case studies > case 02

Laying a patio using porcelain tiles
The second of our case history studies is a little more unusual as a tiling situation, as it covers the installation of a patio. A mixture of grass, a flowerbed and a path covered the area where the patio was to be installed. The customer wanted to tile the patio area instead of using paving slabs.

The first stage in this installation was to dig up the old path and remove any materials that were not required. The area where the patio was to be installed was marked out, and the grass and soil in this area was removed to a depth of approximately six inches. The next step was to concrete the area where the patio was to be installed to give a solid base, which was then screeded (with a waterproof additive), to give a flat surface to tile onto. When laying the concrete and screed, the correct falls had to be allowed for drainage. There was also a manhole cover leading to a drain outlet which had to be worked around, which made the task a little more of a challenge. This cover was rounded and as cutting tiles around a circular cover would have been almost impossible, the manhole cover was replaced with a square one. The concrete and screed was then left to harden for approximately 3 weeks. The patio was now ready for tiling.

The setting out of any tiling job is the most important part of all. In this situation a centre line was drawn between the shed and the fence, and the tiles were laid from this centre line outwards. The tiling was started with a full tile from the edge where the patio would meet the lawn, and then worked back towards the house, so that any cut tiles would be at the back edge. A metal square edged trim was used to protect the exposed tile edge where the patio meets the lawn. An expansion joint was also incorporated around the perimeter where required, i.e. against any existing walls. (Please Note - Any tile used for outdoor use must be Porcelain, as a normal glazed floor tile cannot withstand frost and the excessive wear.)

The finished patio has a very clean look and complements the garden, the brickwork of the house, the fencing and the shed. (For further details on our fixing service, please see the Fixing Service section.)