Hints & Tips When Installing Porcelain Paving

So you have made the decision to renovate your outdoor space with porcelain paving hopefully from Premier Porcelain. Now it’s time to get your paving ordered and plan your new unique external space. Your porcelain tiles are going to last a lifetime if installed and maintained correctly. So here are some handy tips to make the most of your new porcelain paving project.

Installing porcelain paving has 4 key methods please see the following links for more information.

Installing Paving

Porcelain Paving

Porcelain Paving A Summary

You are purchasing a high quality external porcelain paver, which generally will be 20mm in thickness and rectified. The product is Durable, High Load Bearing Properties, Anti Slip, Frost Proof, Stain & Acid Resistant. The product can be used in many areas i.e Patios,Driveways*, Garages, Commercial & Residential Applications see more here.

Ordering Your Porcelain Paving

Is very easy at Premier Porcelain. Measure your area (M2), browse our portfolio, each product has all the key information you need alongside a handy calculator which will show you how many slabs or M2 are required for your project. Add the products to your basket, provide us with any key information we need too be aware of and complete checkout.

The Quality Aspect

All our paving is rectified, anti slip (Min R11/ PTV 36+) made in Europe and conforms to EN14411. PTV is the only British Standard, BS 7976: Parts1-3, 2002.2 and is the test recognised by the HSE and we ensure all our paving meets these requirements as minimum. Pendulum test values range from 19 – 36 ( a product with a rating of 36+ means a lower 1 in a million risk of a slip).

So What Else Do I Need To Know?

Size & Shading

Apart from EN14411 other standards you should be aware of are ISO 10545.2 is the standard for dimensions on porcelain tiles. The ISO required value for bowing / warpage is ± 0.5%. This means on a larger 1200x600mm porcelain tile the bowing can be upto 6mm and still conform to the correct standards. Whilst most manufacturers have higher standards than the ISO standards and this amount of bowing would be very rare.

Large format rectangular tiles for example 1200×600 or 1000×1000 mm should be laid in a bonded fashion we recommend 70:30 in conjunction with a wider grouting joint to prevent what is called Lippage.

All sizes are nominal, therefore a product advertised as 600×600 and so for example may well actually be 597×597 after rectification please consider this when planning your area to be paved.

Your pavers will arrive from one production shade and batch however we can not guarantee subsequent orders will be the same shade and batch. Therefore please consider this when you work out your quantities to order.

Your Paving Delivery

Will arrive on a Tail Lift Vehicle (7.5 or 18T). Your delivery should be checked as soon as possible to ensure you have:

The Correct Quantities

Same Batch

Product Colour Is Correct

Remember:

• Always order a few extra slabs and keep them stored in your garage for future shade matching.
• Provide as much information as possible concerning any potential issues you foresee regarding delivery, this will save time and avoid any costly re-delivery charges.

Once the paving slabs are signed for it will be assumed that the goods you have received are correct and claims for quantity, batching and colour may be rejected. Once the slabs are laid then we can accept no liability for any issues concerning shade, quantity, colour or sizing please see our terms & conditions for further information.

Installation

4 methods are used to install porcelain paving however the main install methods are the Wet Bed & Concrete Base Method and we will focus on those.

Wet Bed Method (Patio)

The benefits of this are that contractors favour this method and has less cost than the concrete base method. The base should consist of MOT Type 1 compacted sub based (75-100mm) onto permeable membrane followed by a wet mix (Sharp Sand & OPC Cement usually 6:1). The wet mix can be between 25-100mm. The bed should have no voids to prevent risks of failure. With this method a primer should be applied to the back of the slab prior to installation.

Concrete Base Method (Patio)

This method is again familiar to contractors and once the concrete base is fully cured the paving can be used with porcelain tile adhesive. The process for this method should consist of MOT Type 1 compacted sub based (75-100mm) onto permeable membrane. A damp proof membrane should then be applied onto which 75-100mm of C7.5 concrete. The base should be allowed to fully dry before applying the porcelain paving tiles. Please consider that the weather may affect the curing time of your concrete base.

Tip:

• Use a levelling system when applying the outdoor pavers
• Don’t forget to prime the back of the porcelain pavers pre application to the wet mix

Grouting

If the porcelain paving is rectified then the grout joint can be very narrow 3-4mm. If the porcelain paving slabs are non rectified then we would recommend a wider grout joint 5-6mm. Large format rectangular tiles should have a wider grout joint this will reduce issues with lippage.

View our grout range here

Considerations around grouting should be the weather conditions. For example hot sunny days will mean the grout dries very quickly and care should be taken when grouting especially in dry hot conditions as if the excess grout is not removed within a reasonable time frame a hazing may occur, but if this is the case we have solutions to remove this issue.

Sealing

Good quality porcelain tiles do not require sealing such as those from Premier Porcelain do not require sealing!!!! They are impervious, Frost Resistant, Stain & Acid Resistant – Sealing serves no purpose for our premium quality natural finish porcelain tiles.

Cleaning & Maintanance

One of the main benefits of outdoor porcelain paving slabs is they are easy to maintain and clean a simple wash down and brush with hot soapy water will be suffice. Occasionaly you may encounter some stubborn organic or non organic dirt for which we have many cleaning solutions available to purchase- read more on cleaning your paving.

Want to know more? With lots of useful information like Is Winter the Best Time to Renovate your Garden? And Why Are Porcelain Tiles so Popular? We can provide you will all the knowledge you need! Want some expert tips to help make sure you choose the perfect paving option for your patio? Or maybe you’d like to know more about the importance of maintaining porcelain paving? Check out our blog for our top tricks and tips!