Patio Tiles

Covered or uncovered?

The first question for any patio is how much weather it gets. A fully covered alfresco that stays mostly dry can take a P3 tile, which is smoother, easier to clean and often matches the floor inside. An uncovered patio, or one that catches driving rain, needs P4 or P5 with a grip or external finish. This collection has all three ratings, so check each tile page before you choose.

Patio looks that suit the house

• Travertine: Marvel Travertine Look in vein cut and cross cut, Builders Range Bravo Travertine, Builders Range Travertino and Builders Range Silver Travertine Look. Warm, and forgiving with dust and leaves.
• Limestone and soft stone: Ivory Stone Look, Soft Stone and Stone Hub for a pale, coastal patio.
• Slate and concrete: Colorado Slate Stone Look, the Loft Series and Spanish Bauhome cement look for modern homes.
• Terracotta: Barro Terracotta Look for a Mediterranean courtyard. See terracotta tiles.
• Terrazzo: Portland 2.0 and Portland 3.0 Terrazzo Look for a lively, speckled finish.
• Pattern: Concord French Pattern porcelain and Italian D Segni patterned tiles for a feature floor. See French pattern tiles.

Tiles or 20 mm pavers?

Most patios are tiled over a concrete slab with standard porcelain in 600 x 600 mm or 600 x 1200 mm. If you are building a new patio on a compacted base, or a raised deck on pedestals, choose 20 mm porcelain pavers such as the Andes Outdoor 20mm Paver, Norrock Series Paver or Tufa X-Cut Paver 600 x 600 x 20 mm. Where the patio steps down to a lawn or pool, finish the edge with Andes Paver Coping 400 x 600 x 20 mm. See pavers and pool coping.

Practical patio tips

• Pale colours stay cooler in direct sun, which matters for bare feet.
• Mid tones hide dust, leaves and barbecue splashes better than white or charcoal.
• Allow a fall away from the house so rain drains off rather than pooling at the door.
• Seal the grout around the barbecue so grease wipes off easily.

Want the patio to feel like part of the house? Match it to your living room tiles, or browse all outdoor tiles for paths and pool areas nearby.