When it comes to adding porcelain paving to your outside space, it’s easy to get preoccupied with the colour and design of the tiles without fully considering the base or what goes underneath. 

Overlooking what lies beneath can be a big mistake and do your beautiful new pavers a grave disservice.

After all, you wouldn’t buy a car purely based on the chassis without checking the quality of the engine underneath and the same principle applies to outdoor porcelain paving.

A good base is a must for any outdoor tiling job but knowing which one to choose can be a tricky choice.

Luckily, this blog aims to provide you with the knowledge to make the best decision for you, your property and your pavers so you can stop asking, "what do you lay patio slabs on?" and start choosing the best base for your project.

Concrete Base

Unlike indoor tiles, there are a variety of modern options when it comes to the foundation of your paving design; however, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention the industry standard – the tried and tested concrete base.

Strong, durable and secure, concrete has been the go-to solution for patio bases for many years, quite literally providing a solid foundation for the pavers to rest on.

A concrete base can be time-consuming and often requires a lot of prep work. From mixing and spreading to levelling and laying to grouting and cleaning, this route is a million miles from simply paying and laying. 

In fact, creating a level surface that’s uniform from left to right can be frustratingly difficult and takes a real knack to get right. What’s more, the necessary inclusion of adhesives – such as mortar, grout and cement – make this a messy process.

Perhaps worst of all, these firm drying substances don’t lend themselves well to mistakes either. One off-tile can be hard to undo once the paving is laid and can taint your paving finish instantly. 

Luckily, there are two great alternatives that are far more forgiving and far less arduous to undertake. So, if you don't choose concrete, what do you lay your patio slabs on?

Pedestal System

A revolutionary alternative to the traditional concrete base, pedestal supports from PrimaPorcelain provide a simple yet smart installation solution through innovative dry installation.

A favoured option amongst DIY enthusiasts, this adhesive-free option allows you to achieve a level surface without arduously flattening the surface plane.

In fact, no paving skills are required at all, with no mortar, adhesive or grout in sight. This translates to a clean installation with minimal mess.

Meanwhile, the total lack of adhesive also means there’s no necessary drying or setting time required, allowing you to use your new surface from the moment the final slab is laid on the patio base.

Better still, the elevated structure promotes thermal and acoustic insulation, while the gap between the slabs and the ground also allows for placement of cables and piping. These can be accessed easily should any maintenance work need doing. The porcelain tiles can simply be lifted off the pedestal base and replaced when finished. 

Easy-Frame System

Much like the pedestal method, the Easy-Frame provides a fantastic means of laying porcelain paving in your outdoor space without the mess, hassle and labour of conventional means. We think this is one of the most innovative porcelain tile bases on the market.

Constructed from galvanised steel, this porcelain paving substructure system essentially provides your pavers with a stage to rest on for a solid, stable base.

The structure itself is assembled off-site to fit the exact dimensions of your outdoor space. From there, the frames are simply transported to your property in sections and locked together on-site. This means you can lay your patio slabs on the base with minimal fuss and effort.

Coated in zinc for heat, frost and moisture resistance, the frame also boasts the highest weight-to-strength ratio on the market, providing unrivalled reliability.

Mirroring its pedestal counterpart, the Easy-Frame also offers an adhesive-free route to patio paving bases, allowing easy access to the substrate, minimal mess and zero drying time.

Best of all, the framework model allows the Easy-Frame to simply be placed directly over existing areas without disturbing utilities, such as drains, pipework of cables. This means you can install this patio base pretty much anywhere in your garden, making it ideal for all outdoor spaces.

Read More: How to Lay Slabs

For more information on any of our outdoor porcelain tiles or the various installation methods available, why not drop us a line today? Call now on 029 2080 3756 or get in touch online by clicking the button below.

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Did you know, we now offer large and small porcelain tile samples? Once you've picked your favourite porcelain paving from our ranges, use our paving calculator to work out how much you need & order directly through the website. We can't wait to help you transform your home/garden.

For anyone looking to brighten up their outdoor space with a patio area, the choice of tiles to choose from can make the endeavour quite the creative conundrum.

Do you go with natural stone or concrete? Ceramic or Saltillo? Mosaic or brick? With so many options to choose from, it’s enough to cause headaches before you’ve even laid the first slab.

Luckily, there’s one material that boasts the unique benefits or each with none of the drawbacks. Porcelain paving offers everything a patio could need, making the choice an absolute breeze.

Pictured: Bolzano Grey

Why choose porcelain paving?

Porcelain isn’t just good for patio paving, it’s pretty much the perfect material, providing everything you could want from an outdoor tile. Durable, low-maintenance and aesthetically stunning, porcelain paving ticks all the boxes.

