Outdoor paving recommendations

I'm looking to upgrade some old decking and concrete in the garde and struggling to decide on patio type.

If anyone has porcelain or limestone, would they recommend?

Also seeking recommendations for suppliers and installers in Dublin, if that's permitted.

Thanks in advance!

Really nice tile and reasonable price. We have a very large German Sheperd so had to up the power washer to a more powerful model to keep it clean but in reality that's not the tiles fault.

If you need the tilers number I can pm it.Hes very good.

If you're removing old tiles/bricks etc have a good think about how many skips you'll need. This was a big problem for me as filled the first small skip a few hours into the job and was impossible to get a medium size skip at short notice so ended up with 4 small skip loads.
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Any tips to also stop weeds growing in between the tiles, would also be appreciated.

MrEarl said:

Any tips to also stop weeds growing in between the tiles, would also be appreciated.

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Works for me, put it down and let rain dissolve it and bingo no more weeds for a few months.

The only drawback we have with porcelain tiles is that they are potentially lethal in the frost.

Thanks all. Persia, they look lovely.

Ruffian, that's a worry because I work from home in a garden room so need to walk on the paving multiple times a day all year round. I guess any hard surface is a danger when it's frosty. My current decking has taken me out a couple of times but at least has a bit of bounce!

Our tiled area is not directly around the house and we can avoid them in the frost. And we don't get a whole lot of frosty weather anyway. Because they look well we were considering extending them to the back door but there is no way we would do this now for safety reasons.

Ruffian said:

The only drawback we have with porcelain tiles is that they are potentially lethal in the frost.

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Haven't experienced that with tiles i posted earlier, they must have a bit of grip built in.No harm asking whatever tile you purchase.

Persia said:

Haven't experienced that with tiles i posted earlier, they must have a bit of grip built in.

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I'm sure there must be options like this. Our aren't slippery in wet weather - just the frost.

Tiles have an anti-slip rating. "The R-rating, part of the European Ramp Test, measures slip resistance by determining the angle at which a person begins to slip on an inclined surface. " (Must have been fun testing that.) Make sure you buy tiles for outdoor and with a good rating. I recently replaced "indoor" tiles which had been placed on outdoor steps by the previous owner, probably it was a DIY job. In the depths of winter the originals were quite lethal and after a few winters they were also cracking.

patfert1 said:

Tiles have an anti-slip rating. "The R-rating, part of the European Ramp Test, measures slip resistance by determining the angle at which a person begins to slip on an inclined surface

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Reading a little on this, the testing does not appear to specifically include frosty conditions - it covers different footwear, slopes, wetness and various contaminants (eg, soapy water). It will tell you if the tile is suitable for a slope - or even the poolside! I don't know the R-rating of our tiles but they have generally good grip except under frost. Having said that, I would expect that a tile with a good R and a more granular matt finish should generally perform better - but may be harder to clean.

There is a separate test for frost resistance but this is about the endurance of the tile in frosty weather - not its slipperiness. A tile may have good frost resistance (endurance), as ours does, but still be slippery.