Ferreiras: Everything You Need To Know About Outdoor Tiles

As South Africans we spend our summer days mostly around the braai and of course the swimming pool.

So when planning to build a new home or even if you are renovating – or just redoing your outdoor entertainment area, wouldn’t it be best to use a tile that you wouldn’t have to stop the party every time a child walked around the pool slipping and sliding or a friend drops their glass of red wine next to the braai – on your new tiles – heaven forbid!

Imagine you could solve any dangers or problems before they arise because you planned for the right tiles – Great! Creating your dream outdoor area and not having to worry about anyone slipping around the pool or having to replace tiles due to weather damage.

So, first things first… don’t panic, it’s easier than you think – in fact it’s straight forward. What would you wish for in this instance? Basically you want a beautiful looking, trendy, affordable (or top of the range) outdoor entertainment area that is safe, timeless and practical…

1. A Non slip tile
2. A weatherproof tile
3. A hardwearing and long lasting tile

Now we could dive into the technicalities of the above mentioned points or you could walk into a tile showroom knowing these are the things you are looking for – mention them to your salesperson – and Voila!

But just to help you out a teeny bit…

1. A non slip tile would be one with a rougher texture. In technical terms – a higher R rating. The higher the R rating of a tile, the rougher the texture and therefore the more appropriate the tile would be for outdoors and more so around the pool. Why R rating? Quite simply the “R” refers to “Ramp Method” as the method of testing to grade the particular tile in terms of slip resistance. An R10 or R11 is suitable for outdoors – but always give the details of where the product will be installed so your salesperson can specify the correct one, for example will the tiled area be covered, is it next to a pool are you trying to create a seamless indoor outdoor look?
2. Weatherproof – well a tile that can withstand our climate and weather. A higher resistance to water/moisture. A porcelain tile is best as a porcelain tile is less porous and more resistant than a ceramic tile. And, a less absorbent/porous tile for all the red wine spills would help!
3. A hardwearing tile can also mean a world of technical info but all you need to know is that a porcelain tile is more hardwearing than a ceramic tile due to the manufacturing process. A porcelain tile is then – a more dense and resistant tile, also its less porous. You would not need a tile for high traffic areas which are normally specified for shopping centres – but something that is hardwearing enough for exterior use to face the extremities. There is no need over specify or over capitalise on something like a high traffic tile. Remember it is always about putting the right tile in the right application.

So there it is in a nutshell – visit a Ferreiras showroom and a professional salesperson will be more than happy to assist you.

For more visit Ferreiras.