When designing balcony spaces, specifiers can choose from various materials, ranging from natural stone to concrete. Today, porcelain is one of the most popular materials on the market. And for good reason. Porcelain boasts many of the performance qualities specifiers, designers and architects require for use in balconies, as well as eye-catching aesthetics and an almost endless range of finishes. In this article, we examine whether porcelain is suitable for balconies and why you may want to consider it for your next project.
Porcelain as a balcony paving material
Typically made from clay, sand and minerals such as quartz and feldspar, porcelain benefits from a unique manufacturing technique that helps it achieve desirable properties. This process is known as vitrification and involves kiln-firing the ingredients at high temperatures before quickly cooling them. Controlled heating and cooling result in the formation of strong bonds and greatly reduced porosity. Many porcelain pavers will achieve zero porosity – a term used to describe materials with less than 1% water absorption.
New manufacturing techniques are also expanding the variety of porcelain finishes available. For instance, you can purchase porcelain tiles with a natural stone or wood-effect finish. This has broadened the appeal of porcelain tiles, as the material’s outstanding performance characteristics are now matched by an aesthetic versatility that enables specifiers to realise their design visions.
Porcelain tiles outdoors and their core material properties
Porcelain paving enhances apartment balconies with a premium appearance, often increasing their perceived value. While priced similarly to standard concrete, porcelain provides a more refined feel underfoot. It’s a practical option that elevates the overall aesthetic of the space.
To assess whether porcelain pavers are a good option for balconies, we must understand the material’s core properties and relevant performance characteristics. These include:
Durability
Porcelain tiles are exceptionally durable, making them ideal for environments where pavers are exposed to harsh environmental conditions, heavy footfall and regular use. They are scratch and stain-resistant and stand up remarkably well to general wear and tear. While they require careful handling during installation, they rank among the most durable paving materials available once in place. Enhanced durability reduces the need for regular replacement and lowers the overall lifetime cost of a balcony.
Weather resistance
Through vitrification, porcelain pavers achieve zero porosity, making them well-suited to outdoor use, particularly in wetter climates. Zero porosity impacts long-term durability, as water absorption often results in fading, staining and other types of material degradation. It is a critical issue in settings where regular freeze-thaw cycles can damage balcony pavers, resulting in the need for replacement. Porcelain is also fade-resistant. As such, it is equally well-suited to sunnier climates and external structures exposed to high levels of UV, like outdoor balcony tiles.
Low maintenance
Most property owners prefer materials that are easy to maintain, as they lower overall costs and reduce the maintenance burden on occupants. Porcelain requires next to no maintenance and will retain the quality of its finish with minimal effort. Typically, porcelain maintenance amounts to keeping the surface free of dirt and debris and hosing it down occasionally.
Slip resistance
Balconies require a safe and practical surface that prevents accidents and incidents. One of the main ways it achieves this is good slip resistance. While many materials improve slip resistance by texturing the tiles, which can detract from the desired aesthetic effect, porcelain is naturally slip-resistant. For instance, all RYNO porcelain pavers achieve a “low risk of slip” rating according to the BS 7976-2 pendulum test.
Porcelain balcony paving
The qualities and characteristics listed above are relevant to balconies but not necessarily specific to them. For instance, these characteristics also make porcelain a good choice for patios. When it comes to balcony-specific performance, there are several other characteristics to consider.
Non-combustibility
In the UK, recent developments in fire safety regulations mean all external structures on multi-occupancy residential buildings above 11 metres must be made from non-combustible materials. This includes balconies. As a non-combustible material, porcelain ensures specifiers are utilising compliant materials and abide by relevant building regulations.
Wind uplift
Wind uplift is also a concern for buildings that extend above two stories. Wind uplift is the force generated when air moving horizontally encounters a vertical face, such as the side of a building, which forces it upwards. As the wind moves upwards, it accelerates, exerting significant pressure on the underside of external structures and roofs and creating a corresponding area of low pressure on the topside of those structures. This results in a suction effect that can lift pavers up and away from the balcony structure, with the potential for significant damage and personal injury should they come loose. To prevent this, balconies must incorporate appropriate wind uplift solutions and pavers need to be compatible with systems that facilitate those solutions. At RYNO, our porcelain pavers integrate with our advanced balcony systems, all of which can be adapted to incorporate our tried and tested wind-uplift restraints.
Porcelain paving with RYNO
RYNO’s focus on developing and producing innovative balcony systems extends to our pavers, too. RYNO porcelain paving is available in natural stone, wood-effect, contemporary and metal-look finishes, among others, and features all the performance benefits detailed in this article. Whether you require a beautifully finished, non-combustible paver for a high-rise residential project or a slip-resistant material that will stand the test of time, RYNO pavers are the solution.
