Shopping for outdoor porcelain tile for your project can be a daunting task due to the sheer variety of textures, sizes, patterns, colours, and price ranges available. Even if you already know what you’re looking for, you may become confused after encountering a tile more aesthetically pleasing than what you had in mind. Making a selection is further complicated as there is no consistent standard set. As a result, customers may be disappointed to discover that their choice is unsuitable for their landscaping project.
To aid in selecting the highest quality outdoor porcelain tile, we’ve created this guide. By rating systems, following manufacturing standards, and keeping tight tolerances in mind, this guide helps identify the best porcelain pavers in the market.
To select the most suitable tile, it is essential to consider the following qualities.
Anti Slip Ratings
In North America, the tile industry relies on DCOF (Dynamic Coefficient of Friction) to evaluate the quality of flooring products. It primarily establishes which applications are suitable for a given tile. Additionally, DCOF can be used to assess the slip resistance of porcelain tile; a rating of 0.8 is recommended for sloped or ramp surfaces, while 0.6 is suitable for level surfaces.
All Stondeck outdoor porcelain tiles provide exceptional grip and anti-slip features, making them ideal for outdoor use, such as pool decks, patios, pathways, and driveways. Our products feature anti-slip ratings of ≥0.60 for ultimate safety. Generally speaking, the higher the rating, the higher the tile’s slip resistance. Our Del Conca outdoor porcelain tiles have a slip resistance rating of ≥0.60, while our Kronos Ceramiche is rated at ≥0.62, and our Landmark Ceramics outdoor porcelain tiles have a DCOF rating of ≥0.7
MOHS Scale
MOHS measures the resilience of flooring and its ability to resist scratches. It has a range from 1 (talc) to 10 (diamond), with porcelain tiles usually having a rating of 7 to 9. Seven is an ideal rating; however, higher is better when it comes to scratch resistance. Our Kronos Ceramiche and Del Conca outdoor tiles boast a MOHS score of ≥7. You can test the strength of porcelain yourself. Take a key or other metal object and attempt to scratch the porcelain tile. It’ll take a great effort to do; if you manage it, we’d be seriously impressed!
Water Absorption
Without any doubt, outdoor porcelain tiles are undoubtedly more waterproof than any other kind of flooring material. However, all tiles are not created equal. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has a system to evaluate the water absorption and density of flooring.
Tiles with low-density ranking have a water absorption rate of more than 7%. This is why they are only appropriate for indoor use. Meanwhile, a medium-density ranking tile has a water absorption rate of 3%-7%. This rate and density level suggest that the tile is ideal for indoor use only.
When it comes to outdoor porcelain tiles with a high-density ranking, their water absorption rate is between 0.5%-0.3%. As a result, these tiles are suitable for both indoor and outdoor purposes.
This also indicates that you can use our products on multiple applications without worrying about water absorption. Also, the high-density structure gives our product resistance to different weather conditions, including the freezing-thawing cycles in Canada, making them highly unlikely to crack or flake.
Conclusion
Outdoor porcelain tiles stand out among the many outdoor surfaces available on the market due to our commitment to craftsmanship and innovation. We take great pride in our vast selection, the constant pursuit of new ideas, and our single-minded dedication to offering the finest outdoor porcelain pavers. Our commitment to excellence is unrivalled, and it is easy to find a suitable paver for your project – visit StoneDeck.ca to get in touch with us today