April 20, 2024
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Choosing an outdoor flooring for your patio

10 min read August 30, 2021 Jessica Ling
Outdoor Flooring For Your Patio Chairs

For smart and rational consumers Only: a selection of materials for the floor in the patio or backyard

When arranging your suburban area or private courtyard, it is important to pay attention to all the details. Including the right choice of outdoor flooring. This aspect is important both in practical and aesthetic terms, since the overall style of the composition and its attractiveness depend on how the courtyard looks. For many owners, making a decision to purchase a particular material makes it difficult to diversify the assortment of goods. To make your choice, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the common and most popular options.

A proper and well-chosen floor covering for furnishing the floor in the yard is a key component of the stylish image of the house. Therefore, it is so important to know the features and characteristics of the materials that the modern assortment offers.

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Composite decking

Resin flooring with a realistic imitation of wood is a very reasonable material for patios. From the point of view of consumer qualities and appearance, wood-like flooring made of composite materials is the most versatile outdoor covering. Depending on the purpose of use and the style of landscape design, such a coating can give a flawless and sophisticated modern look or emphasize the homeliness of a modest country courtyard. Moreover, this material will not lose its relevance even after several years, given the widespread popularity and demand for wood.

Wood-look composite tiles are a great alternative to decking. Unlike the latter, polymer flooring looks fashionable and at the same time has a more affordable cost. In addition, composite boards are lightweight, which simplifies installation and eliminates the difficulty of laying flooring.

Thanks to modern technology, wood imitation composite flooring will give a luxurious look to the patio, while relieving owners of all the problems that arise during the operation of a traditional wood floor.

The advantages of decking made of artificial materials include the following positions:

  • Affordability and economic benefits;
  • Ease of choice and no problems with the purchase;
  • Versatility, the ability to use in different locations (on the terrace, near the pool, in the recreation area, on the balcony, etc.);
  • Simplicity of care, maintenance, replacement if necessary;
  • Fire resistance;
  • High aesthetics and attractive appearance;
  • Ease of installation, installation within one day;
  • Environmental friendliness;
  • Acceptable cost combined with long-term operation.

Composite street pavement has few disadvantages. Its main disadvantage is the ability to accumulate and retain heat for a long time. Knowing this, try not to lay slabs under a tree made of polymer material in open sunny areas.

In addition, the artificial origin of the material can also be considered a disadvantage. As impeccable as wood imitation is, it cannot overshadow the textural expressiveness of natural wood. Consequently, such flooring is ideal not for the principled fans of natural materials.

Also, the cost of raw materials can be considered its disadvantage. Decking composite plank is cheaper than real wood flooring. But at the same time, in comparison with other offers on the market, polymer tiles for arranging yards and terraces will still cost a pretty penny for future owners.

Ceramic tiles, porcelain

Many people choose tiles for arranging the yard, patio, lounge area and barbecue area. Special outdoor floor tiles made of porcelain or porcelain stoneware successfully combine the advantages of materials such as natural wood and natural stone. At the same time, it can have any design, which allows you to choose and buy the most harmonious products for landscape design.

This material has a number of advantages. Key benefits of outdoor backyard tiles:

  • Reasonable cost (tiles are much cheaper than natural wood and composite flooring);
  • Aesthetic and attractive design;
  • First-class appearance;
  • Easy maintenance of the coating;
  • Fire resistance;
  • The ability to pick up the material for paving the area for entertainment and barbecue in the yard.

At the same time, tiles made of porcelain or ceramics for outdoor use are very sensitive to temperature extremes and prolonged exposure to cold. Therefore, this option for the yard floor, unfortunately, is not suitable for residents of the northern regions. In addition, a significant disadvantage of external plates is the likelihood of injury, because when using products with a smooth surface, there is a risk of slipping. They are not recommended to be installed on sites where water may be present (in particular, near swimming pools).

Artificial turf for the yard and terrace

Modern grass-like composite decking looks very realistic and is a great way to furnish a backyard floor. This option of street flooring has been used in the USA and many European countries for a long time, as it has a lot of advantages and demonstrates excellent performance during operation.

Artificial turf is a great and sought-after alternative to real grass. This is the dream of many owners of their own houses and cottages, which can easily and quickly come true.

The indisputable advantages of such material for the floor of the yard can be considered:

  • Effective and stylish appearance;
  • Environmental friendliness;
  • Hypoallergenic;
  • Durability;
  • Soft structure that allows you to lie down and walk barefoot on the surface;
  • Resistance to temperature extremes, sunlight, precipitation, and cold weather;
  • Simple care and uncomplicated maintenance;
  • No need for regular watering and mowing of synthetic grass;
  • Economic benefit from the purchase in the long term.

