The patio leading up to your house can be customized in a myriad of different ways. It is a fantastic spot that you can decorate to enjoy the outdoors in a comfortable setting.
The best thing about the patio is that you can easily decorate it anyway you like. There are no limits to creativity, and you only have to evaluate your budget and the amount of space available.
But, if you have a spacious garden that’s covered in grass, you will have to spend a considerable amount of money to create the firm floor where you can keep the patio furniture.
But what about putting the patio furniture directly on grass? There are many reasons why you would want to think about putting the patio furniture directly on grass.
The most common reason is because people don’t want to spend a lot of money on flooring the patio. Instead of that, they just think about buying patio furniture and keeping it directly on the grass.
Or it could be for an event. If you are hosting an event on a grassy field, you might have thought about placing the patio furniture directly on the grass.
For people who are wondering whether they can put patio furniture on grass, the answer is not as simple as you might think. For starters, you should know that outdoor furniture should always be kept on level, firm, and dry land.
Not only that, but you also have to make sure that the furniture has wide feet so that it doesn’t topple over or slip on the surface. While you can technically do anything you want with the space in your garden, putting outdoor furniture directly on the grass isn’t a wise idea.
Here are a few reasons why.
1 – It Damages the Grass
Avid gardeners are very particular about the grass in their garden. It is one of the main reasons why well-kept gardens usually have clean pathways running through them.
Walking on the grass is going to crush it, and the grass may die. Ultimately, this will lead to bald patches appearing all over the garden. The same concept applies with keeping patio furniture on the grass.
The legs of the tables and the chairs are going to sink into the ground, crushing the grass and even uprooting a bit from the surroundings. Whenever you remove the outdoor furniture from the surface, you will clearly notice the spots where the legs dug into the ground.
It’s really not a wise thing to do, especially if you have spent a lot of money seeding the garden and have planted a special kind of grass.
2 – Uneven Surface
Despite what you might think, the surface in the garden is just not firm or dry. When you keep the patio furniture directly on the grass, it is probably going to be tilted at an angle depending on how soft the surface is.
It may not seem like much, but you will notice the problem as soon as you start to eat. These are subtle, imperceptive changes that you will instantly notice, especially since most people are used to eating on firm and straight dining tables.
If you have ever sat on furniture on an uneven surface, you probably understand this phenomenon.
This is an even bigger problem with the chairs that you keep in the grassy area. Despite the wide feet, you should know that most outdoor chairs are usually made from PVC or acrylic.
Whenever you sit on these chairs, the weight will increase, and the legs will sink deeper into the ground. Every time you get up, you will also have to physically pull the chairs as the legs would have sunk into their position.
The grass will die in those spots and just like before, you will have bald patches. Whenever you move the furniture around in the garden, you will have stark reminders about where it was kept before.
It is going to have a terrible impact on the entire garden esthetic, and it’s really not something that you want if you have been working hard to maintain your garden.
It won’t take long before brown patches start to appear around these spots, and within a few days, the grass will be completely dead around these areas.
3 – The Furniture Will Sustain Damage as Well
You should know that the patio furniture is also going to get damaged over time. If you have a wooden table or more expensive outdoor furniture, it’s going to sustain damage over time.
When watering the garden area, you will want to make sure that the water reaches all parts of the garden. Having the wooden furniture legs sitting in wet soil is a recipe for rapid wear and tear.
It’s not just the wet soil that will be a problem. As the legs of your furniture dig deep into the ground, a gap will appear between the legs and the soil. Every time you water, this space will be filled up by the water.
Everyone knows just how harmful it can be to leave wooden furniture in water.
Once the grass dies away, you will be left with a muddy surface. It’s really not something that you want!
So What Can You Do?
If you want to keep outdoor furniture on the grassy surface, there are a few things that you can do. Here are a few simple tips that will allow you to keep the furniture on the grass while minimizing the damage to the surface.
Pavers
You can buy relatively inexpensive pavers and place them under the feet of your furniture. It’s a simple method to ensure that the feet don’t sink into the ground.
If you absolutely have to keep the patio furniture on the grassy surface, this is the best option available to you. But, the chairs are still going to pose a problem. In some cases, keeping sheets of plywood on the ground is a wise idea as well, though you will have to move them from time to time.
Protecting the Grass
If you have kept the furniture directly on the surface, you should be mindful of the grass. Ideally, you should make a point to move the furniture once a week so that the grass underneath can receive appropriate amounts of sunlight and doesn’t get trampled.
Furthermore, if you see any brown patches on the surface, you should move the furniture as quickly as possible. It’s also necessary for you to aerate the region as much as you can.
The foot traffic in that spot is going to tramp the dirt down so aeration is necessary from time to time.
These are just a few things that you should know about keeping patio furniture on grassy spots. Ideally, it’s recommended that you avoid doing that altogether but if you have no choice, you should follow the tips given above.
Outdoor furniture is not designed to be kept on grassy surfaces, and it’s also generally not safe. You can look for temporary flooring options as well if you want to plan for an event or a BBQ outdoors.
Ben has a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering. When not constructing or remodeling X-Ray Rooms, Cardiovascular Labs, and Pharmacies, you can find him at home with wife and two daughters. Outside of family, He loves grilling and barbequing on his Big Green Egg and Blackstone Griddle, as well as working on projects around the house.
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