Porcelain Tile on Outdoor Patio?

[qwerty]

i have pavers, have had them for about a 1.5 years now (from gopavers). no weeds yet. the sand still looks good. im guessing eventually ill need polymeric sand but if/when it does get to that point they can refill the entire area in less than a day. maintenance wise i havent had to do anything yet.

 

[aquabliss]

Reviving this old thread.  I'm finally starting my landscaping and I'm about 90% sure that I've decided to use porcelain tiles on my back patio.  I've been over the pros and cons many times between porcelain/travertine/pavers/concrete and in the end, every time I see a home that uses the same porcelain tiles indoor and outdoor with a large panel slider, it really makes the house feel bigger and gives it a nice modern look. 

Also went yesterday to look again at Baker Ranch Parkview Models, they all use porcelain tile on their patio's and the result is very nice.  I'm going to ask my contractor to try and do 1/16" grout joint on the outdoor tiles to reduce grout cracking and visible stains. 

Here are some pics from Parkview. 

 

[Arman]

Reviving this old thread.  I'm finally starting my landscaping and I'm about 90% sure that I've decided to use porcelain tiles on my back patio.  I've been over the pros and cons many times between porcelain/travertine/pavers/concrete and in the end, every time I see a home that uses the same porcelain tiles indoor and outdoor with a large panel slider, it really makes the house feel bigger and gives it a nice modern look. 

Also went yesterday to look again at Baker Ranch Parkview Models, they all use porcelain tile on their patio's and the result is very nice.  I'm going to ask my contractor to try and do 1/16" grout joint on the outdoor tiles to reduce grout cracking and visible stains. 

Here are some pics from Parkview. 

I don't have porcelain tile outdoors. I would not go off of what models look like as they have cleaning crews out there daily (or nearly so). From what others have said, porcelain seems a bit of a maintenance issue. Unless you've spoken to homeowners who have porcelain outdoors and say it's easy to maintain, I'd proceed warily.

 

[irvinehomeowner]

I've toured resales with porcelain tile outside and more times than not, it was not holding up well.

I think in the Cali Room it might be okay because it's less exposed to the elements but for a true outdoor space, I would use a material that allows movement (like pavers). Even concrete doesn't hold well after time. In our own backyard we had slate tile and even when using a protective treatment, after about 10 years they cracked and broke down.

 

[aquabliss]

I don't see how porcelain would be any more of a maintenance issue than (say for example) a travertine tile patio like the one below.  They're both a hard surface, they both have grout, they both are susceptible to cracking.  I don't want pavers  or plain concrete, I've looked at multiple variations of those and nothing quite fits the look I'm going for. 

As far as maintenance goes, I don't mind hosing it off once a week and sealing it once per year.  It would be good to get the opinion of a homeowner who has done this and lived with it for a number of years, but not sure if anyone here has done so and probably difficult to find.

 

[qwerty]

Just go what you like, it's your house. Perhaps try to use a darker grout if you can to hide some of the dirt.

 

[bones]

They have porcelain tile rated for outdoor use. I saw this one called "Eco 2.0 by viewgres" down at sepuleveda building materials off the 5 fwy in south county. I think another materials shop around here carries it too.  Didn't do muxh research on it since we went in a different direction but really liked the look. Iirc, it was more $$ than the avg natural stone.

Link:http://www.eleganzatiles.com/ecooutdoor2.html

 

[socal78]

Porcelain or ceramic outdoors sounds like a slipping hazard to me.

 

[irvinehomeowner]

I don't see how porcelain would be any more of a maintenance issue than (say for example) a travertine tile patio like the one below.  They're both a hard surface, they both have grout, they both are susceptible to cracking.

And if both are outdoor, will wear down more.

It would be good to get the opinion of a homeowner who has done this and lived with it for a number of years, but not sure if anyone here has done so and probably difficult to find.

