If you are looking to elevate the design of your garden or create a courtyard, patio or terrace area, you’ll want to make sure that as well as looking stylish and modern, it is also durable against the elements, strong enough to survive the impacts of outdoor living and easy enough to keep clean. Regardless of whether you want to lay a small patio or plan to build a more expansive garden design layout with paving, it’s important that the materials that you choose can withstand the impact of frost, excess moisture and harsh UV rays that can lead to chipping, rot, rust, flaking, fading, cracks, warping and general decay after a short period without regular upkeep. While many exterior-use materials can have layers of protection applied to the surface to try and conserve their look and condition, this consistent level of high-maintenance prevention can be expensive and time-consuming. This is why porcelain outdoor tiles are currently leading the way when it comes to the latest garden terrace ideas and landscape solutions. Once installed, they are robust and require no preservation methods (except general cleaning).

What are porcelain outdoor tiles?

Porcelain outdoor tiles are tiles that are suitable enough to withstand exterior elements without damage or decay. They have an exceptional strength for a hard-wearing performance and a non-slip surface finish so that they can be safely walked on when wet. Porcelain outdoor patio tiles and slabs are available in multiple shapes, sizes and effects, with a wide range of designs available that replicate the look and feel of natural materials. High-quality porcelain outdoor tiles can have all the aesthetic beauty of real wood (known as wood-effect tiles), stone, marble, concrete, brick and sandstone, without being prone to staining, discolouration or damage.

Leading luxury tile manufacturers Casalgrande Padana produce high-quality porcelain stoneware tiles suitable for outdoor use and are figureheads within the tile industry thanks to their continuous technological development in design and durability. All of their porcelain outdoor tiles are made from raw materials (which include a mixture of clay and feldspar) that are pressed and fired in a kiln until the mix attains a level of high mechanical strength which will not break when placed under force, as well as being water-repellant and non-porous (even without glazing). Due to the raw organic compounds, Casalgrande Padana’s outdoor porcelain tiles are fully recyclable, making them a great sustainable choice for your home and garden.

Why use porcelain outdoor tiles over other materials outdoors?

Other outdoor flooring or facade materials include wood, brick and natural stone. However, wood requires a lot of maintenance to protect it from flaking and rotting and fades quickly in sunlight. New bricks have little aesthetic appeal; while natural stone looks better, it is porous and can easily scratch, stain and chip.

Casalgrande Padana porcelain stoneware tiles offer an array of finishes, meaning that you can have the look of natural stone or wood without the upkeep. They can withstand severe heat or intense cold and frost, will not decay when exposed to consistent rain or seawater and they repel stains (including those from chemical agents, making them easy to clean). They also have an excellent abrasion resistance, allowing them not to be marked, scuffed or scratched easily.

Installing porcelain stoneware tiles is a relatively easy process with no sanding, sealing, staining or other protective methods required after installation. Casalgrande Padana’s outdoor tiles can be dry-laid on sand, gravel, soil or a grassy surface area and walked on instantly. Alternatively, they can be laid on a screed with an adhesive for heavy-load resistance when substantial, weighty items are to be placed on top.

What size outdoor tiles Should be used in a garden design layout?

There is no set answer for what size tiles you should use outside. The larger the tile, the quicker a surface area can be laid, but you may also need to think about access to your home and if smaller-scale tiles might be easier to transport onto your property. Casalgrande Padana tiles can be laid with minimal grout lines for an uninterrupted and seamless layout, or, you may choose a decorative ‘slab-effect’ laying pattern allowing space for grass or aggregate to divide each tile as a separate entity.

What’s popular right now in outdoor tiles and what tile laying patterns are trending?

The trend for indoor and outdoor spaces to flow together and be as one continues to be popular, as people look to make their terraces, patios and garden spaces extensions of their homes. The requirement for outdoor lighting to be as chic as indoors has led to a surge in portable and chargeable lighting design, while garden furniture is now available in a range of colours and could be mistaken for interior pieces, as demand to blend the inside with the outside increases. This desire to remove boundaries between our interior and exteriors has led to the same tile surface designs on flooring flowing through from inside to out, elongating a room by extending the eye to the room's exterior.

With their soft beige and taupe tones, sandstone-effect outdoor tiles are currently trending, as rustic Mediterranean colour tones and antique textures are currently very popular within both interior and exterior design. Casalgrande Padana’s Chalon, Nature and Petra Oro and Kerblock Beige replicate the rich aesthetic palette of the tones found in sandstone, although, unlike real sandstone, these porcelain tiles are strong, water-repelling and fire and stain-resistant.

As modern interior design moves away from minimalist, glossy and sterile spaces and embraces warm, earthy colour palettes and the tactile texture of natural materials, we’ve seen a rise in the popularity of unvarnished, organic wood featuring within home design. Wood has an uncultivated warmth as a result of its soft colour palette, as well as visual interest and depth from the intricate details that make up its knots and graining.

The best tile laying pattern for your garden, patio or terrace depends on your lifestyle. If you have pets or small children, you’ll probably prefer a seamless laying pattern with no dips or exposed edges. If so, checkerboard patterns are still extremely popular in 2024 as the perfect mix of modern and classic, so you may consider this tile laying pattern using a combination of two different tile colourways (or a small variation in shade if you want something more subtle).

Alternatively, dividing up and zoning parts of your outside space using outdoor tiles is a trend that is rapidly becoming more popular in modern homes. Raised areas that will get the most use (such as those directly outside exterior doors) are laid in a continuous pattern with minimal grout lines, while for decorative areas that require no real walkway access, single slabs are laid (divided by aggregate or grass) for visual appeal.

Regardless of how you want to design your garden, courtyard, patio or terrace layout, by installing high-quality porcelain stoneware outdoor tiles by Casalgrande Padana, you can have a beautiful, low-maintenance, timeless and modern exterior that will last.

All images featured within this post belong to and are used courtesy of Casalgrande Padana.