Almost every garden design will include paving in some form or another. It is a staple feature, and choosing the ideal paving for your project can make all the difference. When designing your garden, our team of Wakefield landscape gardeners will help you choose the most suitable paving to fit your budget and the aesthetic you are trying to achieve. For a long time, Indian stone was the go-to paving choice in the United Kingdom; even today, it is still a prevalent choice, and until more recently, it had been a budget-friendly option too. That said, Indian sandstone is no longer the most popular choice for paving in the UK as there is a new kid on the block, outdoor porcelain tiles.
Porcelain tiles have taken the landscaping industry by storm, offering a contemporary alternative to traditional stone with an assortment of exciting benefits for good measure. If you have yet to discover the advantages of porcelain paving, you are in for a treat as we explore why you should choose it for your next landscaping project.
Maintaining outdoor porcelain tiles
Everyone is busy, and finding the time to maintain your unruly garden is a headache most would rather avoid. As part of our digital garden design service, one of the first questions we ask is how much time you would like to spend looking after your garden. Surprise, surprise - most people ask us to create a maintenance-free garden design. We hate to break the news, but there is no such thing as a 100% maintenance-free garden, although our Wakefield landscape gardeners can get pretty close! One way we reduce the amount of upkeep a garden requires is by using outdoor porcelain tiles instead of traditional stone paving.
Keeping your Indian stone patio in tip-top condition is time-consuming; regular jet washing is essential, with re-jointing required too. So, now you’re probably wondering, how much maintenance is involved with a porcelain patio? Significantly less! To keep your tiles looking their best, treat your paving the same way you would your kitchen floor; a mop and bucket with soapy water are all you need to achieve a gleaming finish. You don’t get that ease of maintenance with Indian stone, which is one reason our Wakefield landscapers love installing porcelain.
Porcelain tiles are more durable and last for longer
If you break the bank to transform your garden, you should probably use products capable of withstanding the test of time; otherwise, you will be somewhat miffed when replacing your paving in a few years. Here at Wakefield Landscapes, we won’t be your cheapest quote; we design quality gardens, and we want your investment to last. In landscaping, you will always find a more affordable quotation, and there are always ways you can reduce the project's cost. You could substitute Italian porcelain for Indian stone, although the price difference between the two in recent years has become negligible. But, if you replace your paving with an inferior option, you will reduce the longevity of your garden, and in the long run, this will cost you more.
Porcelain tiles are a manufactured product designed and produced to serve their intended purpose as an outdoor paving option. When introducing the product to the market, porcelain tiles were engineered to match and hopefully surpass the longevity of Indian stone; otherwise, why would people make the switch? The quality of porcelain tiles, particularly those manufactured in Italy, has proven highly durable. Most projects we undertake choose porcelain tiles; our Wakefield landscape gardeners will forget what it’s like to install Indian stone at this rate!
Porcelain tiles are slip and frost resistant
When inquiring about a garden transformation, people still ask for Indian sandstone, but their presence usually changes when you make them aware of porcelain tiles. One concern we regularly hear is whether porcelain tiles will be slippy. Long story short, no porcelain tiles are not going to create an ice rink in your back garden.
We regularly meet people looking to transform their garden into a safe space for their children to play. Safety should always be an essential consideration in any project. With that in mind, our landscapers in Wakefield consider porcelain tiles the best paving product on the market. You will be pleased to know that porcelain tiles boast anti-slip properties and are highly resistant to frost, making them the ideal choice for your new patio. Even on the coldest of winter days, you can d that you will be able to keep both of your feet firmly planted on the ground; we can’t say that much for Indian stone!
Porcelain is visually pleasing
The most suitable paving choice for your project will always come down to the aesthetic you want to achieve. When considering a modern appearance, the go-to paving choice should almost always be outdoor porcelain tiles due to their sleek profile and appearance. For people desiring a traditional English garden, traditional stone paving options such as Indian stone, slate paving, or even limestone are better suited to that theme.
Porcelain tiles are available in various colours and sizes with choices to suit any modern garden design. In recent months, manufacturers have started producing porcelain tiles replicating popular Indian stones such as Kandla grey, the most used sandstone in the UK. You can even get wood-effect porcelain tiles that mimic the appearance of decking if that tickles your fancy! When you are ready to choose your tiles, we recommend heading to our friends at Sanderson Stone, who have a fantastic range of Italian porcelain tiles.
Should I choose porcelain tiles for my garden?
Whether outdoor porcelain tiles are the most suitable type of paving for your project will likely come down to your design style and what you would like to spend on your transformation. Porcelain is the latest and greatest product to take the landscaping industry by storm, and as such, it is not the cheapest option you will find. You can expect to pay somewhere in the region of £200 per square metre for porcelain paving, which is approximately £25 per square metre more expensive than Indian stone at today’s prices. To determine whether it is the best option for you, we would recommend arranging an initial consultation with a landscape gardener in Wakefield. Would you like to speak about your garden project? Let’s get started!
