In the summer, who doesn't love to enjoy a well-earned relaxing time on their terrace or a patio. I know I do, I don't think anything can beat that time in your garden or terrace with either a cold beverage or a hot cup of coffee or tea, away from the busy life and work that most of us endure in our day-to-day lives. So why not consider a new look to your outdoor space with a patio trend?
Now, surely we all know that good things don't always come to those who wait, so you have to actively research the best possible design and stones that will help you achieve that special terrace or patio area that will give you then zen feeling to relax in.
Well, we are here to help, in this blog, we will provide you with all the information about our external tiles to help you design your special space, the most suitable man-made or natural stones for you in terms of safety, look and feel, design and appearance.
So, here we go.
The first thing to consider initially will be, what we believe is the most important step of all, do you want a man-made porcelain tile with its vast availability in design and colours and very low maintenance of, which sometimes can look a bit monotone for some, or natural stone tiles which of course will give any installation added character and originality that is achieved with every natural stone you choose but with that added maintenance in terms of cleaning.
The choice is up to you, we are here to provide you with helpful information on both sides and leave you to decide. The important thing is to make sure that the chosen tiling is suitable for your needs, outdoor installation patio trends are good to know as they always include what is suitable.
Not everyone is lucky enough to live in areas where it is always sunny so not all patio trends suit every project. It is, therefore, better to plan and opt for tiles with an anti-slip treatment or by natural design has a grippier surface, which will be safer and reduce the risk of accidents, that's always a good thing. If you have a swimming pool, this is even more important as most of the time, you will probably be walking on them with wet feet during the summer months, well, at least if you are making good use of your swimming pool ;). It is also essential that the tiles are also resistant to frost and bad weather as the change in temperatures can damage non-suitable tiles. Breath a fresh life to your patios with long-term consideration.
For their resistance, porcelain tiles are always popular. Porcelain tiles are very resistant to traffic but can also be more sensitive to shocks, on the other hand, they have the advantage of offering an infinite range of patterns, colours or graphics, imitation of wood, stone or concrete. So there is always a porcelain range within the most popular patio trends.
Anti-slip, this means what it says on the .... tile, pardon the pun :), the below selection all are our anti-slip range that is some of the safest porcelain tiles to use for external applications and no doubt there will be a range that will be perfectly suitable for your taste and will help create a new patio trend this year.
Our York Black R11 range is perfect for light and dark contrast between lighter indoor and darker outdoor tiles, not only that, but all darker tiles also show less dirt and therefore less need for regular cleaning, these tiles will look amazing at night also with the correct garden lighting. If you prefer a slightly lighter tone, we also have our York Grey R11 as another option for you.
The Richmond grey R11 range is even lighter with a more subtle look.
If you prefer the lighter grey but a more pattern appearance then our City Grey R11 range is the best option for you.
Now, it's not all grey, of course, we have our brilliant range of City Beige R11 options for those who seek a little warmer tone of tile however, our York Sand R11 range is also increasing in popularity with its beach sand finish look that oozes with summer feel even when it is cold outside.
All of these options are now increasing in popularity which comes with the trend of the summer approaching, it is the time of year to consider a new refreshed look patio or terrace.
However, there's nothing like a beautiful natural outdoor tile and although there are almost infinite porcelain tiles to choose from out there, it is natural stone selections that come with pattern options on some selected stone ranges, we always fall in love with their unique character. There is always something about each natural stone type that is very unique, Limestone, Slates, and Travertine, all have very different characteristics that branch into the different surface and edging finishes to give a wide range of selections to choose from.
The main thing to consider, other than the colour and texture, of course, is the softness of the stone type, stone types come with varying degrees of hardness and this, in turn, means that some are more likely to get scratched than others, so for heavy traffic areas, it is recommended that a harder stones types such as travertine or slate tiles are used and the softer limestone is used in low traffic areas but, some of us discard this information altogether and see this aspect of a project the thought of, "these are natural stones excavated from the earth itself so they will be installed and left to their natural exposure to the elements, which is understandable, this kindly of approached naturally widens the available options to choose from.
Most, if not all natural outdoor tiles will not be ant-slip, rated however, by design and texture of outdoor tiles, they will have a grippy surface and be as safe as naturally possible to use for external projects.
Much like the porcelain ranges available, the most popular colour pallet to choose from in the natural stone range will be grey, as it shows less dirt hence the requirement to clean them regularly is lifted however, with natural stones you have the wonderful bonus of uniqueness of each slap of stone, each tile is an individual, therefore, overall layout and installations always look different giving you that originality from your next door.
Our darkest tile range is our Brazilian black paving slate tile range which comes in the ever-popular Grand Opus pattern, all tile layouts can be viewed by clicking the link "stone layout information" at the bottom of our web page. This special range is for those of us that want the mystical night feel even during the day.
We also have the varying degrees of grey limestone selections from our Valley Grey, Romagne Grey, Bordeaux Grey to Burgille Grey however, unlike any porcelain tone shifts, these amazing external tiles all have a different surface texture which makes them all very different to the touch and appearance, you will appreciate this more when you request your free samples from our website.
Our lighter limestone range includes both our Chateau mix and our Vienne yellow for that dash of colour you may seek to freshen up your patio or terrace.
Our Travertine range includes the now market-leading top grade Premium Ivory Paving range and the increasingly popular due to its versatility and tones the Anatolia Travertine Paving range, they both come in the french pattern with also the set size of 406 x 610 available in our Premium Travertine Paving range. Travertine stone is one of those stones that seem to have a whole category to itself, with its prominent holes in its structure, the look and feel of this special stone are unbeatable.
Why not create a contrast between the two and create a new patio trend by using man-made porcelain and natural stones in different areas in your patio by using low maintenance porcelain tiles where there may be higher traffic and use of natural stones in your low traffic relaxing area where it has the added visual and natural look and feel of a natural stone, we make our own rules in our homes, our own patio trends sometimes, so why restrict yourself to any one option :). Such an approach will create a great dynamic within your outdoor living space.
