How to Choose and Buy the Best Artificial Grass in Dubai

The best artificial grass in Dubai is the grade that suits how you use your garden, made from UV-stabilised fibre, and installed on a base that won't sink. Get any one of those three wrong and the most expensive grass in the showroom won't save it.

I'll declare my interest first. We supply and install artificial grass in Dubai, and we've been doing it for almost 14 years. Weigh what follows with that in mind.

What makes one artificial grass better than another?

Artificial grass fails in two different ways. They have two different causes, and you can't see either of them in a showroom.

The grass itself breaks down when the fibre wasn't UV stabilised. In our sun it goes brittle, snaps, and turns into a fine green dust that the next watering carries down through the drainage holes. UV weakens the backing as well. The fibres are stitched into it, so they work free, and after about a year the grass starts shedding. Within a few years it's bare. Of the two, this is the more common reason grass doesn't last.

The surface deforms when the base was never compacted, or the black sand under it was too thin or uneven. You get a rut along the path to the BBQ, ridges, and hollows across the middle.

Neither one shows on handover day.

The two failures need different fixes. Better grass won't level a soft base, and a perfect base won't stop a brittle fibre breaking up.

Our manufacturer's warranty covers the grass against UV breakdown and premature wear for ten years.

Density gets more attention than it deserves. It's the stitch rate per square metre, so it tells you how thick the grass is. More blades in every square metre means a lusher look and more cushion underfoot. That's a look-and-feel figure. It won't tell you how long the grass lasts.

Which is the best artificial grass in Dubai for your garden?

The one that fits what happens on it. Most advice on how to choose artificial grass starts with pile height. I'd start with who's using the garden, and for what.

We sell four garden grades. All four are pet friendly, so a dog doesn't narrow the choice.

Milan is about 35% of everything we sell. I'm not surprised. It's soft and dense, and it looks right from the terrace.

At Alvorada 2 in Arabian Ranches, we installed 220 m² of Milan around a pool in three days, on full ground preparation. You'll find the Arabian Ranches job with our other projects. The Saadiyat Island garden in Abu Dhabi was five times the size: 1,100 m² of Naples, worked around mature trees, shrubs and tiling, over seven days.

Don't pick on pile height alone. A short grass with a high stitch rate can carry more grass than a longer one with a low stitch rate. So feel the samples rather than reading the labels.

If soft is the brief, I'd put Milan and Naples side by side. If the garden gets hammered, I'd look hard at Duramax. You can compare our four garden grades before you come in.

Our four grades are for gardens. A putting green goes on concrete screed, and a football pitch on 150 mm or more of compacted aggregate. Both need a different product.

How do you tell quality artificial grass from cheap grass?

With your hands first. Then with paperwork.

Most of the types of artificial grass on sale in Dubai look alike, and there's a simple reason for it. Most suppliers are resellers, and the same factories fill all their containers. So run three checks on any sample you're shown.

Press the pile flat and let go. You want to see it lift back.

Part the pile and look down. The more backing you can see between the tufts, the lower the stitch rate.

Take a sample home. Look at it in your own garden in the morning, then again late in the afternoon. Our sample packs are free to collect from the Maze Grass showroom in Al Quoz, and they come from the manufacturer. We never cut one from a roll.

None of those three will show you UV stabilisation. For that you need test results. SGS tests ours for UV stability, chemical content, heavy metals and fire performance, the same paperwork I'd want before buying artificial grass at Dragon Mart. If a supplier can't produce any, I'd walk away.

About a quarter of our jobs are replacing old or cheap artificial grass.

Will artificial grass be too hot to use in summer?

Yes. From June to August, in direct midday sun, it's too hot to walk on barefoot. I won't dress that up.