As a patio paving material, porcelain offers a variety of suitable perks, from its stain resistance to its textured grip. However, most notably and perhaps most importantly is its resistance to a number of weather conditions.

In addition to being fade and frost resistant, they are also non-porous and extremely water-resistant with an absorption rate of 0.05%. The low porosity makes them virtually impermeable, giving them added traction in wet conditions and protecting any users from potential slip hazards.

The water-resistance also makes them the ideal surface for those that are looking to accessorise their patio with watery activities, such as a hot tub or a pool. While the wipe clean stain-proofing makes them just as suitable for outdoor socials, such as barbeques or drinks with friends.

Why choose PrimaPorcelain?

At PrimaPorcelain, we have one of the largest collections of porcelain tile designs in the UK. From the dark and stormy mystique of Quartz Black to the woody allure of Forest Oak, our catalogue of porcelain paving patterns is virtually unrivalled.

All of our outdoor porcelain paving slabs are made with a thickness of 20mm for enhanced strength and sturdiness. What’s more, all our tiles are vitrified, making sealing and glazing a thing of the past.

Better still, all of our porcelain tiles are mixed with a dye before being placed in the kiln, providing a consistent colouration throughout the entire slab. This means that, in the unlikely event of a chip or scratch, the damage will be unnoticeable, unlike a traditional ceramic tile.

Our tiles can even be dry-installed without the need for any adhesive or mortar. Using our unique pedestal system, the task of laying patio tiles is considerably easier than traditional methods, making it a realistic DIY job if you are confident in your own skills.

Better still, the lack of adhesive means there is no settling time, allowing you to walk on your new patio from the moment the final paving tile is laid.

Did you know we now offer large and small samples, allowing you to really get a feel for our ranges before making a decision? Once you've chosen your dream paving, you can place your order directly through our website. 

Order FREE Porcelain Tile Samples

Click here to explore our wide range of porcelain tiles and paving slabs >

Seeing as this blog resides on a porcelain tile website, you may be able to guess where we’re going with this…and you are probably right.

There’s no avoiding it, grass requires a lot of TLC to keep it looking green, healthy and attractive – ask any gardener, lawn expert or groundsman for proof of just that.

From mowing, watering and weed control to aerating, scarifying and fertilising, maintaining your garden is endless job with no salary in sight.

Presumably, if your reading a blog about low-maintenance gardens, that probably doesn’t sound like your cup of tea.

Why make yourself a slave to the ground? Kick grass to the curb and replace it with a low-maintenance garden paver that packs a porcelain punch!

Low-Maintenance Garden Ideas

As mentioned earlier, grass is a labour-intensive feature that, unsurprisingly, features intensely laborious grass. As such, the first rule of Maintenance Avoidance Club (besides “don’t talk about Maintenance Avoidance Club”) is to avoid grass at all costs, so don’t be afraid to tear up the turf in favour of a man-made replacement.

That being said, there’s more than one way to pave goodbye to your garden grass. Here’s a few ways you can remove the year-round yard work and hard work and replace it with summertime chilling and grilling.

House Tile Takeover

The larger the paved area, the less grass, plants and vegetation you will need to trim, maintain and man-handle. If you really want a low-maintenance garden, it makes sense to tile as large an area as possible.

However, that doesn’t mean you need to accept fate that your garden has to look like a 1950s schoolyard. PrimaPorcelain has one of the widest selections of tiles in the UK, allowing you to create beautifully bewitching designs that mesmerise and wow in equal measure.

Natural Selection

If you’re not quite ready to let go of the greenery entirely, there are ways around that too. Why not draft in some potted plants, garden beds or window boxes?

These can inject a bit of garden green and natural colour into your outdoor space without necessitating the laborious nature of maintaining a whole plot.

Best of all, they also require minimal upkeep and can be easily modified, moved or removed if you ever feel like switching up your outdoor style.

Border Patrol

If tiling over your entire garden area seems a little excessive, you can always leave a border around the edge of your outdoor property. This provides a patch of perimeter for you to indulge in any green garden goodness without having to worry about covering metre after metre of square floor space.

Whether you want to surround your paved space with bushy hedges, flourishing plants or colourful flowers, the border option is a nice touch that can make the transition a little less wholesale and stop your garden from becoming void of nature. Meanwhile, the addition of a border also allows you to play around even further with your paving design.

Meet You Halfway

Similarly, another way to get the best of both worlds and effectively cut your ground maintenance in half is to simply pave over half of your garden with a partial patio area covering.

This really is the perfect solution for those on the fence and torn between a garden and a patio, while it does still dramatically reduce the amount of garden maintenance you have to sign up for.

Path to Greatness

Another great way to avoid further groundwork without turning your garden into a complete concrete jungle is to add a paved pathway.

