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How to lay lawn carpet on concrete, paving or a shed

Updated: 21 October 2026

You have the roll in the hall and a hard floor waiting: concrete, paving, a shed base, or a balcony you are allowed to cover. How to lay lawn carpet comes down to two failures that show up in reviews and in installer guides. Water sits if you seal the whole edge, and a light mat lifts if nothing holds it. This page is the laying sequence for a hard surface you already have. The product table is the [lawn carpet comparison](/hub/flooring/lawn-carpet). We read these amazon.co.uk listings and public UK install notes on 19 October 2026. We did not lay the mats in a lab. A purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have the roll in the hall and a hard floor waiting: concrete, paving, a shed base, or a balcony you are allowed to cover.

Our top picks

GardenKraft GardenKraft 15 mm, 4 m x 1 m

Best overall

GardenKraft GardenKraft 15 mm, 4 m x 1 m
9.0/10about £24.99
View offer
Petgrow Petgrow 20 mm, 1 m x 2 m

Alternative

Petgrow Petgrow 20 mm, 1 m x 2 m
8.2/10about £29.99
View offer
tonchean tonchean about 30 mm, 1 m x 10 m

Alternative

tonchean tonchean about 30 mm, 1 m x 10 m
8.2/10about £78.89
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Check the hard surface before you unroll
  2. 2.Leave a path for water
  3. 3.Loose, weighted, or glued
  4. 4.Cut from the back, then stop if the job is a whole garden

Check the hard surface before you unroll

Lay lawn carpet on clean, sound concrete or paving that is already the floor. Astro Warehouse’s hose test, watching where water sits, is their method, not a step on these listings. If water reaches a gully, the mat can weep. If it ponds in the middle, the grass hides the pond. A cracked slab copies every ridge. A 5.3 kg GardenKraft roll does not repair it. One Bishop piece, 1.49 kg, was used loose on a shed floor. Ask first if the building is listed or the yard is in a conservation area. There is no British Standard for a domestic garden install. Pile and area are in the buying guide.

Leave a path for water

A continuous bead of glue traps rain. The HTA and APL guide says glue in strips with gaps. Perfectly Green puts a gap about every metre on the low side. None of the nine listings prints a spacing. Petgrow claims a self-draining mat, and a review still finds urine underneath. GardenKraft does not state drainage. On concrete you own, Astro Warehouse suggests about 16 mm holes filled with shingle. That is not a balcony step. Foam under a holed mat holds urine, and sun off glass can scorch pile by a patio door.
GardenKraft GardenKraft 15 mm, 4 m x 1 m

Testsieger

GardenKraft GardenKraft 15 mm, 4 m x 1 m
9.0/10about £24.99
View offer

Loose, weighted, or glued

The 2 m Petgrow is 2.14 kg, the 4 m Petgrow 5.02 kg, GardenKraft 5.3 kg, Bishop 1.49 kg, GLOBALHUT 250 g, and tonchean 13.1 kg. Petgrow corners roll up with no wind unless you weigh them. Rocks come off. Glue does not, and a rented balcony may forbid it. Glue in strips, with a channel at the lower edge, not a full bed. Two GardenKraft lengths joined with tape left a fiddly ridge and lumps. One 4 m by 1 m run needs no tape. A tonchean review used adhesive strips after a scissor cut. Strips hold a seam. They do not drain a puddle. Let a cold roll relax before you trim.

Cut from the back, then stop if the job is a whole garden

Cut from the back, blades down, which is what the HTA guide and Tapi both say. A tonchean review used scissors once the roll was open. Measure against the slab. Stop when the job is a whole garden on soil. A prepared base and a pinned edge are a landscaper’s install. A shed base on sound concrete is still DIY if water can leave. Do not drill or glue a balcony until the balcony page says the lease allows the mat. A puppy pad belongs on the dog page.

Common questions

Can you lay lawn carpet straight onto concrete?
Yes, when the concrete is clean, sound, and already draining. Sweep it, hose it, and watch where water sits before you unroll. A loose mat can go down the same day if the slab sheds water to an edge or a gully. A cracked or ponding slab needs that fault dealt with first. These amazon.co.uk listings do not include a foam underlay. A retailer’s comfort pad is their own advice, not part of the roll.
Do you have to glue the edges?
No. Several pieces in this set are laid loose. Bishop reviews include a shed base without adhesive, and Petgrow buyers often use rocks because corners roll up. Glue is a choice when the mat must stay and you own the slab. If you glue, use strips with gaps so rain can leave, which is the pattern in the HTA guide. A continuous seal around the perimeter traps water. On a rented balcony, glue may be banned even if a loose mat is allowed.
How do you stop water pooling under the mat?
Give the water a route before you fix anything. Hose-test the slab, keep any glue in broken strips, and lift the mat to rinse what has passed through. Perfectly Green’s gap of about every metre, especially on the low side, is that supplier’s rule of thumb, not a figure on these listings. Drainage holes, where a page claims them, move liquid to the concrete. They do not dry it. Drilling the slab is for concrete you own, not a flat balcony.
Which way do you cut the mat?
Cut from the back, with the pile facing down, so the blade runs on the backing. Unroll the grass and let it relax before you trim, or a cold roll will spring and the line will come up short. A tonchean review used scissors once the roll was open. Measure against the slab. If you are joining two GardenKraft lengths, tape was fiddly in reviews and lumps showed, so a single uncut strip is the cleaner lay when the floor matches 4 m by 1 m.
When should you call a landscaper?
Call a landscaper when the job is a whole garden on soil, when you need a built-up base, or when the levels are wrong and a mat would only hide them. A shed base or one roll on sound concrete is still DIY if water can leave. A listed building or a conservation area is where you ask first. If the floor is a flat balcony, do not drill it and do not assume glue is allowed. Read the lease before you buy a roll you might have to return.

Related pages

Lawn carpet

Best lawn carpet for a concrete strip or shed base

Artificial grass mat buying guide for a hard floor

Artificial grass for dogs on a tray or a yard strip

Artificial grass for a balcony under UK lease rules

Sources

Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings in the display file, checked on 19 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are those listing figures.

  1. Planning Portal, artificial grass FAQ (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. Class F hard surfaces, GPDO 2015 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. Approved Document B circular, June 2022 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. IFSM advice on balconies on residential buildings (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. BS EN 15330-1:2013, sports turf scope (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. HTA and APL domestic artificial grass guide (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. WWF UK, artificial grass and its impact (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. GOV.UK, accepting returns and giving refunds (retrieved 19 October 2026)