SAMPLE - Manchester Sky Outdoor Porcelain Paving Tiles

Porcelain can very easily be kept looking beautiful for years thanks to the low maintenance it requires. The occasional brushing away of leaves and debris, and if needed, simply brushing with some soapy water is enough to keep your porcelain paving looking as good as new.

The materials and manufacturing processes used to create porcelain result in a fantastic product which is resistant to staining, fading, frost, UV, mould, algae, salts, and acids. With a super-low-porosity, porcelain is highly resistant to staining as any spills won't immediately soak into the paving. This is what makes it so easy to maintain, with porcelain being ideal for BBQ and entertaining areas, as accidental spills can be easily wiped up without ruining the paving. Similarly, low water absorption prevents against frost damage in winter like it can with other materials.

The combination of materials and the extremely high temperatures that porcelain is manufactured at give it incredible strength due its high density. The hard-wearing, durable nature of porcelain ensures a fantastic paving solution that will stand the test of time.

Many people wonder whether porcelain is suitable for outdoors or whether it is a slip hazard. For peace of mind, all of our own porcelain paving ranges are anti-slip rated at a minimum of R11. This means that there is a low potential for slip in both dry and wet conditions and is widely accepted as the appropriate level of resistance for external porcelain applications. The R rating refers to 'ramp test' where the slip resistance is measure at increasingly steeper inclines. An R11 slip rating for instance is achieved at a 20 to 27 degree incline.

For those looking to avoid the innate variation in tones and character of natural stone, porcelain is man-made, meaning the colours, textures and patterns are limited to the chosen design. This gives you more control of the composition of your patio as you can choose a range suited to your style - whether that be picking on-trend colours or subtle shades for a uniform look.

Rectified porcelain has been cut along each side after it has been fired to give straighter edges, crisper corners, and tighter dimensional tolerances within that batch versus non-rectified porcelain. The benefits of rectified paving allow for cleaner, tighter joints to be achieved. As always, it is important to ensure batches are identical, as the dimensions and tolerance to those dimensions in one batch may differ to the next.

Colour-bodied porcelain is manufactured in a similar way to full-bodied, with the exception that the surface print isn't consistently coloured with the body itself. The benefit of a colour-bodied porcelain is that they are generally slightly cheaper, and once laid, the surface itself is immaterially different to the surface of a full-bodied tile. Any cut edges and accidental chips that may occur can be more noticeable than on a full-bodied porcelain.