Four things bring the temperature down:

• Afternoon shade. A garden that loses the sun after lunch cools fast, and you can use it long before dark.
• A hose. It drops the surface temperature in seconds.
• A lighter tone. A lighter green holds a little less heat than a dark one.
• Stay Cool yarn. Against conventional artificial grass in comparable conditions, the surface can feel up to 15°C cooler underfoot. The reflective technology goes into the yarn as it's extruded. It isn't a coating, so it can't wash off or wear away.

If summer evenings are when you'll use the garden most, put the seating where the shade falls. There's more detail in how hot artificial grass gets in a Dubai summer.

What should go under the grass?

That depends on what surface your garden is now, such as sand, natural grass or tiles. Your budget doesn't come into it. There are three types of ground preparation, and the surface you start from picks one.

• Full preparation, for natural grass, sand or large gravel. We dig out and put in a black sand base, 7 to 10 cm deep, then level and compact it, with a gluing edge round the perimeter. The edge is part of the base, not an extra.
• Semi preparation, for old artificial grass over an existing black sand base, or a contractor's base that needs relevelling and compacting to our specification. It's the right answer for that garden, not a cut corner.
• Dry fit, for tiles, concrete or screed, or a base someone has already prepared to our specification. No groundwork. Installation only.

Hard surfaces come with a condition. A sound, stable and properly draining tiled, concrete or screeded surface will not normally require a new aggregate base. If yours is cracked, loose or ponding, it needs fixing first. I've covered putting artificial grass on tiles or concrete in its own post.

Roof terraces are usually straightforward on drainage. Around 99% of them have a natural fall to a drain. We check it before we install anyway.

Then the edge. Glue it. Grass shrinks a little, and when it's nailed rather than glued it gaps along the edges, which you'll see in a walk-through of an installation day.

The groundwork and the installation matter equally. The failures we see in gardens across Dubai come from both sides. On the ground, it's an uneven base or too little black sand. On top, it's pieces installed with the pile running against the piece beside them, no silica sand, and no proper brush at the end.

Where we're installing, one of the team visits the day before. They check the access, that the area is clear, and, if someone else did the groundwork, that it meets our standard.

Where should you buy artificial grass?

For a villa garden you plan to keep, buy from a specialist that holds stock here, has a showroom you can walk into, and installs with its own team. That's what we are, so take my verdict accordingly.

Most people buying artificial grass in Dubai end up at one of four places.

Choose a specialist if it's a villa garden, a pool surround, or anywhere you'll still be looking at in five years. One company answers for the grass and the base.

Choose a DIY store if it's a small area you'll prepare and fit yourself. A sound tiled balcony in a rented flat is the easiest case.

Choose Dragon Mart if the job is short-term: an event, a show stand, a flat you're leaving next year.

Choose online if you're reordering a grass you've already seen in person. For a first purchase, I wouldn't. A photo can't tell you how dense the grass is or how it feels.

A map won't sort these four for you. We've explained why in what a search for artificial grass near me returns.

We've done more than 4,500 projects in the UAE. The grass you'd buy from us sits in our own warehouse in Dubai Industrial City. To see it first, our showroom is at Unit 1, 203 Umm Suqeim Street, Al Quoz Industrial Area 4, open Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm.

What should you ask a supplier before you sign?

Four questions. Put them to every one of the artificial grass suppliers in Dubai you're comparing, us included, and get the answers in writing.

Ask who's installing it: your own team, or a partner? A partner means two companies to chase when something needs looking at. We install with our own team. If a quote says "installation included" and nobody can name who's coming, ask again.

Ask how many kilos of silica sand go down per square metre. It's brushed into the pile to keep the fibres standing, and nobody can see it once it's in. That makes it the easiest line to leave off. We brush 4 to 5 kg into every square metre, on gardens and balconies alike, and we've explained why the silica sand rate belongs on the quote. If a supplier won't write a number, I'd assume it's zero.

Ask whose warranty it is, and how long they've been trading. Artificial grass suppliers here start and fold every year, and few last beyond three. A ten-year warranty is only worth the company behind it. Ours covers the grass, not the installation, so ask who answers for the base.

