Tiles on the balcony are a common solution that has a lot of advantages and some minor disadvantages that you should know about. What tiles will be best for finishing a balcony?
Tiles are a very popular solution for finishing a balcony. With a wide range of colors and patterns, they fit into any balcony arrangement
The advantages of balcony tiles
Disadvantages of tiles on a balcony
Porcelain stoneware is a very popular solution for finishing balconies. This material has many advantages – it is frost resistant, has high resistance to mechanical damage and low water absorption. Glazed stoneware presents itself very elegantly on the balcony, but has low resistance to mechanical damage and abrasion and low slip resistance.
The best solution is unglazed unpolished stoneware with a raw surface, which looks great in Scandinavian style. Such stoneware should be impregnated to protect it from the harmful effects of weather conditions.
Technical st oneware is an interesting alternative to classic types of stoneware. Technical stoneware tiles with their austerity fit perfectly into the industrial and minimalist style of the balcony. This type of stoneware has an increased resistance to abrasion and the negative effects of weather.
Clinker is a material that attracts attention from afar with its appearance – it ranges in color from bright yellow, through orange, to deep red. This material is one of the hardest dedicated to the outdoors. Clinker is very resistant to water, changing weather conditions and UV rays. Clinker tiles have high anti-slip properties
Terracotta tiles have very similar parameters to porcelain stoneware. A huge advantage of this type of tile is the multitude of patterns and colors. Terracotta is very easy to keep clean. For balconies it is worth choosing terracotta tiles with low glaze as they are safer to use
Stone tiles made of sandstone, granite, limestone and basalt are an expensive but very durable and elegant material. Granite stone tiles are most often chosen for the balcony. They have high resistance to weather conditions, low abrasion and water absorption.
Two trends dominate in the arrangement of balconies: the balcony as an extension of the interior and tiles imitating natural materials. Extending the interior with tiles means laying the same tiles on the balcony.
Tiles imitating natural materials are another hot trend. The most popular are wood-like tiles, which are a great compromise between wood and materials resistant to damage. Tiles imitating stone (marble) work best on large balconies. Concrete imitation tiles also look interesting on a balcony and go well with wooden or rattan furniture and plants
The tiles for the balcony must be frost resistant, with low water absorption of less than 3%. An important parameter is also their slip resistance – marked on the tiles with the letter R and a number. Balcony tiles should be marked with at least R10. Abrasion resistance class is also important; it is worth choosing tiles of class IV and V
