Porcelain Paving Reviews 2024 – Supply Base

Do you want to learn more about Porcelain Paving slabs before you buy? If so, then check out our brief Porcelain Paving review which will give you a broader understanding about the pros and cons that they can offer you along with the main features that should be noted about them.

In addition, we will also outline some of our most popular Porcelain Paving options that you can check out further down on this page that we hope you will like and can give you some direction on the right solutions for your own home and garden needs. In addition, a sample layout pattern is outlined further down of this page for a patio pack with 3 sets of dimensions.

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Natural vs Porcelain

Natural Sandstone and Granite is quite porous so it will absorb water a lot quicker so it can be susceptible to frost when low temperatures set in. Plus, they will get dull and fade a lot quicker than Porcelain. Natural Sandstone, Granite and Limestone should be sealed annually to prevent fading and protect against staining from the weather elements.

Porcelain slab tiles on the other hand will maintain their appearance a lot longer as they are naturally protected against moisture, frost and stains. All that is needed to clean the Porcelain paving slabs is a mild detergent with water, so maintenance is so much easier overall with no sealants required either on a annual basis.

Read also: An overview on Bradstone Paving Patterns here

Porcelain Paving Review Overview

Pros or Advantages of Porcelain Paving:

• Less Maintenance: They are so easy to maintain, clean and their new appearance lasts a lot longer with the built in anti-fade properties. They are produced to high temperatures with low porosity and keeping them clean and spotless is much easier than other paving solutions. Natural sandstone and granite slabs will require a seal for protection each year while the Porcelain slabs do not.
• Hard Wearing: They give a nice clean attractive finish that’s leaves you with a professional look which is hard wearing and able to deal with a high level of human traffic
• Durable: The quality of the premium thicker slabs is durable and will be able to stand the test of time and they provide you with a reliable hard surface instead which is great when you have heavy downpours of rain. Natural paving slabs are more likely to get scratches and fade over time also
• Scratch Free: They are less likely to be affected by scratching or marks which in turns keeps the “new look” for longer.
• Varieties: They can be engineered to be made in a variety of different finishes and colours and no grout is needed for the installation process.
• Slip-Free: Outdoor porcelain paving slabs will have a textured surface to ensure they are not slippery when wet
• Availability: More and more suppliers have an adequate supply of porcelain paving which helps to reduce the price for the end consumer to make it more affordable.
• Free Samples: A free sample can be sent to you before you commit to test it out which will be worthwhile if you are unsure about different varieties
• Less Porous: Porcelain slabs are a type of ceramic manufactured with finer grain clay and fired at higher temperature levels which make them less porous and more durable in the long term
• Resistance: Porcelain offers sophistication and a designer appearance which is made from a mixture of sand and clay and they boast the look of high quality natural stone but with the added advantages of water resistance and mould stain resistance.

Cons or Disadvantages of Porcelain Paving:

• Pricing: The price of the Porcelain paving will be a good deal more expensive so be prepared to dig deeper into your pockets – this can be anywhere from £20/£30 or possibly more per meter squared
• Installation: The installation and laying or the Porcelain paving can be more difficult than the concrete, limestone or sandstone natural paving solutions. The surface does not absorb water which makes it more difficult to bond to the base underneath – plus the level of skill needed for laying them is a lot higher
• Artificial: Some people will prefer the natural paving slab look instead of porcelain as some will feel that Porcelain looks a little artificial for their needs. The appearance may be too clinical for some garden and home settings
• Cutting: The Porcelain paving slabs can be more difficult to cut than the natural paving slabs so you need to buy slightly more than the area you are covering to be on the safe side of volume requirements. If at all possible, cutting the Porcelain slabs should be kept to a minimum.
• Base: The preparation of the base needs to be 100% perfect and level to ensure the joints which are tighter and laid out square and that they are aligned together in straight lines – more care is needed definitely with the sub-base preparations.
• Shading: Lacks the true shading that natural paving can offer and the rustic natural charm appearance which can be eye catching when compared to the likes of limestone or granite but again the are porous, so Porcelain wins out when it comes to annual maintenance – less work overall

Porcelain Paving Recommendations

The range of Porcelain paving on offer in the UK is quite vast but here are 4 options which we particularly like and they are worth a closer look if you are serious about a high quality Porcelain paving solution. All 4 are available from a company called Simply Paving in Halifax / Amazon and they are all set up for ordering online and delivering to your home hassle free which is great to know

1, Bradstone Manzano Porcelain Paving in Pearl Mosaic

Porcelain Paving Overview

Our first Porcelain paving solution that we recommend is the Bradstone Manzano Porcelain Paving which comes in a Pearl Mosaic and is generally available for around £50 per metes squared when last seen on sale. This option creates the appearance of contemporary polished concrete and it incorporates a distinctive and varied colour blend that work really well with the 12 attractive mosaic designs mixed at random throughout.

