Solutions for Outdoor Flooring
Outdoor flooring defines the style and the dimensions of your outdoor living area. Solutions for outdoor flooring include tile, natural stone and manufactured pavers. Installation techniques and added home values vary depending on your selection. Each option offers the potential for an outdoor living area that's affordable, attractive and that you can enjoy for years.
Outdoor Flooring Materials
Cobblestone pavers are a charismatic solution for your outdoor flooring. Cobblestone pavers are manufactured stones that come in a variety of shapes, sizes and hues. Flagstone is another manufactured stone solution with character. Flagstones are not as uniform as cobblestone and create a more rustic-looking outdoor space.
Natural slate is a distinctive solution for your outdoor flooring; just make sure that you purchase a quality grade of material. Slate tiles can flake with wear, causing the material to become thinner over time. Purchase high quality slate tiles for your outdoor flooring project and flaking should not be an issue. Quality slate flooring is naturally slip resistant, making it a popular solution for outdoor flooring.
Another solution for outdoor flooring is to resurface an existing concrete pad with snapping tiles. Snapping tiles are made with hardwood slats that are joined together over a plastic base. The base elevates the tiles and allows for drainage. You can create interesting designs and patterns with snapping patio tiles. If a snapping tile becomes damaged, you can easily remove and replace the square.
Installation
Installing cobblestone pavers and flagstone is more involved than covering an existing concrete pad. You can lay pavers and natural stones without mixing mortar or applying any type of adhesive, but you must first excavate the area properly. In addition to removing any grass, stones, roots and other debris, you should allow for a 1/4-inch slope for every square foot of flooring. The slope allows for water drainage from the surface of your outdoor floor.
Add a layer of crushed stone and coarse sand before you install the pavers. Make sure that you compact both the stone and the sand layers tightly in order to create a level surface for the stones. After you place the pavers or stones, sweep polmeric sand between the flooring materials. Polmeric sand becomes as hard as concrete after being wetted down lightly three times. Make sure that you remove all of the sand from the surface of the pavers before you turn on the hose. You'll also need to let the sand dry between wettings.
Snapping patio tiles are the easiest type of outdoor flooring to install. No special skills or tools are required to lay the tiles; just snap them together at the built-in connection points.
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