Artificial grass for backyard flooring is ideal for families with children and pets. Despite the fact that the material has a number of significant advantages, it also has disadvantages. In particular, the disadvantage of such flooring is the high cost of raw materials. The initial cost of buying all the necessary materials and installing them will be very large. However, in the future, synthetic flooring does not require complex maintenance and can retain its original appearance for several decades.

Rubber paving stones

Rubber paving stones are a good option for backyard floors, patios, rest areas, and the area in front of the garage. Such flooring can imitate the appearance of brick, concrete, or natural stone, which allows you to create original and spectacular landscape compositions on the territory of your own yard.

Unlike natural stone, brick, and concrete slabs, rubber flooring is more cost-effective, practical and safer to use. And this is an especially important condition for those who have children playing in the open air.

The advantages of rubber flooring are enough:

  • Versatility and stylistic neutrality;
  • Comfortable operation;
  • Pleasant textured surface;
  • High shock-absorbing properties;
  • Excellent anti-slip qualities;
  • Good elasticity;
  • Not laborious and easy maintenance;
  • Durability;
  • Very affordable price.

The use of rubber paving stones as a floor in the courtyard guarantees a comfortable outdoor recreation for both private property owners and guests.

The disadvantages of this material are rather insignificant, but they are. For example, the disadvantage of outdoor rubber coating can be considered a slightly shorter service life than real paving stones or concrete. Also, for some consumers, a not perfectly detailed imitation of the coating may become a disadvantage.

Foam boards

This modern version of outdoor flooring for the yard is very often used for arranging recreation areas and active games, as well as for installation near the pool. Foam plates are widespread due to their high consumer characteristics. Unlike traditional foam products, outdoor decking is a special material designed specifically for outdoor use. This means that he is not afraid of precipitation, cold and temperature changes, or prolonged exposure to ultraviolet radiation, etc.

Outdoor and courtyard foam floor slabs are characterized by softness, high strength and density, moisture resistance and waterproofing, anti-slip properties. Therefore, they are ideal for arranging terraces, playgrounds, the area adjacent to the pool, and recreation areas.

Outdoor foam flooring has the following advantages:

  • High safety due to the excellent anti-slip and shock-absorbing properties of the material;
  • Excellent elasticity;
  • Simple styling;
  • Uncomplicated service;
  • Easy care;
  • Low weight;
  • Excellent protective qualities (antifungal, antibacterial);
  • Environmental friendliness;
  • Good resistance to mold and mildew.

The disadvantages of this flooring include a relatively high price and low durability. Compared to many other outdoor decking options, EPS chipboards have a low density and strength. Therefore, expanded polystyrene flooring is not able to last as long as the same composite material, rubber paving stones or natural stone.

Plastic tiles for floors, patios, decking, terraces

Another popular and demanded material for arranging the floor in the yard is plastic drainage plates. They are specially designed for outdoor use and have high strength, hardness, and resistance to sunlight. A feature of such an outdoor floor covering can be considered that its surface has holes for ventilation and water drainage. Thanks to this, after the rain, there will be no puddles on the floor, and you can safely walk on it without fear of slipping.

This tile is suitable for arranging the floor in the backyard, in recreational areas, patios, around swimming pools, as well as in areas where there is high humidity and water accumulation after rain.

The advantages of polymer terrace tiles are obvious. This is:

  • Anti-slip properties;
  • High operational safety;
  • Resistance to mold and fungus growth;
  • Resistance to precipitation, sunlight, temperature extremes;
  • Drainage qualities;
  • Resistance to deformation and fading;
  • Acceptable cost.

The disadvantages of such a coating can be called their relatively short-lived service (in comparison with analog materials), as well as the need to create an even base before laying plastic tiles. In addition, the coating made of polymeric raw materials does not have good thermal insulation properties, and therefore hard slabs can hardly be called a comfortable material for creating an open-air floor.

There are other materials for arranging the floor near a private house or cottage. Each option has its own characteristics and advantages. In order to select the most suitable outdoor flooring, it is very important to familiarize yourself with the characteristics of the products. But, besides this, it is worth considering other nuances. For example, the regional location of the property, the size of the budget, and the preferences of the owner. A competent approach to the choice of the right materials for the floor in the yard will provide not only a safe and comfortable stay, but also a stylish look for a landscape composition on the site.