Ask where the grass is manufactured, and who imports it. Ours is made in Europe, where chemical content in manufacturing is strictly regulated, and we import it ourselves. A supplier who can't answer both doesn't really know what they're selling you. The question's on the list of checks I'd give a contractor as well.

What does a good quote look like?

One page, itemised, that you can hold against any other quote line by line.

Two quotes written like that can be compared properly. When one comes in well under the others, look for the missing lines before you look at the total. The base, the edge and the sand are the easiest to drop, because nobody sees them on handover day.

We don't quote from photos. The type of preparation depends on what's under the surface, and a photo can't show you that, so someone comes out and measures first. If you want to know what moves the figure, read what artificial grass costs in Dubai.

When is artificial grass the wrong choice?

When a wall of glass is aimed at it. Sunlight reflected off glazing can be strong enough to melt artificial grass, and we've photographed grass melted in stripes by exactly that. If your garden faces glass that throws the afternoon sun back down, I'd want that seen on the survey before anyone quotes.

Under the barbecue, too. Set a hot grill down on artificial grass and you can melt the fibres. Keep a paved or tiled patch where it lives.

What I wouldn't do is go back to natural grass. It's hard to look after here, and it needs a lot of water. I've set the two out side by side in artificial vs natural grass in Dubai.

FAQs

How long does artificial grass last in Dubai?

At least 10 years, for grass that's UV stabilised and installed on a properly compacted base. The warranty is a term, not a promise about the day it wears out. There's more on what affects it in how long artificial grass lasts in Dubai.

What's the difference between cheap and expensive artificial grass?

Mostly what you can't see on the day: the UV stabilisation, the backing and the test results. The difference shows when cheap grass has to come up early, because you pay for the groundwork and the installation again, not only the grass. I've compared the two in my post on Dragon Mart artificial grass.

Is artificial grass worth it in Dubai?

For a villa garden you'll keep, I think so. You pay for it once, up front, and after that there's no mowing, watering or reseeding. Real grass is cooler underfoot in summer, and the comparison with natural grass weighs that up properly.

Is artificial grass safe for children?

Child-friendly artificial grass comes down to what's in it, so ask for the chemical-content and heavy-metal results, not a verbal yes. Children spend hours on it, and those are the two results I'd read first. We've covered play areas properly in playgrounds with artificial grass.

Can I buy the grass and install it myself?

Yes. We sell it supply only, and delivery is included within Dubai and charged outside it. The visit we make the day before only happens where our own team is installing, so the base is down to you or your contractor.

How do you keep artificial grass clean in Dubai?

Brush it every few weeks to keep the pile upright and the sand level, and hose it down now and then to shift the dust. That's the routine. There's more on dust, spills and pets in how to clean and maintain artificial grass.

Do weeds grow through artificial grass?

Where we prepare the ground, a weed membrane goes down as the third step, before the base, as a barrier between the ground and the grass. You'll see where it sits in our 11 installation steps.

Which artificial grass suits a balcony?

I'd pick Milan for most balconies. You're barefoot and close to it, and its ultra-dense pile is soft underfoot. If you like Naples, measure the gap under your sliding door first. There's more on floors, drains and permits in artificial grass for balconies.

How soon can the job start once I've signed?

Two things decide it: whether your grade is in stock, and the lead time for delivery and installation. Towers and communities also need a short-term work permit, and we apply for it, and any NOC, a few days ahead. Once the team is on site, a villa garden takes one to three days, so ask us to check stock for your grade before you fix a date.

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Choose the grade with your hands, and get everything under it in writing.

If you'd like someone to look at your garden before you decide, book a site survey. It's free, and one of the team will measure up and bring the samples with them.

Stephen Pickering has worked for Maze for over three years and is highly knowledgeable about grass product specifications and product quality. He has over 20 years' experience in sales and product roles in the UK and the Middle East.