Hello everyone,
We are currently planning our outdoor area and are researching options for the terrace surface.
We have consulted a local specialist retailer—where we also purchased the tiles for our bathroom/living room/hallway, etc.
We found that prices are currently at their highest.
Reasonable concrete slabs (sealed) are hardly available for less than €40/m² (about $44/m²) at least at the specialist retailer.
Porcelain stoneware tiles start at around €60/m² (about $66/m²) and can go up significantly.
Of course, we don’t want to overspend on the outdoor area, but from a visual point of view, we are not convinced by the concrete slabs. Tiles can create a much nicer look on the terrace, especially as we are aiming for beige/sand tones.
Certainly, there are also attractive concrete slabs, but unfortunately, nothing on site really appealed to us…
Now my questions:
- Do you buy from a local specialist retailer, or do you simply order online? Are there better prices available? Any recommendations?
- What should you pay attention to when buying concrete slabs, apart from the fact that they are sealed? Online you actually find significantly better prices—I’m unsure whether it’s important to choose the right manufacturer or if there are just 2–3 indicators to consider when buying, so you could confidently shop at a DIY store or similar?
- What should you consider when choosing porcelain stoneware? 2 cm (about 0.8 inches) or 3 cm (about 1.2 inches) thickness? Is it possible to install 2 cm slabs, or is there something special to keep in mind?
I’m, of course, open to any tips, tricks, or advice 🙂
We are currently planning our outdoor area and are researching options for the terrace surface.
We have consulted a local specialist retailer—where we also purchased the tiles for our bathroom/living room/hallway, etc.
We found that prices are currently at their highest.
Reasonable concrete slabs (sealed) are hardly available for less than €40/m² (about $44/m²) at least at the specialist retailer.
Porcelain stoneware tiles start at around €60/m² (about $66/m²) and can go up significantly.
Of course, we don’t want to overspend on the outdoor area, but from a visual point of view, we are not convinced by the concrete slabs. Tiles can create a much nicer look on the terrace, especially as we are aiming for beige/sand tones.
Certainly, there are also attractive concrete slabs, but unfortunately, nothing on site really appealed to us…
Now my questions:
- Do you buy from a local specialist retailer, or do you simply order online? Are there better prices available? Any recommendations?
- What should you pay attention to when buying concrete slabs, apart from the fact that they are sealed? Online you actually find significantly better prices—I’m unsure whether it’s important to choose the right manufacturer or if there are just 2–3 indicators to consider when buying, so you could confidently shop at a DIY store or similar?
- What should you consider when choosing porcelain stoneware? 2 cm (about 0.8 inches) or 3 cm (about 1.2 inches) thickness? Is it possible to install 2 cm slabs, or is there something special to keep in mind?
I’m, of course, open to any tips, tricks, or advice 🙂
Prager91 schrieb:
Yes, I really mean tiles – ceramic tiles for outdoor use. They are basically standard porcelain stoneware tiles, nothing else. Oh, so you actually mean slabs (ceramic slabs, patio elements…).
We have ceramic slabs measuring 700 x 400 x 22 mm (27.5 x 15.7 x 0.9 inches) installed in a gravel bed.
driver55 schrieb:
Oh, so it’s tiles after all (ceramic tiles, patio elements…).
We have ceramic tiles 700x400x22 mm (28x16x0.9 inches) installed in a gravel bed.Well, that might be helpful for me.
How satisfied are you with them? Are the 2 cm (0.8 inch) thickness sufficient? In other words, is the weight of the tiles enough for installation in a gravel bed?
Where did you buy the tiles? From a specialist retailer? What did you pay back then?
B
Benutzer20010 May 2022 12:10Prager91 schrieb:
Is it usually possible to find anything significantly under 60€ for 2cm (0.8 inch) high tiles? Is there anything to watch out for when buying online, or can you just buy without worry?In every hardware store, in any color, from 25€ (that’s porcelain stoneware). Whether it’s Obi, Hornbach, or whatever they’re called. Put another way: I can’t find 2cm (0.8 inch) thick patio slabs online, for example at Obi, that cost more than 49.99 €/m² (ft²) (these are the larger sizes like 60x120 cm (24x47 inches) / 30x120 cm (12x47 inches) / 45x90 cm (18x35 inches), etc.).
Benutzer200 schrieb:
In every hardware store, any color from €25 (that’s porcelain stoneware). Whether it’s Obi, Hornbach, or whatever they are called.
Put another way: I can’t find 2cm (about 0.8 inch) thick patio slabs online, for example at Obi, that cost more than €49.99 per square meter (these are the larger sizes like 60x120cm (24x47 inches) / 30x120cm (12x47 inches) / 45x90cm (18x35 inches), etc.) So I wonder: why should I then buy from a specialist retailer for, say, €60-70?
In the end, 2cm (about 0.8 inch) porcelain stoneware is just 2cm porcelain stoneware, isn’t it? Of course, a different manufacturer and so on... but I shouldn’t be able to buy really poor quality even at a hardware store, right?
B
Benutzer20010 May 2022 12:45Prager91 schrieb:
But I can't really buy rubbish in a hardware store, can I?No. At worst, you just have a more limited selection.Prager91 schrieb:
I wonder then: why should I buy for, say, 60-70€ at a specialty store? If you don’t see added value for yourself, then you don’t have to buy it at a specialty store 🙂
It’s like everything else. Why pay 30 EUR for laminate XY when at the hardware store you can get laminate XYZ starting at 7 EUR 😉
Prager91 schrieb:
In the end, 2cm porcelain stoneware is just 2cm porcelain stoneware, right? Not exactly.
Possible differences: rectified or not? Glazed/coated surface or not? The surface texture itself.
The "variety of patterns" in the design? It might be that the tiles are stamped with only 2-3 design patterns, and after installation it looks awkward because the pattern keeps repeating every third tile. If there are 4-5 or more designs and the tiles are mixed when laid, it looks more natural and coherent.
Ultimately, the quality regarding dimensional accuracy and such is crucial. Some tiles may bow or have a “belly,” which isn’t obvious at first glance. Depending on the installation method and the chosen laying pattern, you might then notice significant irregularities or height differences at the joints...
Prager91 schrieb:
Sure, different manufacturer etc... But I can’t really buy rubbish at a hardware store, can I? We just had our similarly sized terrace covered with porcelain stoneware a few days ago. Considering I originally wanted to build it with wood but we switched in the end, we are quite satisfied.
2cm (0.8 inches) thick and 60x90cm (24x36 inches) tiles, glued and grouted. I found a supplier online who gave me a great price of 38 EUR, and I was able to buy their remaining stock. The landscaper was very surprised by the price and quality. Previously, he had recommended his building materials dealer, where the cheapest house brand 60x60cm (24x24 inches) tile was 51 EUR (compared to 39 EUR in November).
Our tile was cheaper, clearly better, and would have cost significantly more at a “typical” specialty store for that size.
Alternatively, we could have just bought from the hardware store. In our case, Hornbach had the best selection compared (including online 😉).
At an average of 35 EUR for 60x60cm (24x24 inches), you’re in the ballpark, and you probably won’t notice any or hardly any difference later compared to a “comparable” tile from a specialty store for 60 EUR. At least that’s been my experience.
Regarding the thickness of 2 or 3 cm (0.8 or 1.2 inches), 2 cm (0.8 inches) works well for glued installations. If you want to install yourself and/or lay it on a sand or gravel bed, at least 3 cm (1.2 inches) is recommended.
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