In addition to breaking up your garden design, this can also be a great way to link different sections of your garden and create a natural flow to your outdoor space.

Meanwhile, a paving path can also be used in conjunction with other non-grass options – such as chippings, gravel, pebbles, etc – to complement your garden design and break up areas of solid tiling.

Creating a Low-Maintenance Garden

We understand that, when creating a low-maintenance garden, it can be difficult to know where to start and envisioning a new landscape in place of your existing one can be hard to imagine. That’s why we offer a FREE 3D design lab service to help bring your vision to life before it becomes a reality.

Chop and change between tile design, paving placement and overall colour scheme at the click of a button. Best of all, to really give you a feel for what’s to come, you can even request up to 3 FREE tile samples to get to grips with your paver of choice.

Why choose porcelain paving tiles?

Our porcelain paving tiles are hard-wearing, durable and built to last. Stain, scratch and fade resistant, they maintain their original aesthetic long after they are laid and can look great year after year with little to no upkeep nurturing along the way.

If you want a garden space that looks fantastic without requiring arduous upkeep, our selection of porcelain paving tiles is the route to go down. Available in a huge variety of designs, sizes and colours, the options are limited only to your imagination, so dream big with PrimaPorcelain!

For more information about our wide range of paving options and the variety of garden designs available, call today on 029 2080 3756 or get in touch online using the button below.

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When the nights are warm and the weather is fine, enjoying the outdoors in the evening can be a popular past-time.

In fact, it’s not unusual for family barbeques to run long and a summer social can often run on long after the last chunk of charcoal has lost its glow.

Avoid a premature curfew by accessorising your outdoor space with effective patio lighting and keep your garden radiant long after the sun goes down.

Do I need patio lights?

For those that love the outdoors, appropriate patio lighting can be necessary piece or equipment. It’s also a great way to really make the most of your garden, adding hours of enjoyment to an evening.

After all, why should you have to abide by a daylight deadline? It’s your property and you should be able to enjoy it as you like.

But it’s not just a case of “any old lights will do”. The right lighting can make all the difference, especially when it comes to gardens at night.

Patio lights in particular can be the ultimate ambience enhancer. Choose wisely and your patio could become an enchanting site of visual delight the moment the sun takes a bow.

What patio lights are best for me?

There are hundreds of patio lights on the market, varying in shape, style and colour, as well as power. Here are a few of the most popular options to help get you started.

Wall lanterns

Ideal for illuminating a specific area of your patio, fixed wall lanterns can spread light into a chosen focal point of your outdoor space. They are also excellent all-weather lighting solutions that won’t let you down when the weather takes a turn.

Caged lights

Also known as coastal lights or marine lights, these caged lamps are reminiscent of the ones you would expect to see on a boat. Quirky and different, they provide a unique lighting solution that’s both stylish and memorable.

Hanging bulbs

Hanging bulbs can create somewhat of a festive ambience that’s acceptable all-year round. A popular choice among wedding decor and festivals furnishing alike, these trailing cables of colour can brighten up your patio perfectly and help add an element of fun to your outdoor space.

Table lamps

Found in a variety of styles and colours, cordless table lamps make the perfect light for a quiet night on the patio. Meanwhile, multiple lamps can be ideal for illuminating a smaller patio for a larger gathering. These are typically rechargeable, providing a reusable lighting solution that doesn’t require installation, while they can also be used indoors if desired.

Solar markers

Typically found in the form of pointed markers reminiscent of the Olympic Flame, these javelin-like stakes are the perfect solution for eco-friendly garden lighting – provided you have somewhere to plant them into the ground. They are also commonly available as spherical orbs that can simply be placed in an area of your choice, ideal for garden planters, flower pots and even window boxes.

Outdoor lighting tips

Once you’ve settled on the right light for you, there are a few other important things to keep in mind.

One of the most important things to consider is just how much lighting you’ll need. Be sure to measure the area to ensure you don’t overcompensate on lights or underestimate the space. This will allow you to buy the appropriate amount of lighting for your space.

Meanwhile, the light itself can also be a factor. If you plan on using your patio for entertaining and socialising, bright lighting can often be a bit of a mood-killer. Nobody wants a beaming spotlight in their eyeline when they’re eating, chatting or relaxing, so it’s worth opting for subtle lighting instead.

That being said, LEDs – although often bright – typically use a lot less energy than traditional bulbs, making them more energy efficient for your garden. Meanwhile, for an even more eco-friendly solution, solar-powered bulbs are obviously the king of clean green lighting.

Finally, bear in mind that lighting can also provide an effective security solution for your home. Keeping your entrances well-lit can deter intruders, while it can also make detection a lot easier, should you suspect something untoward is afoot, so it’s worth lighting your entry points well.

For more information on how to light your patio and what lights may best complement your tiles, give us a call on 029 2080 3756.

