When it comes to decorating the living arena with the touch of modern architectural innovation, tiles offer a great option. By bringing an attractive visual outlook, tiles ensure the best climate resistance for your home. While tiles are already standard in indoor interiors, it is becoming the new sensation for outdoor styling.
While installing porcelain tiles outdoors can be the win-game, choosing the right type for an under-the-sky setup can be challenging. Factors such as location, area, individual preference influence the tiling project, and therefore, it is essential to choose the perfect tiles based on the demand.
Understanding the difference between the outdoor and indoor tiles will make your selection process concise. Hence, before starting the renovation, let us travel through the key features of outdoor tiles, which makes them different from the indoor tiles.
Longevity
The level of durability required by the outdoor tiles is very high since it constantly needs to fight against weather fluctuation. Outdoor tiles have many things to bear, from facing the harsh sunlight to getting poured over by heavy rain or freezing snow. Add to that the heavy traffic, and outdoor tiles can’t help but be more robust than the indoor tiles. It is why exterior tiles generally contain a lot more longevity and sturdiness.
Material and grout
Exterior tile material should be non-porous and highly strong for them to respond against various physical impacts. Therefore, they come with a unique grout formula that plays a vital role in keeping the floor clean from getting dirty. While tiling the exterior surfaces, choosing the sealant grout rated for outdoor use over the premixed grout is necessary. As for materials, perhaps, Porcelain tiles is the most preferred choice for their many benefits.
Texture
Sleek flooring can be the best fit for the indoor but somewhat inappropriate for the outdoor surface as these types of tiles can get slippery when wet, causing unforeseen accidents. Since external surfaces such as parking, the patio around the swimming pool and the rooftop usually get exposed to the elements like rain and ice, it is always beneficial to choose textured tiles.
Glazing
Again, to reduce the slip gate accident, it is best to choose unglazed tiles. Some of the outdoor porcelain tiles come in both glazed and unglazed types. While both forms can be appealing for indoor installation, it is ideal to choose the unglazed tiles to resist slip, frost and fall.
Expansion joint
The Exterior surface is in a constant war with humidity, fridge and high temperature, and it requires a lot of expansion depending on the weather change. An expansion joint gives a flexible sealant that accommodates the fluctuation of the tile’s size and position. Without elaboration, joint tiles can crack, loose and damage easily.
To conclude, acquiring some knowledge before starting any outdoor projects will help attain the best possible outcome. So, it is always good to research and get ideas from experts, if possible, to figure out suitable outdoor tiles in particular circumstances.