Visually, it is very appealing and eye catching and there are different size dimensions available but the one we preferred is 600mm by 600mm slabs. The thickness of these slabs is 20mm, the joint widths are only 5mm and it has four shades and the packs contain a random mix of flags for a unique experience. There are 60 slabs in a pack, the country of origin is Spain and the pack offers coverage of 21.6 meters squared.

Price Guide: From £49 per m2

2, Bradstone Mode Textured Porcelain Paving in Graphite

Porcelain Paving Overview

Our second Porcelain paving slab that we recommend here is the Bradstone Mode Textured Porcelain Paving in Graphite which is highly durable, non-porous and requires little to no maintenance at all apart from the odd hose down. This option offers an eye catching contemporary outdoor space that your family and any visitor will love and there are 4 shades to choose from in each finish. If you want an ultra-modern look for your outdoor spaces, then you don’t need to look much further than this.

These are available in 2 dimensions namely 600mm by 600mm or 600mm by 300mm and they both give off a sleek design with crystals added in for that ultimate professional and stone like appearance look. The thickness of these slabs is 20mm, again the county of origin is Spain and a patio paver pack has 60 units included offering coverage of 21.6 meters squared.

Price Guide: From £40 per m2

3, Bradstone Vetusto Porcelain Paving in Rustic Gold

Porcelain Paving Overview

Third on our short list today and certainly one of our favourites is the Bradstone Vetusto Porcelain Paving in Rustic Gold which again has low maintenance requirements, it won’t absorb water and it is resistant to frost, stains and mould. The rustic gold appearance here is simply awesome where it combines the old with the new is its very distinctive colour layout patterns and again it is resistant to fading so it will naturally keep its shiny appearance for many years to come.

There are 3 different dimensions of slabs here namely 30 slabs of 595 by 595mm, 36 slabs of 595 by 295mm and 12 slabs of 295 by 295mm and a sample layout pattern is outlined further below to give you some direction. The joint widths are 5mm, the thickness is 20mm and they originate from Poland. There are 78 slabs total in the patio pack which offers you coverage of 18.36 meters squared.

Price Guide: From £44 per m2

Read also: Our Cheap List of Paving Solutions in the UK here

Bradstone Vetusto Porcelain Paving in Rustic Gold Pattern

As there are 3 sets of dimensions in this patio pack, the layout pattern below will give you a guide on how best these Porcelain paving slabs should be laid out. The area the patio pack can cover is 5.1m by 3.6m as a guide or a total of 18.36 meters squared.

Lower Priced Porcelain Paving Solution

4, Simply Paving Alba Porcelain Paving in Cream

Porcelain Paving Overview

If price is extremely important to you and you need to consider a lower priced alternative, then check out the Simply Paving Alba Porcelain Paving in Cream which is generally available for around £35 per meters squared when seen at the time of this review. This is a more basic option to the ones already outlined but they have all the characteristics associated to Porcelain paving such as no maintenance, stain free, fade free and they are resistant to frost and moisture.

They are also scratch resistant; no sealants are required (like with Natural paving stones) and they come in a single dimension of 600mm by 600mm for an easier layout pattern. These slabs are 20mm thick also, the joints are also 5mm and the patio pack of 60 units offers you coverage of 21.6 meters squared.

Price Guide: From £35 per m2

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Installation

Natural paving stones are more easily laid down than Porcelain paving slabs as the Natural paving slabs can be laid down in sand and mortar joints with a screed. The Porcelain on the other hand uses a weatherproof adhesive and the base must be 100% level flat. The one good thing though is that this weatherproof adhesive for the Porcelain slabs weathers a lot better than the mortar joints, plus the colour of the weatherproof adhesive can be changed around to fit in with the colour of the slabs you are using. While the natural may be better in some ways in terms of installation, the Porcelain is also better in different ways so there are positives and negatives for both.

Durability

As Porcelain slabs are made with very high temperatures, it makes them more durable than Natural slabs and they tend to be more denser, thicker and less porous than Natural stones. As they have superior strength, it then makes them a better option for high volumes of human traffic so they can even be used for commercial pathways. As they don’t absorb water and are less porous, they are more suited to wetter climates where rainfall occurs on a regular or weekly basis which in turn makes them less likely to be damaged by frost when lower temperatures set in.

Conclusion

After reading our Porcelain Paving review, we hope we have given you some information that you can use and which will benefit you in some small way when it comes to making your own final paving buying decisions. Porcelain paving has its good point and some bad points, but we firmly believe the good far outweighs the bad. We also hope you found our recommendations useful and further information is readily available below…

Educate Others in the UK

Have you any experience yourself of Porcelain paving slabs? What are your own preferences to use? Any tips you would like to share?

If possible, please share and let us all know by leaving a comment in the comment box section provided below – so that others across the UK community can learn also!