Porcelain vs. Ceramic
When choosing tiles for your space, and with so many options available, it can feel a daunting task to take...
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Are porcelain tiles suitable for outdoor use?
Garden Porcelain tiles are quickly becoming a popular choice for landscapers and garden owners. Their resilience, strength, quality and reliability are all to thank for this.
We’re delving deep into the pros and cons of introducing porcelain into the garden, looking at what makes this material stand apart from other tiles and products currently on the market.
Maintenance
Firstly, let’s begin by noticing just how low maintenance a garden porcelain tile is. An easy-to-maintain product is the ultimate time-saver, and cleaning these products once or twice a year should keep them as fresh as the day you bought them. Other traditional paving stones are known to quickly succumb to stains and age rapidly, whereas garden porcelain tiles can offer a very similar look, but can stand the test of time.
Why Tiles?
Realistically, garden porcelain tiles are much more durable than the natural stone and timber they replicate – most do not require post-installation sealing, they have built-in UV protection to prevent them from fading in direct sunlight, they do not absorb water, and they’re not susceptible to staining from organic matter such as leaves or moss. Tough than timber stronger than stone, garden porcelain presents the ideal solution for gardens, courtyards, terraces and swimming pools.
Once installed, it’s highly unlikely for a garden porcelain tile to crack. The most common time for cracking to occur is during installation or if something heavy and hard is dropped from a height onto the paved area.
Installing outdoor garden porcelain tiles
Due to their density, garden porcelain tiles can prove a little more tricky to work with. The elements in which makes the product so durable are the same reason it’s harder to cut through each tile and lay out. It is not possible to accurately cut these types of paving slabs with hand tools or with basic abrasive blades, even if they are marked as suitable for cutting stone or hard materials. For quality installations, precision cutting is critical. A powerful diamond blade wet saw is needed to cut these tiles. Wet saws can chip porcelain tiles, so tile installers use tricks to ensure a cleaner cut. A wet saw with an adjustable blade is best, but a standard-depth saw can reduce porcelain chipping. Working slowly and with a new blade helps prevent chips.
Garden porcelain slabs should be placed on a solid mortar bed made with a maximum of 4 parts sharp sand/grit to 1 part cement, with the addition of a slurry bed on the back of the tile. But you should always try to match the strength of the bed to the density of the slabs you are installing. It is recommended that you lay the slab into position, one corner at a time – this ensures an accurate placement. Also, rather than laying a bed of mortar for all your pavers at once, it is good practice to work on one paving slab at a time to ensure a concise layout.
Regardless of the type or style of tile (porcelain, ceramic or stone) a minimum of 3mm tile spacers should be used for outdoor floor tiles. Depending on the tile, the spacer required can go as high as 10mm. Most commonly a 5mm spacer is used, especially if you’re using indoor to outdoor tiles.
*Always consult your landscaper.
Grouting outdoor garden porcelain tiles
Sanded grout is recommended for any installation using ceramic, porcelain, granites, flamed or brushed marble, terrazzo, rock pebbles or meshed pebbles with a 1/8″ or up grout joint.
It is not advisable to use short-cut brush in jointing compounds on garden porcelain. A brush in jointing compound will not last the test of time and may need replacing several times over during the life of the porcelain.
The surface of most ceramic and porcelain tiles do not need to be sealed, although some require a light application of a penetrating sealer to fill the micro pores on the surface of the tile. However, the grout joint between the tiles is usually very porous and generally made of a cement-based material.
Do outdoor garden porcelain tiles need sealing?
Fully vitrified or glazed porcelains (the largest group/type of porcelain) are non-porous so technically do not need sealing. However, you can apply a micro top-coat sealer to alter colour or produce a sheen.
Polished porcelain tiles however do require sealing. This is because the surface of the porcelain tile has microscopic holes in it. These are produced by the polishing process. When the tiles are being installed, adhesive and grout can become stuck in these microscopic holes and produce an effect called ‘grout haze’.
Are outdoor garden porcelain tiles slippery?
Outdoor garden porcelain tiles are not slippery. Similar to natural stone or concrete, there are many different types of finishes that are possible in porcelain tiles, with different levels of traction in each type of finish. Compared to other non-synthetic floor tiles that are available, porcelain pavers are the most slip-resistant. That’s because the manufacturing process uses very dense clay and granite which is non-porous. As a result, water does not soak into the concrete bed easily and evaporates from its surface. This isn’t the case with most stone tiles. Garden porcelain tiles are manmade, making it much more straightforward to add special slip-resistant surfaces to them.
There are ratings for anti-slip tiles based on assessing the trip resistance of surfaces. These slipperiness calculations give an R-value to surfaces. Usually, outdoor garden porcelain tiles have an R11 resistance rating. To get this resistance rating, they have a special texture added to their surface during the manufacturing process, increasing the slip resistance of each individual tile.
Unlike natural stone surfaces, porcelain tiles are non-porous. They don’t absorb moisture and so will not attract algae or moss; another factor to stop porcelain tiles from becoming slippery.
How thick should garden porcelain tiles be?
They are 20mm thick and are designed and manufactured specifically with exterior use in mind, to withstand the pressures garden functionality. However, thicker tiles are able to support heavier loads meaning they’re ideal for driveways and patios. They can also cope better in high winds and heavy rainfall.
Do outdoor garden porcelain tiles get hot?
Made from feldspar (or crystal powders) and non-porous clay materials, garden porcelain tiles are practically waterproof, making it a good option for warm, humid climates since it doesn’t absorb moisture and is naturally cooling.
With a specialised production, porcelain products offer high resistance to hot temperatures that other pavers do not.
Top tip: Colours such as beige, cream or light grey porcelain will be even less prone to absorbing heat.
Do outdoor garden porcelain stain?
Porosity refers to the empty space in material; think of something with high porosity being like a sponge, filled with gaps that can absorb all kinds of moisture. When stone paving absorbs moisture, it can be incredibly difficult to get it out again. Since porcelain has such a low porosity, it makes it almost impossible for it to absorb any moisture at all; as a result, porcelain is very stain-resistant.
It is still, of course, recommended to clean up stains as soon as possible, particularly if you spill stubborn materials such as red wine. If left to sit for long periods of time, such persistent stains can leave marks on your porcelain tiles that will need to be removed professionaly.
Top tip: If you do spill something on your porcelain tiles, simple warm water with a bit of soap will be sufficient to move the spill.
Cleaning outdoor porcelain tiles…
Unglazed or unpolished porcelain tiles
If the porcelain paver is unglazed or unpolished, here are the steps to follow to clean it:
Polished porcelain pavers
*Disclaimer: This information is for general guidance only and should not be considered professional advice.
