Porcelain Paving Pros and Cons: Everything You Need to Know

Porcelain paving is the quality choice for outdoor paving and is a cost-effective alternative to the now old-fashioned look of wooden decking. Using porcelain paving for a patio or landscaping project adds a sophisticated feel to any outdoor area and is the latest trend in outdoor paving design. Read on as we take a look at some porcelain paving pros and cons so you can make the right decision and create a stunning outdoor area!

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Why is porcelain paving a good choice?

Porcelain paving is a low-maintenance material that has a long life and provides a quality and upmarket feel to any landscaping project. While it is a relatively new material for outdoor spaces, porcelain is becoming one of the most popular choices for durable patios and outdoor areas.

Porcelain paving is available in a wide range of colours and designs so it can complement an existing outdoor design. For example, grey porcelain combines with contemporary designs to give a modern feel, while aged-effect porcelain gives a more traditional look.

Porcelain was often associated with white bathroom suites or farmhouse kitchen sinks – but not any longer. The uses of porcelain for outdoor landscaping are numerous, from metallic finishes to classic industrial concrete designs.

Is porcelain paving slippery?

Many assume that porcelain paving is slippery because of its smooth appearance, but this is not necessarily the case. Outdoor porcelain slabs are anti-slip, which makes them an excellent choice for any outdoor area, including swimming pool surrounds. The surface texture is smooth and slip-resistant. In fact, porcelain tiles are much less slippery than ceramic or stone outdoor tiles.

This is because the unique manufacturing process combines dense clay with non-porous granite. Therefore, any surface water evaporates, leaving a non-slip exterior. This makes porcelain paving ideal for the UK climate, where rain and condensation are common factors.

The slipperiness of porcelain tiles can be checked using the ‘skip skid rating’ that rates the tiles in ‘R’ values. The values range from R9 to R13, with R9 being for dry locations and R13 for wet zones, such as swimming pools. Porcelain paving is a safe and durable option for outdoor spaces and looks good year-round.

The benefits of porcelain paving

Porcelain paving pros and cons include a number of factors.

Durability

Porcelain paving is a wear-resistant, durable material that will last for many years. The low water absorption gives it a longer life due to the special clay it’s made from.

Easy to maintain

Porcelain doesn’t need sealing due to its low water absorption. It’s also easy to clean because it’s non-porous doesn’t absorb dirt or spills (for example around a barbecue or high-traffic zone).

Fade-resistance

Porcelain can withstand the heat of the sun, the driving rain, and winter weather without fading. It will look as good as new for years and won’t need replacing.

Lightweight

Porcelain is not as heavy as other paving materials (such as stone) making it easy to transport and install.

Strength

A strong material, porcelain is suitable for driveways and commonly used areas of the garden.

Frost resistance

Unlike some materials, such as concrete, porcelain is frost resistant and therefore suitable for colder climates.

Ease of use

Porcelain tiles are manufactured in several thicknesses. The thinner tiles are suitable for laying on top of existing outdoor flooring, such as wooden decking or stone slabs. This saves time and cost when considering an outdoor landscaping project.

Non-porous

Porcelain is non-porous, which means it does not absorb water. This property makes it resistant to mold, mildew, and staining from spills, making it ideal for outdoor use in areas prone to moisture.

Fireproof

With fire pits becoming an increasing trend in landscaping design, porcelain tiles are a much better option than wooden decking since they are fireproof.

Another benefit of porcelain paving is its superior aesthetic quality. Concrete or wooden decking can age and look tired very quickly, especially when mildew forms, (which can be inevitable) in shady zones. Porcelain remains looking new and is easy to clean.

Porcelain is man-made, so it offers many design options, from light-catching flecks to a traditional ‘old’ stone feel. It is also manufactured in several colour options, so it can be used to blend in with the background or contrast and make a statement.

Creating outdoor spaces that feel as cozy and pulled together as our inside rooms? It’s a trend we live by. Spending our downtime tucked away in the comfort of our backyards is a little bit of heaven. But because we’re in the trade, we keep at least one eye open and focused on all things hardscape related.  

So what do we look for when curating exterior products like Arterra Porcelain Pavers? The collection has to check off a bevy of boxes: reflect what’s relevant in indoor design today (think: wood looks or quartzite); pass a rating system designed by our team of experts (a.k.a. our fleet of geeks); offer up something unique (Arterra’s both an indoor and outdoor collection); and pass the question “Would we install it in our own backyards?” If there’s an echo of “Yeses” up and down the halls here, then it’s a go go.  

It may have been its chic looks, durability, and ease of maintenance that caught the attention of our design team, but it was its performance in above average temps that cinched the deal for our entire crew.

To provide a bit of context, and share Arterra Porcelain Pavers best practices, we sat down with our Quality Control and Product Teams.

Since one question comes up quite a bit “In direct sunlight and scorching temps, how comfortable do these pavers feel to bare feet?”, we started there, and let the conversation evolve. 

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Q. You’re living in the California desert with your family and you just installed a swimming pool. With young kids to consider, would you recommend installing Arterra Porcelain Pavers around the pool?

A. After baking in the afternoon sun, many stone and concrete surfaces could easily reach a temperature that’s too hot for walking barefoot – especially in that part of the country. In comparison, porcelain is often cooler to the touch. For poolscapes and other areas with extreme sun exposure, we recommended installing lighter color porcelain pavers. 

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Q. So you’re saying the color of the porcelain paver determines how hot it gets? 

A. As a rule, the darker the shade, the more heat it holds. All paver materials absorb heat differently, but they share that commonality. So colors—more than material—determine ground surface temperature. 

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Q. In areas of the country where summer days reach and exceed 100 degrees, you’d recommend our lightest shade, Tierra Ivory? 

A. That’s correct, light-colored porcelain pavers will be more comfortable underfoot. Due to its potential to generate a higher surface temperature, a darker shade like Pedra Azul is better suited for a shady area or a northern climate.

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Q.  There’s a lot of talk these days about the heat island effect and how it influences the environment – can you explain how that relates to Arterra Porcelain Pavers?

A. Light-colored hardscapes have a higher Solar Reflectivity Index (SRI) – which is a numerical value placed on a surface’s ability to reject solar heat rather than absorb it. (The lower the SRI, the hotter a material is likely to become in direct sunlight.)

To promote sustainable design in urban commercial zones, porcelain tiles with a high SRI rating like Tierra Ivory Arterra Porcelain Pavers are recommended for lowering a property’s heat island effect and reducing its carbon footprint. (Materials like concrete absorb and generate more heat - which leads to elevated temperatures where more energy is consumed, higher AC usage in particular.)

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Q.  What do you recommend for homeowners in colder climates?

A.  The issue of color isn’t as important in cooler temperatures. But in places with extreme temperature fluctuations like the Northeast, there are other considerations. If weather dips below 32 degrees, water absorption can be troublesome in a freeze/thaw cycle.

Water expands as it freezes and can easily crack the surface of cement and other weaker pavers. 

A frost-tolerant hardscape like Arterra Porcelain Pavers is made to withstand extremes. It’s resistant to thermal shock and impervious to water absorption, so it won’t weather or stain like cement or some natural stones.

And there you have it. Still have questions about Arterra Porcelain Pavers? Check out our previous post, Porcelain Pavers Myths Debunked. Or reach out, we’d love to hear from you.

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