The best flooring for an outdoor terrace: Professional Advice

The summer season is coming and terraces are starting to take centre stage as we spend much of the day enjoying lunch and dinner outdoors with friends and family, sunbathing and swimming in the pool, playing with our pets, etc. With so much delightful, relaxing time spent in the garden, it is essential to choose the best tiles for outside patio if we want to design a comfortable, safe and decorative space.

Desired qualities for outdoor flooring

Nowadays there are many options when it comes to choosing the ideal floor for an outdoor terrace. In addition to traditional natural materials, there are others that have emerged as a result of innovation. However, the flooring you choose for your terrace must comply with some of the necessary qualities for outdoor spaces. We will tell you what they are:  

• Resistance. Resistance to temperature changes and the most adverse weather conditions, both cold and heat.
• Durability. The sun's rays or humidity can end up damaging the paving, so these materials must withstand the passage of time better.
• Safety. In exposed environments it is essential to have flooring that offers slip resistance.
  
  

Types of interlocking patio tiles

Without a doubt, choosing the type of outdoor porcelain tiles for patio can be one of the most important decisions when building or renovating this space.

There are many options and many questions confronting users who are trying to make their choice. Here is a brief overview of the main options:

1. Mud floors: They can create a rustic appearance and are especially delicate when it comes to stains since these are difficult to remove. They are porous and are not very frost resistant.

2. Enameled stoneware: It is less resistant than porcelain stoneware, which is why it is mainly used for interiors.

3. Porcelain stoneware: Outdoor porcelain flooring and tiles for patio have the most technical advantages. These are the strongest and most durable tiles, as they are made of compact paste.

Is porcelain tile the best flooring for an outdoor terrace?

Among the wide range of materials available for outdoor flooring, porcelain stoneware is the star option. Whether for the garden, the terrace, the patio, the pool area... porcelain outdoor floors offer a series of technical and maintenance advantages that make them the best outdoor floor. 

Their low water absorption, resistance to frost and to wear and tear in general, together with their multiple decorative possibilities and their easy cleaning and installation, make compact body ceramic tiles (porcelain) the preferred choice of architects, builders and end customers. 

1-Resistant to severe temperature changes:

One of the qualities of outdoor porcelain flooring is that it is highly resistant to unforeseen changes in temperature and atmospheric phenomena: rain, hail, snow, etc. Thanks to its low porosity, it is a better option than flooring made from natural materials. Its water-resistant surface allows it to resist moisture without its appearance being affected over time. At Apavisa, we have a wide variety of terrace tiles that are highly durable, non-slip and resistant to cold and frost.

2-Flooring that is easy to clean and maintain:

Porcelain or stoneware tiling is the easiest to clean, thanks to its durability and low maintenance. Here, no special care or products are necessary, unlike on a natural wood floor where protectors and varnish must be used from time to time to avoid wear. This maintenance is not be necessary with wood-look tiles for outdoor patio.

3-Offers non-slip qualities:

Although it may seem unbelievable, more than half of all falls occur in the home. Non-slip outdoor tiles is the perfect choice to prevent slipping and create a safe environment inside your home.

4-Multiple installation methods:

Our outdoor SOLID 2 cm tiling can be installed in various ways, allowing architects, interior designers and owners to work creatively.

• Raised ground: In raised-ground systems for water drainage:

• On grass: Easy to install. Just pour some gravel to create a good base, then position the SOLID 2 cm pieces on top.

• On gravel or sand: The tiles can be installed to taste; simply make sure that the floor is level first and then leave a generous joining.

• With adhesives: The tiles can be installed in a normal manner, without special requirements.

5. Variety of designs

Porcelain stoneware is a chameleon-like flooring also in outdoor spaces, where it can adopt the appearance of materials such as wood, marble, cement or metal. This versatility in terms of styles is undoubtedly one of its great advantages over other materials.

Outdoor paving Ideas for gardens

What is the ideal garden flooring? What style of garden paving are you considering?

We know that this is an important decision and that there are multiple outdoor flooring options: clay, cement, hydraulic, metal...

We present a series of outdoor garden flooring ideas that we hope will inspire you and provide some ideas for pavements that you can use outside.

Garden flooring without work

Enjoying the terrace, whether in summer or any season of the year, has become a trend for everyone. As we have already mentioned, there are multiple and varied flooring options to achieve a modern garden that is suitable for each person's style.

In this case, we will discuss some options to renovate your garden, terrace or patio without the need to carry out works that may create a nuisance.

