Porccelian vs slate - Advice pls

[jasenc]

Hi there, firstly what a great site thank you. Im just about to lay a 80m2 patio. I initially ordered a rustic slate but unfortunately the supply is running late with the delivery and has offered me a porcelain version at half the price. My only worry is how durable are these tiles. I have three young kids and I wonder how easily they will chip ? Does anyone on here have any experience in porcelain patios ? This is the patio slab they have offered. Thank you look forward in hearing from you. https://pavingstonesdirect.co.uk/vitrif ... -pack.html

[Highworth paving]

As long as there 20mm in thickness you should be fine, porcelain is a great product, weather & stain resistant. They are quite tough to cut though so you will need a quality blade in your stone saw
Regards
Craig

[jasenc]

Thanks Craig

[AmazingGarden]

Hi we have just installed a porcelain patio for a client. It is very very tough. The only issue that I can foresee is if you drop something heavy on to them. Even on a full bed I worry that they will crack.
I echo jasenc remarks. You will need to buy a porcelain blade to cut the tiles. We have tried everything from a stihl saw to a bench tile cutter with a 'porcelain blade' but they all chip. We found a specialist porelain blade for a 4inch angle grinder and it was brilliant. Remember you will have to wash a slurry on to the back of tile before laying it which adds to the cost and the time as it has to dry before laying.
Also think about your joint width and what you are going to use to joint it up. We used a 5mm joint with a porcelain jointing compound from Nexus. It was good but a buggar to remove from the tiles.
Hope this helps

[Tony McC]

There's no need at all for the "slurry" to dry! If it's a proper slurry primer, it's better to lay the flag immediately after applying the coating so that you get maximum adhesion to the laying course.

More here: Laying Ceramic/Porcelain Paving

[AmazingGarden]

Hi Tony, we spoke with the Nexus technical guy about the Nexus porcelain primer and he insisted that it must dry before using and that it had to be laid within 24hours.