Artificial grass mat buying guide for a hard floor
Updated: 21 October 2026
The amazon.co.uk results all look green, whether the floor is a concrete yard, a shed base or a balcony slab. An artificial grass mat buying guide has one job before any star rating: match the piece to the floor you have, then check the square metres the listing states. A potty pad is not a 10 m roll, and two products at the same shelf price can cover very different ground. The full table is the [lawn carpet comparison](/hub/flooring/lawn-carpet). We compared the nine listings on 19 October 2026. We did not run a lab test. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
The amazon.co.uk results all look green, whether the floor is a concrete yard, a shed base or a balcony slab.
The amazon.co.uk results all look green, whether the floor is a concrete yard, a shed base or a balcony slab. An artificial grass mat buying guide has one job before any star rating: match the piece to the floor you have, then check the square metres the listing states. A potty pad is not a 10 m roll, and two products at the same shelf price can cover very different ground. The full table is the lawn carpet comparison. We compared the nine listings on 19 October 2026. We did not run a lab test. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Pile | Coverage | Drainage | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  GardenKraft GardenKraft 15 mm, 4 m x 1 m | 15 mm | 4 m x 1 m | Not stated | 9.0 | about £24.99 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Petgrow Petgrow 20 mm, 1 m x 4 m | About 20 mm | 1 m x 4 m | Self-draining | 8.4 | about £45.99 | View offer |
| Alternative |  tonchean tonchean about 30 mm, 1 m x 10 m | 30 mm | 1 m x 10 m | Holes claimed | 8.2 | about £78.89 | View offer |
On this page
Start with the job and the area
Write the job in one line before you sort by price. A dog toilet is a pad of about 35.5 cm by 46 cm, or 46 cm by 58.5 cm, and the holes need a tray. A balcony or a shed base is a short roll you can lift. A long patio edge is closer to 1 m by 10 m.
GardenKraft is 4 m by 1 m at £24.99, about £6.25 per square metre. That figure is your arithmetic, not a printed unit price. tonchean is 1 m by 10 m at £78.89, about £7.89 per square metre. The shared £45.99 is not one area. If the concrete is about 3.6 m by 0.9 m, one GardenKraft length covers it. A shorter piece means a join, and reviews mention lumps.
Read the pile, or accept that you cannot compare thickness
Pile height is blade length in millimetres, not the parcel depth. Stated figures are 15 mm on GardenKraft, about 20 mm on both Petgrow rolls, and about 30 mm on tonchean, listed as 3 cm and as 1.2 in. The two-pack states 1.18 in on a pad, not on a garden roll.
Bishop, GLOBALHUT, COOLGRASS and the single PICK FOR LIFE pad do not state a pile. COOLGRASS gives 90 cm by 150 cm by 3.5 cm, and that 3.5 cm is not labelled as blade length. Bishop is 3.9 from 733 reviews and looks thin, like display grass. GLOBALHUT’s review calls it wafer-thin, with blades coming apart. Thin is not a fault under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 when no thickness was promised. The best lawn carpet page turns that evidence into one name.
Drainage holes are not a smell guarantee
Holes and a self-draining line move liquid off the mat. They do not absorb urine. Petgrow states a latex backing, and a review still says urine sits underneath until you lift the mat. The two-pack at £14.99 lets urine through. The single pad at £13.99 claims 63 holes. Neither includes a tray.
COOLGRASS claims 50 or more holes per square metre and a four-layer backing. GardenKraft does not state drainage. None of the nine listings includes a certificate. BS EN 15330-1:2013 is sports turf, not a balcony mat. For a dog, use artificial grass for dogs.
Rules that change the purchase
The Planning Portal says replacing grass with artificial grass usually needs neither planning permission nor building-control approval. Ask if the building is listed or in a conservation area. A flat does not automatically have householder rights.
In England, Class F of the GPDO 2015 says a hard surface over 5 square metres between a house and a highway must be porous or drain into the garden. A loose mat is not automatically that surface. There has been no British Standard for a domestic garden install.
Flame retardant does not show class A2-s1, d0. On a residential building with a storey over 11 m, official guidance expects relevant balcony materials to meet that class. None of these nine files shows it. Read the balcony page before you order a roll you might have to remove.
Common questions
What pile height should you look for?
Look for a millimetre figure you can compare: 15 mm, about 20 mm, or about 30 mm in this set. Choose 15 mm when you want the largest review sample and the lowest price per square metre. Choose about 20 mm or 30 mm when you want a taller stated blade and you accept a smaller review count or a higher sticker. If the pile is missing, you cannot rank thickness. A carton depth such as 3.5 cm is not a substitute.
Why can two products at £45.99 be different deals?
Because the area is different. Petgrow’s 1 m by 4 m roll is 4 square metres, about £11.50 per square metre. COOLGRASS at the same £45.99 is 0.9 m by 1.5 m, 1.35 square metres, about £34 per square metre. Divide shelf price by the stated length times width. That rate is your own arithmetic, not a printed unit price, and it is the fair comparison.
Do drainage holes mean the mat will not smell?
No. Holes move water and urine to whatever is underneath. They do not absorb the liquid or cancel the smell. Petgrow reviews describe urine sitting under the mat until it is lifted. Dog pads in this set are sold on the same idea, and they need a tray the box does not include. A self-draining claim is a path for liquid, not a cleaning promise.
Do you need planning permission for a back-garden mat?
Usually not. The Planning Portal says replacing a lawn with artificial grass does not normally need planning permission or building-control approval. You should still ask if the building is listed or in a conservation area. A loose mat is not the same as building a large hard surface in a front garden, where England’s Class F rule on porous drainage can apply over 5 square metres.
When is a potty pad the wrong product?
When the floor is bigger than a tray. The pads here are about 35 cm by 46 cm, or 46 cm by 58.5 cm, and urine goes through them. They are replacement inserts, not a shed base or a balcony. If the dog toilets on a yard strip, you are choosing a roll and a way to rinse underneath it. If you need many square metres, a pad will not scale. If the pile is not stated, do not invent one.
Related pages
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.
- Planning Portal, artificial grass FAQ (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Class F hard surfaces, GPDO 2015 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Approved Document B circular, June 2022 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- IFSM advice on balconies on residential buildings (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- BS EN 15330-1:2013, sports turf scope (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- HTA and APL domestic artificial grass guide (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- WWF UK, artificial grass and its impact (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- GOV.UK, accepting returns and giving refunds (retrieved 19 October 2026)