Joins: if one lifts after the rain, it needs taping again before it opens further.

The warranty, where you get one, comes from the maker and covers the colour. It doesn't cover a poor fit or wear, so ask the person laying it who comes back if a join lifts. Naviisha Greens' wall mats, for example, carry 3 years against the colour fading.

When it's worn out, the old roll is yours. It's a big roll of plastic, so ask whoever lays the new one to take the old one away.

The smell builds up under the blades, in the backing and in any sand. Pee that can't drain through the backing stays and smells. Plain sand holds the smell too. Where a garden lawn needs something between the blades, zeolite or coated sand holds less of it.

• Pet grass: a Bengaluru shop sells its 40 mm, at ₹70 a sq ft, for pets and play areas.
• The floor: the pee runs through to your balcony drain, the same way wash water does, so the floor has to slope to it.
• Washing: pick up the poo, hose the spot, and use an enzyme cleaner from a pet shop. Lift loose grass now and then to rinse the floor under it.
• Renting: lay it loose, so you can lift it to wash and take it with you.

Why ask about lead: some turf tested in the US had lead in its colour, which can come off as dust as the grass wears, and a test is the only way to know. India's standard for landscaping grass, IS 18158:2023, tests things like strength, drainage, colour and fire, and we found no lead limit in it. So ask for lead-free in writing.

• No rubber crumb: those little black bits get picked up and put in mouths.
• Rub it: grass that sheds blades in your hand will shed them on the baby.
• Heat: keep it in the shade, or use it in the morning (question 5).

Under a swing or slide, grass straight on concrete won't soften a fall. It needs a shock pad under it. We found no Bengaluru price for that. An installer in Mumbai charges ₹160 to ₹250 a sq ft.

On 500 sq ft, artificial costs about ₹20,000 to ₹92,500 more to lay. Spread over 7 years, how long a Bengaluru shop says UV-stabilised grass lasts, that's about ₹250 to ₹1,100 a month. If you'd pay less than that to keep a real lawn watered and cut, the real lawn is cheaper.

The water rules changed in July 2026. Bengaluru's water board announced that drinking water can't be used for gardens, with a ₹5,000 fine and ₹500 a day after. Check whether it's still on, and what your borewell or tanker water costs.

On soil, artificial grass is mostly groundwork. The old soil is dug out, a base is packed down, then a weed sheet and drainage go in, and the grass last. Sqft Farm says clearing a neglected plot costs extra on top of their rate.