Why Outdoor Porcelain Pavers?
Why use porcelain pavers in your outdoor living room, raised terrace, patio, balcony, plaza, pool surround, driveway, rooftop deck, or other outdoor application? Here are some of the reasons why the architects, builders, designers, landscape designers, and owners we work with, choose porcelain pavers for their projects.
Porcelain Pavers are Durable
Outdoor porcelain pavers are thicker compared to their indoor cousins, 20mm or more versus 10mm. They are also more durable than wood and have superior strength and impact resistance over ceramic tiles. Drive-over pavers are suitable for driveways and applications requiring more impact resistance. Porcelain pavers are so durable because of how they are made.
Composition
Porcelain pavers are made from dense clay that is fired in a kiln at more than 2000 °F. This hasn’t changed from thousands of years ago. What has changed is the clay is no longer harvested at the waters edge but rather intentionally designed and may include quartz, feldspar, and other materials. Modern porcelain pavers replicate the look of natural stone and wood grain using digital technology and use lasers to create uniform edges.
Wide Range of Finishes
Porcelain pavers are available to suit nearly any design aesthetic. The Legno collection offers the look of wood in a durable color body porcelain tile. Many grain and surface patterns are available. The Pietra collection offers exceptionally realistic stone replicating marbles, travertines, limestone and other natural stone. Slip-resistant finishes are available.
Porcelain Paver Colors
Color families available include: Black, Grey, Brown, Tan/Beige, Cream/White, and Yellow/Gold. You can pick a stay cool lighter color for a pool surround or a darker color to create a dramatic effect in your space. If you don’t know about Solar Reflectance Ratings check out our SRI Primer. No matter which color you choose, rest assured your porcelain paver is resistant to fading from UV.
Color Variation
Porcelain pavers emulate nature and will have variation in color and texture. Each porcelain collection is rated along the V1-V4 scale. With these options designers can create uniform looking spaces or choose to maximize variation. We encourage customers to order a sample and for larger variation collections to place a small order to validate color and texture for their application.
Suitable Sizes
Porcelain paver sizes range from large format paver planks to small cobbles and nearly everything in between. Thickness ranges from 20mm (3/4 inch) to extremely rugged drive-over pavers in 30mm (1.2 inch) or even 5cm and 6.5cm cobbles. There is a paver size to fit your application.
Environment
Porcelain pavers easily withstand the freeze-thaw cycle that can wreak havoc on other building materials. Porcelain paver are fireproof. After all, they survived the 2000 °F kiln. Porcelain pavers are resistant to scratches and stains due to chemicals and salt. They perform well under all weather conditions. If your application is in a wind-prone area ask us about our wind-uplift solutions for porcelain pavers.
Ease of Maintenance
Porcelain pavers are easy to clean and maintain. No sealing is required. For extra care during construction, after installation to remove construction dirt, or to tackle specific types of stains see our HDG Porcelain Care & Maintenance guide. In it you’ll find many general purpose, neutral cleaners that are effective for the regular maintenance and cleaning of porcelain.
Installation Flexibility
Porcelain paver are lighter and easier to handle than concrete blocks. They can be installed over compacted sand or gravel, hard level surfaces including concrete. Porcelain can even be installed over rooftops, sloping or uneven surfaces using slope-correcting and height adjustable pedestals.
Installation over Buzon Pedestals
Porcelain pavers installed over pedestals retain slope to drain design while maintaining a perfectly level surface for pets, people, and furniture. This also creates the opportunity to stow unsightly electrical, plumbing and other services below the decking surface while providing easy access for any needed maintenance and repair.
Buzon Master Dealer
HDG Building Materials specializes in outdoor rated pavers for commercial, residential, and municipal spaces. We have many varieties of porcelain pavers in stock and ready to ship. As a Buzon pedestals master dealer, HDG Building Materials supplies pedestals and decking materials. We also help solve design problems using HDG Grating Panels, which are often used in conjunction with pedestals and porcelain pavers.
Personal Tour
This video shows applications for porcelain pavers in residential, commercial, and municipal environments. Get a Porcelain Pavers website tour from Erik Nelson, founder and managing partner of HDG Building Materials. See how to navigate the Inspiration Gallery, HDG’s virtual showroom, and filter pavers among Black, Grey, Brown, Tan/Beige, Cream/White, and Yellow/Gold color families. Then, see more details by visiting individual portfolio pages for any selected porcelain paver.
Experience Counts. Talk to HDG.
Want to discuss outdoor porcelain pavers or Buzon pedestals for your project?
Reach out for help. Call 503.360.9551 or Click.
