There are many options for finishing the floor on balconies and terraces, but the best in many respects are terrace tiles. When making a purchase, you have to be careful - even the best tiles for a balcony may turn out to be inappropriate and disappoint with both their appearance and performance. That is why it is so important to obtain the appropriate knowledge when choosing tiles for the terrace and best match them to your needs.
Terrace tiles: available materials
When choosing tiles for the terrace, it is worth checking the offer on the market and available materials. Shops offer a wide range of products. Below we present the most popular types of balcony tiles, their features and characteristics.
Ceramic tiles are a very popular type of outdoor terrace tiles. They are resistant to loads and very easy to care for. Their disadvantage is that they heat up quickly in the sun. When purchasing, please make sure that the packaging indicates that the tiles are frost-resistant.
Another common solution is clay terracotta for the terrace covered with high-quality glaze. It is characterized by excellent resistance to low temperatures and high strength. Thinking about balconies and terraces, it is best to choose tiles with a rough texture, matte finish, on which no dirt is visible. Such a balcony tile can imitate other materials - a wood-like tile is a recently fashionable solution.
Outdoor porcelain stoneware tiles are frost-resistant, very practical, and resistant to moisture. They do not deform and wear, and do not lose their high aesthetic values. This tile is distinguished by its composition (with the addition of granite chips, feldspar, mica). It is fired at high temperature. Thanks to this, the material is durable, does not absorb moisture and does not fade in the sun. When choosing porcelain stoneware, remember: it is heavy (which is particularly important when choosing tiles for the balcony), difficult to process and quite expensive.
Clinker, thanks to high-temperature firing, is very strong. The use of natural material makes it unpretentious (it is used on facades for a reason). However, this material has some drawbacks, the main of which is the modest color scheme: mainly shades of brown and red.
Quartz vinyl tile is a polymer material, constituting a "sandwich" made of PVC, quartz, fiberglass and polyurethane.It is durable, warm and looks beautiful. It is not afraid of moisture, it is easy to install. The downside of vinyl flooring is that it is not very environmentally friendly and can be damaged by fire, sparks, and rubber stains.
Tiles for the terrace: what kind of tile adhesive?
Tile adhesives can be divided into three types:
Epoxy adhesive is recommended for smooth surfaces. It is an expensive material, but at the same time reliable. Epoxy glue is used in places with high stress. It is ideal for external cladding, i.e. for terrace tiles, as it tolerates extreme temperatures and is impervious to water.
Dispersion adhesive is delivered ready to use. It has high adhesive properties and high flexibility, and allows you to finish non-standard surfaces: glass, wood, chipboard. Perfect for installing clinker steps and tiles on open terraces, balconies and patios.
Cement glue is a widely used solution. Manufacturers enrich it with various additives and elasticizing agents, which expand the possibilities of using adhesive mixtures. Depending on the recipe, the product can be used for both exterior decoration (such as terrace tiles and balcony tiles) and interior decoration, both under normal conditions and in conditions of high humidity and temperature changes. It is suitable for both light tiles and large heavy natural or artificial stone tiles.
Terrace tiles: what to clean and polish?
When we put new tiles on the balcony or terrace, the question arises - what to clean them and how to polish them? Do not use aggressive, abrasive, unverified agents for the care of tiles. The best tile cleaners available are:
detergent solution or household cleaners,
anti-mold agents,
descaling and rust remover agents,
ammonia or regular alcohol, vinegar,
steam cleaner.
If cleaning is done regularly, just wash the tiles with water and detergent. If scale, rust, fungus or mildew stains appear on the patio tiles, stronger chlorine-containing agents, anti-limescale agents and anti-rust agents will be needed, which should be used according to the instructions. Substitutes for such products are vinegar solutions (prepared in the proportion of 200 ml per 1 liter of water) or alcohol (100 ml per 4 liters of water), which clean the plate to a shine and kill bacteria. However, the use of such agents is only possible if epoxy grouts are used, which do not damage them.
A steam cleaner can also cope with the task of cleaning tiles - in some cases, an efficient device can replace an entire arsenal of chemicals. With a steam cleaner, limescale and even mildew stains are easily and simply removed.
In tile maintenance, the main rule is "prevention is better than fight" - cleaning your tiles systematically will not take long, but will save you from problems such as stubborn rust or mold that takes a lot of time and effort to clean.
How to prepare the substrate for tiles on the terrace?
What do you need to do to properly prepare the substrate for tiles on the terrace? The renovation work involves several different steps, including the leveling of the floor. It is possible that the old surface (for example the screed) does not meet our requirements, so it should be removed. If the terrace is uneven, it may be necessary to make a screed. If the floor is uneven and we want to avoid a spout, we need to fill in cracks, gaps and slopes. This will save the consumption of relatively expensive glue. Only thanks to this approach it will be possible to obtain an even surface for laying tiles on the balcony.
For the preparatory work you will need tools such as a chisel, hammer, spatula.You will need a spirit level to assess the evenness of the floor. To ensure your safety, dress appropriately and use personal protective equipment such as gloves and glasses.
What for the terrace instead of tiles?
What can be put on the terrace instead of tiles? There are many possibilities. You can choose stone, marble, wood or just paving stones. Each solution has its advantages and disadvantages that are worth knowing.
Covering the terrace floor with paving stones is a rather convenient, quick and inexpensive option. The construction of the floor from such a material, the so-called dry method, eliminates the need to make a concrete foundation, a concrete slab. Moreover, such a coating is absolutely insensitive to changes in temperature and humidity.
Terrace tiles made of natural stone look noble, but it is an expensive solution. They have a strong structure, they show unusual patterns and resistance. It should also be remembered that some difficulties may be encountered when assembling them.Marble tiles are only suitable for installation on closed terraces, because this material does not tolerate precipitation and is destroyed under the influence of ultraviolet radiation.
The wooden floor on the terrace is in perfect harmony with the garden, and its connection to the house is also not a problem, as the facades of modern buildings are often decorated with wood. However, the choice of wooden tiles for the terrace is justified only if the terrace is closed and insulated from external conditions. This material requires special protection against water, extreme temperatures and fungus. A definite advantage of wood on the balcony is its impressive appearance and elegance.
If you want to refer to the style of wood, you can use wood-like tiles for the terrace. Other solutions combining the aesthetics of wood and practicality include thermally modified wood, i.e. a terrace board made as part of processing at a temperature of 125 to 190 degrees C. Under the influence of hot air, the structure of the wood changes - it becomes more durable, water absorption is reduced and it is eliminated the problem of anisotropy.
Another type of wood-like tiles are wood-polymer composite boards. They are made of cellulose fibers and polymer components. They are characterized by almost zero anisotropy, which results from the fact that cellulose is not the base, but only the filler of the polymer (which is the basic element of the composite). Composite boards are an interesting example of the use of two materials - wood and polymers. In combination with cellulose, plastic is reliably protected from ultraviolet radiation that is harmful to it. In turn, the polymer ensures the stability of the wood, giving the product a number of useful properties.
Another common deck covering is products containing rubber. Rubber products are not exposed to atmospheric conditions as much as, for example, wood. They are comfortable and safe. The price of rubber materials is relatively low, the more that we are able to arrange them ourselves, even if we do not have adequate experience in this field.
