DIY Balcony Privacy Fence, Wood Deck and Artificial Turf: My Full Build and Mistakes

This is the English edition of a two-part DIY series from my Japanese YouTube channel, iestaLife. I make videos about gadgets and home projects in Japan, so product links go to Amazon Japan.

Quick take

Our second-floor balcony is about 11m wide, but it was completely visible from outside and too hot underfoot to use. Over several days I built a white wooden privacy fence around it, then covered the floor with interlocking wood deck tiles and artificial turf. It is now a second garden, and the cost stayed low because I painted cheap lumber myself.

Balcony with a white wooden fence and wood deck tiles — The finished deck area

What I built

Step	Material	Notes
Fence posts	2×4 lumber	Screwed to the existing aluminum railing, with spacers to keep them vertical
Fence boards	Bundled boards from a home center (about ¥1,600 for 10)	About 180cm tall, panels 180cm wide
Paint	Asahipen oil-based Super Coat, white	White needs two coats
One third of the floor	Interlocking wood deck tiles	Two coats of wood preservative, top and bottom
The rest of the floor	Artificial turf, 2m × 10m, 35mm pile	Bought online for about a third of the home-center price

What I found

White wooden privacy fence on a balcony — 2×4 posts with painted boards

Paint thick, and plan on two coats. Thinning the oil paint made it go on poorly, so I switched to almost undiluted paint. White looked fine on camera but was thin in reality. A roller sped things up a lot.

Build a workflow early. Paint the edges, flip, paint the face, flip again. It took me far too long to settle into that rhythm; once I did, the work went much faster. Pre-driving screws into each board let me hang them alone.

Drying space matters. I alternated painting and assembly because the painted boards took up so much room. Without that space, assemble first and paint after, or choose aluminum fence panels or lattice instead.

Laying interlocking wood deck tiles — Deck tiles go down before the top coat.

Treat deck tiles before they rot. Similar untreated tiles in my garden rotted within four years, so I gave nearly 90 tiles two coats of preservative. Loose cut pieces can’t interlock, so I stuck them down with small squares of turf tape on their feet.

Wood deck tiles and artificial turf on a balcony — The deck-to-turf ratio worked out well.

Turf: tape the floor, not the turf. Taping the back of the turf and flipping it was a mistake; it shifted and stuck where it shouldn’t. Tucking the edges under the fence kept the wind from lifting it.

Safety notes

Oil paint fumes gave me headaches without a proper painting respirator. On the second coat paint flew straight at my face, and my eyes felt off for two or three days, so wear goggles too. Long sessions crouching wore out my knees; a small stool would have helped.

Who it’s for

DIYers with a large balcony or yard who want privacy on a budget and have room to dry painted boards. If you don’t, ready-made panels are easier.

Watch the videos

Both videos are in Japanese, but the build is easy to follow. Part 2 covers the rest of the fence, the deck and the turf.

【ビフォーアフター】丸見えベランダがDIYで大変身！#2 デッキ編〜フェンス作成、ウッドデッキ、人工芝

Part 1 covers buying lumber, painting and building most of the fence; the work starts around 1:32.

Limitations

This is one balcony with an existing aluminum railing to screw into. Check your building rules and the load your balcony can take before adding a fence. Prices are from the time of recording in Japan.

Products

Asahipen oil-based Super Coat paint, white: on Amazon Japan

Insta360 X4 (the camera I filmed with): on Amazon Japan

The Amazon Japan links above are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Check the listing for the exact model, current price and shipping availability in your region.

More reviews in English