My baby bro wacking down the Type 1 creating a base for the mortar and slabs.

Oooooo!!! That’s exciting to see you getting the decking replaced after all your trials with it over the last few years! Can’t wait to see the finished product!

We still need to get the garden and driveway sorted! But get a puppy next month!! (Am sooooooooo excited)

I’m sure it’s somewhere but can’t find it currently - what tiles are you using? We’re looking at getting porcelain for our new patio too! (When we work out a garden design! )

A puppy is much more exciting Gabby! What breed? The tiles I’m using are above but here it is again. Outdoor grade porcelain. I’m a tad nervous as I hope they are going to look good!

Ooooo these are gorgeous! For some reason when I saw these I thought someone else had posted them! (My brain has clearly switched off for the night! - good job I’m not at work)

Which brand are they? I wonder if all porcelain are as non slip as each other... hmmm 🤔

Puppy is a fox red lab 😍

My sister has a black lab. He’s nearly 3 now and an absolute darling 🐶

Most outdoor grade porcelain is very non slip (goes by R Rating) but best thing to do is buy a tile or get a decent size sample of your favourite and try it out at home. Outdoor porcelain is also much thicker, 20mm rather than 10mm, which means less chance of breaking. Apparently you can lay indoor porcelain outside but it’s R rating will be lower and it won’t be as hardwearing. Indian sandstone is also a good choice if you want a slightly more rustic look. There that’s your lesson for the day! 😂. Good luck with puppy pup 🐶

Sorry Gabby forgot to tell you the make. It’s by Ceramica Impex and it’s called Gemme. I couldn’t find similar anywhere else but Apex Grange in Welwyn Garden City, Herts.

Thank you! I wasn't sure whether certain brands were better and to watch out for, but will do some research on R numbers (not the pandemic kind) before we get round to choosing tiles! 🙂

The first slab is down eeeek!

Torrential rain called off work, but just the grouting to be done tomorrow. Getting there!

That's excellent work on the drain cover! Looks lovely.

Thank you colourhappy. It was very time consuming but he’s done a good job. He did say never again would he lay a porcelain patio, oops 😊

Looks gorgeous Sonia. Has this replaced the decking?

Yes Jules. I have a sunken area which is almost level with the house where the rotting deck was. It isn’t grouted yet but I’m over the moon with it. At least it won’t rot and will probably outlive me! 😂. They’ve worked so hard in this heat too.

Looks really lovely Sonia! glad you're pleased with it! and you must be really happy that you won't need to try and paint it! 😂

Great result, Sonia. 👌

I’m actually doubly envious, both of your tiles and your rain. I could do with either or both. 🙂

How did it handle the downpour?

That looks lovely 😊

That’s the joy of paving Gabby, it is relatively low maintenance apart from the odd jet wash, and if well laid last forever.

E D the downpour was wonderful, really cooled things down. I stepped on it barefoot when the rain stopped and it was completely non slip. The water dissipated quickly too. We’ve had a mini gutter grid laid by the house walls to aid drainage, but gravel would do the job too. It could have gone the other end by the wall but by the house it is barely visible.

Thank you ebony45.

Looks lovely!

Thank you Sandi.

The grid looks neat and professional. 👍

What a pretty garden!

It looks fab now so will be even better when grouted. And no more knackered knees painting the decking!!! I'm delighted that it's turned out so well for you 👍😊

You can create a wow factor patio by using some beautiful wood effect outdoor porcelain tiles.

Ideal for those who want to achieve the natural look without comprising on the non-slip and hardwearing characteristics that 20mm porcelain brings.

These 20mm outdoor porcelain tiles have many benefits:

Stain Resistant (Perfect For Pets)
Scratch Resistant
Anti-Slip (Great For Families)
Anti-Frost
Super Strong (Ideal For Driveways)
Easy To Clean
Low Maintenance

Browse the range here https://bit.ly/3kZy9Pb

Rain has stopped so finally put garden furniture back on the patio. Really like it. Only drawback (there’s always one) is the non slip finish makes it difficult to clean and it does stain. Lovely to walk on though.

Looks lovely Sonia. I’ve copied a link to cleaning tips if it’s of any help

https://royalestones.co.uk/blog/important-tips-on-maintenance-of-porcelain-paving/

Thank you Minnie. Don’t laugh but I did hoover it this morning because it was nice and dry! I’ll look out for some ph neutral cleaner.

😂 I’d probably have done the same!

Looks ever so posh! 👍😊

E D 😂😂😂

Looks great. No more maintaining that decking!

I know Molly! This paving will last forever......😊

Sonia it looks absolutely fantastic !! What a lovely easy to maintain space now ... well once you can sort out the cleaning routine :)

Thank you Monica!

Hi there, your patio looks fantastic! we are thinking of laying porcelain for our patio too, and I'm a bit stuck on the gap between the tiles. The builder is suggesting a 6mm gap filled with grout, and I'm after a cleaner look where the tiles are very close to each other, but I'm not sure this is achievable! what was the gap between your tiles? Thanks!

Hi, it was 5mm. My brother wanted 8mm, I think, but when I went to buy the spacers they only had 5mm, so that’s what I bought. A nice clean finish. I am finding the tiles quite hard to clean as the non slip finish makes dirt stick to them, so don’t go too pale!

Thanks Sonia! We were thinking to go pale but luckily decided to listen to the builders advice which was the same as yours. Really good to know, thank you!

Sonia, do you regret getting them please because of the cleaning problems?

Yes Picasso I do regret it. Wish I’d used sandstone instead.

Oh no!

I just read through the whole thread and was totally convinced that porcelain was the best option for my patio too.

Your last comment was a complete 180!

Thank you Sonia. Sigh. Arc3d, oh no! from me too!

But elsewhere someone said sandstone is very slippery and needs sealing. It’s not easy is it?!

I’ve just realised that was you too!

It looked fab at first but then the difficulty of cleaning the porcelain had made me change my mind. Ho hum!

I’m still ho humming here!

Very interesting and useful thread. We’ve been planning a patio for the last few months although struggling to get anyone to actually provide a quote - several people have come round and never come back!
We initially thought porcelain but now leaning towards sawn Indian Sandstone in the belief that it might be easier to maintain.

This is just my opinion about porcelain, some people don’t have the same opinion. The non slip factor is fabulous and you can walk barefoot on it in the rain and it’s steady underfloot. It is only the difficulty of cleaning R13 porcelain that is annoying. A lower grade like R11 is easier to clean. I’ve bought a jet washer so we shall see how that goes.

How did it go please Sonia?

We did the fake wood porcelain last summer and love it, so might depend on the actual tile as to how dirty it gets/looks. I hosed it down at beginning of first dry spell and that's been it - just to get rid of leaves and dust basically.