It's important to weigh up porcelain paving's pros and cons before making a decision. Porcelain paving is one of the best materials on the market, but it might not be suitable for you. We're here to help you decide.

Patio outside glass extension of modern house descends to lower level via steps.
Porcelain offers an entire solution to your design needs. Here Austin Landscapes chose Golden Stone paving, steps and coping for an integrated design.

At London Stone, we're experts in the world of paving, with our porcelain slabs being one of our most popular products. Let us guide you through the pros and cons of porcelain paving to allow you to make an informed decision for your needs.

If you'd like to find out more, please get in touch with our helpful Whatsapp team.

The Good: Evaluating the Pros of Porcelain Tiles

Small urban back garden fully paved with Urban Grey porcelain paving and composite decking. With raised bed edges and inbuilt benches.
This small urban back garden combines Urban Grey porcelain paving with composite decking for a sleek, modern effect. Designed and built by Harrington Porter.

Let's start with the many benefits our outdoor porcelain tiles can bring to your home. Its manufactured characteristics can give it advantages over other types of paving, including natural stone paving products, in our modern lifestyle. 

The main reasons why porcelain paving is perfect for your patio:

  • Strength - Porcelain is incredibly strong, created from a mixture of dense natural clays and a selection of additives. It can carry heavy foot traffic and vehicles, suiting a range of applications (such as driveways or busy patios).
  • Low-porosity - Outdoor porcelain tiles have a low porosity, which means they have extremely low water absorption and therefore do not absorb dirt easily, which makes them a great choice for a low-maintenance outdoor spaces.
  • Weather-resistant qualities - Due to its non-porous nature, porcelain is highly weather-resistant. It's frost-, slip-, fire- and fade-resistant, ensuring your porcelain paving slabs will look good for years to come. 
  • Longevity - When laid correctly, these patio slabs will last for decades. You also have the peace of mind afforded by our 10-year warranty.
  • Easy to maintain - Cleaning outdoor porcelain tiles tends to be easier than natural stone paving. Its water-resistant qualities mean that porcelain doesn't require sealing, and it's easy enough to clean with water and a brush. Alternatively, using a jet wash on a low setting is also effective.
  • Consistent colouring - Outdoor porcelain tiles have consistent colouring, which is often an important feature of a modern patio design.

As you can see, our outdoor porcelain paving slabs have many advantages, making them worthwhile additions to any modern home.

The Great: A World of Choice Awaits

Florence Grey paving spaced across lawn to steps between flanking beds to raised seating area
BRP Garden Services chose Florence Grey and Platinum plank paving for this impressive scheme.

However, the benefits of porcelain don't end there. This versatile material is extremely adaptable, with a wide range of full-body colour options and finishes to consider. This means that you'll never run out of options. 

From our Luxury Italian slabs through to our Project Porcelain collection, there really is something for every budget - no matter what your design needs. From our classic Florence Storm paving to our contemporary Steel Grey Porcelain Planks, we're sure you'll find something to love.

You also have a wide range of finishes and textures, which can imitate other materials, such as timber decking or natural stone paving. For a non-porous decking alternative, our Wood Effect tiles are ideal, giving you all the benefits of porcelain with the classic look of wood.

Another thing to consider is that our outdoor porcelain paving slabs are precision-cut, with no tolerance on most slab sizes. This means that they have crisp lines and ultra-even pointing, making for something modern and stylish.

The Cons of Porcelain Paving

Long narrow rear garden with rattan furniture on Astor Grey porcelain patio, stepping stones through bed beyond.
Astor Grey porcelain paving gives a natural look to this patio by Coastal Gardens.

At London Stone, we're big believers in porcelain paving, as it's one of the best materials you could use within your outdoor space. However, there are a few factors that need to be taken into account when making your decision.

Some of the main cons of laying porcelain paving are:

  • A higher price point - Compared to natural stone, porcelain is often more expensive. If you’re on a tight budget, the good news is that we have some more affordable paving items available within our Budget porcelain and Project porcelain ranges.
  • More suited to contemporary styles - In many cases, porcelain is most suitable for modern design schemes, due to its sleek lines and uniform appearance. If you'd like a more traditional finish, you may want to consider our stone-effect outdoor tiles, such as our Jura and Florence porcelain paving or our Basalt porcelain outdoor tiles.
  • Harder to cut - Another thing to take into account is that cutting porcelain can be more difficult than natural stone. This is because it is so dense - read expert landscapers' tips on cutting porcelain. If you’re concerned about cutting your tiles effectively, we have a bespoke cutting service, to make life easier. 
  • Harder to lay - Because of porcelain slabs' very precise dimensions, laying can be more challenging as you don't have the leeway on joint width that's provided, for example, by riven paving. This can result in higher labour costs, if you are hiring a landscaper.

A frequent concern about porcelain is safety. We can assure you that porcelain paving isn't slippery.

Porcelain Paving in Perspective

When weighing up porcelain paving's pros and cons, many people find its positives outweigh the negatives. Porcelain is a fantastic material. You might like to consider using indoor porcelain tiles indoors too.  

All our items can be purchased directly through our website. Once you’ve decided which porcelain paving products you’d like to buy, just add them to your shopping cart and we’ll get them delivered shortly.

Alternatively, don't forget you can see our full range of paving in our showrooms nationwide.