Outdoor tile?

badkarma927

I have a new patio and right now it is just plain concrete. I was thinking about tiling it myself and was wondering if I should be looking for a specific outdoor type of tile? Half of the patio is covered, the other have is under an arbor.

Also, there is a couple of low spots in the concrete that I have noticed when it rains, that water tends to gather in. What would be the best way to level that out?

Thanks

troubleseeker

Any tile rated for floors will hold up outside, but there are different wear ratings among them based on the glazes, also pay attention to how slick the tile is , some get extremely slick when wet. Do not use the cheaper tiles rated for walls. Ask at your tile supplier for recommendations for you application. There should be no problem with any of the porceline products.

JazMan

Yes porcelain would be the correct type of tile to use. When tiling outdoor areas, the slab has to be sloped so that all of the water runs off. The spec is a min. of 1/4" per ft. You will never see that much slope built in a patio by the concrete guys tho unless the slab was built with tiling in mind.

So, this slab is not a good candidate for tiles, even in Houston. If you insist, you have to get rid of the birdbath. You also MUST have either expansion joints or control joints every 8-12 ft. both in the slab and in the tilework directly above in the field and around the perimeter.

Jaz

badkarma927

Thanks for the info.

Yeah, the slab is sloped to let the water runoff, but that one spot is too low. What can I do to level that out?