1. Composite floors: these are floors that come in slats that fit together.
2. Wooden floors: an upward trend. However, it is a type of flooring that requires a lot of maintenance depending on the climate.
3. Ceramic floors: there is a type of ceramic flooring that does not require work. This is called "dry" ceramic flooring and it is placed in tongue and groove.
4. Microcement floors: these can be installed on previous paving without the need for work to be done. It requires several days to be installed and needs good support so that it does not cause problems.
5. Artificial grass: if your idea is to have a small garden, you can install artificial grass and achieve a more natural effect on the environment.

Modern gardens with printed concrete

Lately, we can find many modern gardens with printed concrete in magazines and on social networks; this is a type of paving that allows you to create terraces and all kinds of exteriors with a special warmth.

It is flooring with multiple advantages in terms of resilience, anti-slip and adaptability. However, it requires a lot of care when being installed because any mistakes will be almost impossible to rectify. In addition, it is necessary to verify that the substrate is solid so that it does not crack.

Gardens with porcelain flooring

The flooring for ceramic terraces is the "king" of floors, due to its technical characteristics, as concerns ease of installation, reliability, anti-slip, decorative capacity and simplicity in maintenance.

Another option is wooden garden floors, a favorite among decorators, interior designers and end customers.

Moreover, the use of stones in garden paving is also a highly sought-after effect and one that is easily recreated thanks to models such as the Concept Anthracite Solid 2CM:

Inspiration for choosing your terrace floor

Since the pandemic, it is not news that the home has become the nerve centre of our lives and that we are looking for new ways to enjoy it. In fact, one of the trends in interior design for 2023 is the search for a connection between indoor and outdoor spaces, the in&out trend. People want their patio floors to be extensions of their indoor floors. 

Porcelain stoneware is a great ally to achieve this, as it allows you to go for visual continuity regardless of the look you choose for your flooring. Let's see: 

Wood-effect outdoor porcelain flooring

Flooring that imitates natural materials is undoubtedly an upward trend. Porcelain outdoor tiles for porch with wood textures, colours and designs are among the most popular.

The wood-effect porcelain stoneware outdoor flooring has the advantages of full-body porcelain stoneware and none of the disadvantages of natural materials. So, if you love terraces that merge with nature and your own home, bringing the exceptionally warm feeling of wood, let us present you with two models you will love.

Our two beige and maple tone porcelain models from the Junoon Collection are especially faithful to natural wood, conveying its grain and chromatic range.

The Junoon Beige model for wood-effect outdoor patio tiles, as shown in the image, is of a cream tone that mimics wood perfectly. It adapts to the most minimalist and contemporary styles and can provide a more rustic and cozy feel.

This version of Junoon in SOLID 2 cm can be found in the colour Maple. it is a model that conveys typical maple forest tones in the autumn season.

The Karacter collection presents this special outdoor SOLID 2 cm model with a multi-coloured porcelain design. It comes in a 50x100 cm format and has a particularly original and bold design.

This outdoor patio tiling has the appearance of a wood that has been worked and aged, giving it a very natural and distinctive appearance. A 2 cm thick porcelain stoneware with non-slip qualities that breaks with the classic wood look. Karacter is an outdoor flooring model for the most daring and expressive customers. A terrace that leaves no one indifferent!

Stone terrace flooring

This is an option that also allows the interior design of your terrace or garden to have a natural look.

Apavisa's collections of stone-effect outdoor porcelain stoneware allow you to have the desired effect with the best features. These are the four collections of stone-effect outdoor flooring:

The Metodo Collection, introduced in 2022, has three special outdoor models with a 2 cm thickness and Carmine, Ivory and Grey designs. This is a collection that reproduces all the mineral nuances of stone. Versatile and highly resistant.

One of our latest collections is a collection of non-slip terrace floors with a natural stone effect: Rellik. The porcelain outdoor models are available with a 2 cm thickness, in beige, grey and white.

Finally, Materia is a collection that conveys the effect of stone in its full glory, with multiple nuances and contrasts. This non-slip porcelain tiling is found in white, grey and beige colours; always in a 50x100cm format and a 2 cm thickness.

Concrete outdoor flooring

Concrete-effect outdoor flooring is one of the most balanced and beautiful styles on offer. Cement as a decorative material is one of today’s most popular trends in interior design. At Apavisa, we have several outdoor models imitating cement and concrete. Let us show you!

The Emotion Grey SOLID 2 cm model is one of our company’s most emblematic models. Its textile effect gives this vibrant cement its personality.

The North Collection has four different terrace models. It is a cement-effect collection with authentic and uniform surfaces decorated with refined graphic designs. For outdoors, we find it in Grey, Patchwork and Sand colours. For the latter, we also find it in the Decor version.

In short, porcelain stoneware is the most complete outdoor flooring option. In addition to its intrinsic characteristics (durability, safety and low maintenance) and its versatility, it offers an unlimited stylistic variety to enhance the design of your terrace or garden.