Porcelain tiles are a popular material used outdoors for building a patio or a walkway. You may be considering porcelain tiles but wondering if it’s the correct choice. Should you prefer it over natural stone, concrete, and other tiles? Let us help you with these pros and cons of porcelain tiles for patios. To get the benefits, hire a skilled patio builder to carry out the installation.

Porcelain Tiles

Porcelain tiles are made of clay. There is another type of tile made of clay which is ceramic tiles. However, ceramic tiles are considered less durable, and more prone to cracking, but less costly than porcelain tiles. Both these types may also look similar so make sure to buy porcelain tiles if you want to use them outdoors for flooring or walls. This is because they are durable enough for outdoors while ceramic tiles aren’t.

Pros Of Porcelain Tiles For Patios

Water Resistant

One of the best qualities an outdoor flooring material can have is water resistance, and porcelain tiles shine in this department. They have a water absorption rate of 0.5% which means they absorb almost no amount of water. For comparison, the water absorption rate of concrete is 10-15%. It won’t be wrong if you consider porcelain tiles water-resistant.

Other outdoor patio materials like natural stone and concrete have a higher water absorption rate so you have to seal them regularly.

What’s the fuss about water resistance? Water resistance ensures your patio doesn’t crack or crumble because moisture speeds up the deterioration of the materials. Moreover, when moisture penetrates into the surface of a material, say a stone, it becomes a host for mold, mildew, dirt, and bacteria. This can cause health concerns.

Porous surfaces create many more problems. If a surface can’t resist moisture, it stains much more quickly. And removing stains from a porous surface (like bricks or flagstone) is harder than a non-porous surface (like porcelain tiles).

Durability

Porcelain is a type of ceramics and it’s more durable than other ceramics. To ensure superior durability, porcelain tiles are made with finer particles and it’s made at higher temperatures than its counterparts.

However, porcelain is not only durable in its own ceramics world. When compared with natural stones, concrete, and bricks, porcelain is generally more durable than all of them.

Porcelain tiles can withstand the tough outdoor conditions better and it doesn’t chip or crack as easily as stone and bricks do.

This durability of porcelain tiles is also due to its water resistance we mentioned in the earlier point. As porcelain tiles are non-porous, moisture doesn’t penetrate into them. In colder regions, it’s even more important because patio materials allow moisture to seep in, they crack much more soon because of the freezing and thawing cycle of moisture.

You can seal non-porous materials but there may be instances where the sealing is delayed or the sealer from some parts of the patio wears more quickly leading to moisture damage. So, a better option is to have a material that doesn’t need sealing at all.

Low Maintenance

Porcelain tiles are low maintenance when compared to stone, concrete, and bricks. We explained above how porcelain tiles are water resistant. So, you don’t need to seal them every few years. You only need to have them installed and wipe them with a mild cleaner and water when they need cleaning.

But keep in mind that all outdoor materials require maintenance. So, even when you have porcelain pavers, that are stain-resistant, you should not ignore standing water. This is because water or spills that stay for a longer period on porcelain can still stain the surface. However, you should not panic and wipe the surface in case of a spill or heavy rain to avoid staining. With the non-porous surface, wiping spills is much easier.

Fireproof

Porcelain tiles are practically made inside a furnace. This gives them extreme heat resistance. Porcelain pavers won’t catch fire and can even help limit the spreading of a fire. However, this quality is present in stone, concrete, and brick pavers as well. They are also heat resistant and don’t contribute to a fire.

Anti-Slip

Ceramics are considered to become slippery when wet. This is true for other ceramics like ceramic tiles, however, it’s not for porcelain tiles. Porcelain pavers for outdoors are anti-slip so even if they become wet, they won’t be slippery. This is also a quality that it shares with other patio materials

However, to ensure that your porcelain tiles are anti-slip, only buy porcelain tiles for outdoor flooring as those for walls and decor are not anti-slip.

Aesthetics

Porcelain tiles can be imprinted with any design and color. So, you have a wide variety of design and color choices. Moreover, the appearance of porcelain tiles looks contemporary and elevates the beauty of your space. However, if you want a rustic look, it can be achieved as well with smaller tiles and stone-like designs.

Easy To Replace

Just as with bricks, you can replace porcelain tiles if one or a few are damaged. Replacement for stones and concrete is difficult because stones are not easily replaceable and concrete (if poured concrete) can’t be replaced like tiles.

Cons Of Porcelain Tiles For Patios And Walkways

Higher Cost

You may be expecting this after reading about its advantages over stone and concrete. The benefits of porcelain tiles come with a high price tag.

However, if you consider it as a high initial cost with no or less maintenance cost over the years. It’s a good deal. Other materials require sealing and more maintenance. They also crack and need replacements more often. So, after considering these factors, you may spend the same amount of money on a porcelain tile patio and a stone patio with the difference of peace of mind with porcelain tiles.

Difficult To Install Yourself

Porcelain pavers and tiles are durable and this makes them heavy as well. They are difficult to move around and install properly. You will require a professional for its installation because even though it will increase the cost of your porcelain tile patio, it will ensure some benefits.

The tiles won’t be damaged during installation so you won’t have to buy too many extras. Plus, Professional installation ensures that no space is left for moisture to penetrate the surface and the patio is sloped correctly to let water drain.

Many DIYers ignore or don’t properly create a slope which leads to standing water on their patios. This can even damage porcelain which is water resistant. So, a professional installation is a surefire way to make sure this doesn’t happen.

The Wrong Porcelain Tiles Will Crack Easily

All types of porcelain tiles can’t withstand high foot traffic and weather elements. Therefore, you should only purchase porcelain tiles that have a PEI grade of 3 or higher. Porcelain Enamel Institute (PEI) grade is used to show the durability of porcelain tiles where grade one is the weakest and grade five is the strongest.

Conclusion

Porcelain tiles are perfect for patios and walkways because of their durability and water resistance. However, consider the price of porcelain tiles and the PEI grade before making your decision. Moreover, get them installed by a patio contractor Long Island.