We report a two part experiment related to perceiving (virtual) objects in the vicinity of (real) surfaces when using stereoscopic augmented reality displays. In particular, our goal was to explore the effect of various visual surface features on both perception of object location and perception of surface transparency. Surface features were manipulated using random dot patterns on a simulated real object surface, by manipulating dot size, dot density, and whether or not objects placed behind the surface were partially occluded by the surface.