Like I said, we used slate tile (which is used for both indoors and outdoor) and after about 5 years (or even less) we had problems with the grout breaking down (it's exposed to more elements and prone to more movement), tiles coming loose and the material on the tile breaking down.

More likely that not, the tile will hold up better than the grout.

No one is saying not to do it, just don't expect it to hold up longer than normal outdoor materials.

 

[aquabliss]

Thanks all for the feedback, definitely making me rethink it due to longevity.

I think I'll go take a look at Baker Ranch Heights/Highlands models - those have been subject to natures elements for over a year now and have more uncovered / outdoor area's I think. 

True they have dedicated cleaning staff but they can't clean away the wear and tear, of course things may have been repaired but worth a look.

 

[Arman]

Porcelain or ceramic outdoors sounds like a slipping hazard to me.

I second this. I know that at my old home wet porcelain tile indoors was hugely slippery. Perhaps they have different types of tile that have different amounts of traction when wet.

 

[aquabliss]

Went to see Baker Ranch Highlands, their Shasta plan has a good sized outdoor porcelain tile patio.  Half is under the CA room but the other half is exposed to the elements. 

It's only been 1 yr but looks like it's held up pretty well with a few exceptions, grout was originally beige color but now really dirty (they should have used grey grout to begin with), also the edges of the patio look a bit unfinished, could be that mortar has fallen off or they may have never finished them properly (it was an edge facing the block wall so not normally visible.

Here's a pic of the patio there:

Also looking at the side, looks like on top of the concrete base they used quite a bit of mortar plus some barrier material between the base and the mortar.  Not sure what it is or if it's needed.

 

[aquabliss]

Porcelain or ceramic outdoors sounds like a slipping hazard to me.

I second this. I know that at my old home wet porcelain tile indoors was hugely slippery. Perhaps they have different types of tile that have different amounts of traction when wet.

I think this stuff will do the trick:http://www.amazon.com/SafeGrip-Slippery-Patio-Kitchen-Pool/dp/B00B4BPY8W

A friend of mine used it on his slippery tile (indoors) and made a pretty noticeable difference.  I think it actually chemically etches pours into the tile and really improves the grip.

 

[irvineshadow]

Sorry to bump, but how did that porcelain tile hold up outdoors.  I'm debating on what to go with in my small backyard and am leaning towards porcelain.  Based on the conversation it doesn't seem like a risk because everyone says that nothing holds up well in the elements, except maybe grass or turf. 

 

[usctrojancpa]

Sorry to bump, but how did that porcelain tile hold up outdoors.  I'm debating on what to go with in my small backyard and am leaning towards porcelain.  Based on the conversation it doesn't seem like a risk because everyone says that nothing holds up well in the elements, except maybe grass or turf. 

Pavers might be a good option too.

 

[aquabliss]

Sorry to bump, but how did that porcelain tile hold up outdoors.  I'm debating on what to go with in my small backyard and am leaning towards porcelain.  Based on the conversation it doesn't seem like a risk because everyone says that nothing holds up well in the elements, except maybe grass or turf. 

It's been about a year and a half for my patio and its holding up just fine.  Don't walk on it during or after a rain though, you'll probably slip and crack your head open.

I purchased mine at Bedrosians tile in Orange.

 

[eyephone]

Sorry to bump, but how did that porcelain tile hold up outdoors.  I'm debating on what to go with in my small backyard and am leaning towards porcelain.  Based on the conversation it doesn't seem like a risk because everyone says that nothing holds up well in the elements, except maybe grass or turf. 

It's been about a year and a half for my patio and its holding up just fine.  Don't walk on it during or after a rain though, you'll probably slip and crack your head open.

I purchased mine at Bedrosians tile in Orange.

I like that disclosure. Just don't walk on it during or after the rain.

 

[irvineshadow]

That's a pretty strong warning , due to children in the house.

 

[aquabliss]

Yes, I won't even let the kids in the back yard if the patio is wet a little bit.