The garden has become another room. It’s where we cook and eat, and it’s often the first space people want to get right before summer. It’s just as good for autumn dinners, with a blanket over your knees and a lantern on the table. You just need a floor that can handle damp leaves.
Outdoor tiles are a lovely way to do that, but they have to cope with rain and frost as well as muddy boots. Here’s what to check before you commit.
1. Start with slip resistance
Wet weather is a given in the UK, so grip comes first. R11 is the rating usually recommended as a minimum for outdoor floor tiles, and a textured finish adds grip underfoot. That matters most on a shaded path or the step by the back door. A smooth surface tends to get slippery when it’s wet and out of the sun.
2. Choose your material: porcelain or ceramic
The two behave differently, which makes the choice easy. Porcelain is dense and easy to look after, so it suits a busy family terrace. Glazed ceramic brings more texture and colour, which works well for pattern. Honestly, if colour is the priority, ceramic is the better pick, though porcelain is the easier one to live with. Fired Earth’s patio guide puts it simply: porcelain for ease, natural stone for character.
Fired Earth began in 1983 with terracotta floor tiles from an Oxfordshire farm. Its outdoor tiles now cover both porcelain and glazed ceramic in plenty of finishes and tones. That way, you can match the material to how you use the space.
3. Pick a format that suits the shape of your space
Format changes how a garden feels. The right one usually depends on shape rather than size alone.
- Large tiles suit big terraces, where fewer grout lines make the surface look calmer and more open.
- Smaller tiles are more forgiving on awkward shapes and narrow paths.
If you’d like pattern, a 20 x 20cm tile such as Urban Callizo or Urban Velasco can mark out a dining area or run along a path.
4. Think about thickness
Here’s the bit that’s easy to miss. For outdoor floors, 20mm is the ideal thickness, whether you’re laying on a mortar bed or straight onto a prepared base, and thinner tiles should only go in covered areas or on a solid concrete base. The same guide warns you’ll regret picking a colour before checking the basics.
5. Let the colour carry the inside out
If your patio opens off the kitchen, a neutral tone often helps the floor flow from one room to the next. Think of it as an extension of the kitchen floor: a similar shade across the doorway makes two rooms feel like one. A sandy shade such as Quintili Sand (60 x 40cm) is a good start.
If you’d rather go bold, deep greens and navy hold their own in strong light. Bert & May’s Forest and Navy tiles are good places to look.
Test before you lay
Colour looks different outdoors, shifting between morning sun and late shade. Order a sample and put it on the patio itself, because the guide notes that “outdoor light changes colour considerably”. Then check it at different times of day, wet and dry.
If you’re unsure which tile suits your space, Fired Earth’s team will be happy to help.
About Fired Earth: a design house known for handmade tiles and paint, with designer ranges from Bert & May and Nina Campbell. Find a stockist, or read the Advice Hub for help.
