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Gardens Design Dilemma Exteriors

Help with outdoor paving!

2 years ago

We’re having a kitchen extension built, with a new terrace and steps. Our house is three storeys on a hillside, so the drive and front door are on the middle level, then there will be steps around the side of the house, to the lower level where the back door, new kitchen and terrace are.

We will have big sliding doors and I was drawn to the look of indoor/outdoor porcelain tiles. We’re NE facing so I also liked the idea that porcelain is easier to keep in a non-slippery condition.

However I’ve discovered you can’t use porcelain tiles for steps as they don’t have a proper edge - you see the interior construction of the tile when you look at it side on. It’s possible to have it bull nosed but very expensive to do so.

My dilemma is therefore what paving solution to use on the steps. I love limestone but got a sample yesterday and it is so smooth it feels like it would be really slippery. And I was told it might not work well alongside porcelain as limestone weathers over time whereas porcelain doesn’t.

Does anyone have experience of using limestone on steps? Has anyone mixed limestone with porcelain? Or is there another solution I should be looking at? Eg I wouldn’t be averse to limestone inside and out, but concerned about slippiness if it was all over the terrace.

Thanks so much for any help/advice… I’m feeling SO confused about what to do!

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Comment (1)

Sonia
2 years ago
I have porcelain and Indian Sandstone in my garden. Porcelain comes in different R ratings (R9 - R13). The higher the rater the better the non slip effect. Mine is R13 and is completely non slip even in the pouring rain. The drawback is the non slip finish means it holds onto dirt and can get grubby (mine does), so rather annoying! Never have the R13 indoors as cleaning it is difficult. The sandstone is a natural finish that comes in a riven rustic finish and a calibrated finish which is more modern and straight edged. It comes in many shades from grey, beige, pale green etc. I’m not suggesting what you choose but a paving that is difficult to clean is a right pain!

Riven Sandstone in my garden

Calibrated Sandstone

My R13 Porcelain just after laying - looks a bit grubbier now!
hedgehog99 thanked Sonia
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