Our paving experts will be able to shed some light on your patio plight and point you in the right direction!

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The definition of a “small garden” can vary wildly depending on your individual outlook, ranging from a plot 50 feet long to a patch of grass the size of a parking space.

Regardless of your interpretation, if you view your own garden as “small”, chances are you would welcome a few tips to make it look a little bigger.

Luckily, we’ve can do just that with this handy guide on how to make a small garden look bigger.

Easily Make Your Garden Look Bigger

One of the coolest things about maximising space in your garden is that you don’t have to overstretch your boundaries in any way to do so.

So, before you begin tearing down your fence and declaring next door’s patio as your own, pump the brakes and listen up.

From optical illusions and visual trickery to strategic plant placement and clever furnishing, making the most of the space you have can be surprisingly easy. Something as simple as foldable furniture can be an instant space saver when not in use!

Here’s a few of the most effective ways to save space in your garden and make your garden look bigger as a result.

Level Up

Altering your outdoor space to include levels can transform your space completely. Not only will it provide a visually appealing alternative to a traditional flat garden, it also raises up your garden making it look more spacious as a result.

Incorporating varying levels into your garden design can provide a more dynamic appeal to your outdoor space, giving the illusion of additional space. This is particularly notable when each raised area comprises of a different type of surface material.

For example, if your garden begins with a patio, you could have steps leading up to grassy lawn area, followed by further steps leading to decking at the end. This essentially creates three different gardens in one, while also providing a visually impressive incremental effect.

Zone Out

Another great way to instantly make your garden seem more spacious is to divide your plot into specified areas or zones.

For example, if you were to divide your garden into three definitive sections, a patio area immediately outside your house could be used for dining and sitting, followed by a lawn which can lead to a feature at the end of your garden.

The far end of the garden can be used for anything from a lounge area or fire pit to a shed or Wendy House. Meanwhile, a path running down the garden can help split up the space even further, while also providing a logical journey through your outdoor space.

Reflection

While they are a staple of the home, mirrors are criminally underutilised outdoors. A spectacularly easy – and somewhat cheeky – shortcut to spaciousness, adding mirrors in strategic areas of your garden can create the impression that your outdoor space is far bigger than it actually is.

If you have a particularly cosy garden with very little wiggle-room, this shameless shortcut can be a great way to enhance any existing plants or flowers in your garden, creating the illusion that your flower bed spreads even further than it does.

This technique can add another dimension to your garden, while it can also brighten up your space by reflecting light into darker areas, particularly if the mirrors are angled just right.

High Standards

With so much emphasis on the groundwork, it’s easy to overlook the high walls that surround your garden. Whether they’re brick or fence, the perimeter enclosing your outdoor space can act as a blank canvas for you to create upon.

From wall-mounted plant pots to artsy wall displays, this often-neglected space is ideal for accessorising and decorating. Meanwhile, wall-mounted displays save floor space, allowing you to utilise your ground surface for other things.

Similarly, tall reaching plants and foliage can add an alluring touch of green to your garden without spreading out across your space. However, it’s important not to go overboard on either: a busy garden with too much going on can quickly become cluttered.

Trees a Crowd

While trees can be a visually impressive feature in any garden, with many benefits to both man and beast, they also take up a lot of space. What’s more, they can also block out a lot of natural light, particularly when the leaves are in full summer bloom.

Big trees in particular can reach out far over your garden in terms of both width and length, making your garden feel crowded and cramped. If you do want to have a tree in your garden, consider planting a smaller tree that won’t encroach too much on your space.

Meanwhile, if you already have a large tree in your garden and are considering removal, be sure to check you are legally allowed to do so. Some trees are protected under the Tree Preservation Order, so it’s worth a reaching out to your local council before you reach for an axe.

Patios and Pathways

One of the most effective ways to create additional space in your garden is the inclusion of a patio area. If you don’t already have one, this can be the ultimate upgrade, opening the door to many of the aforementioned tips in the section above.

Larger tiles tend to provide a better illusion of space than small pavers, so be sure to go big with your tile choice. Meanwhile, a sensible colour can also open up your garden, creating a sense of openness and width. Bright colours – like limestone and sandstone – can light up an area and instantly make it feel less claustrophobic.

Similarly, a garden path, particularly one that weaves and winds through your garden from feature to feature, can create an additional sense of space, without necessitating too many wholesale changes or upfront costs.

Finally, don’t be afraid to invest in your tiles if you do plump for a patio or pathway. Porcelain pavers may be a little more expensive, but the durability and low-maintenance properties of these tough tiles can be enduringly worth it.

For more information on outdoor tiles and porcelain pavers for your garden, give us a call today on 029 2080 3756. Alternatively, drop us a line using the button below for further information.

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