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Porcelain patio vs gravel patio

DSroseDSrose Posts: 30
in Garden design
Good morning all,

We have a patio that needs replacing, it’s roughly 19m2. I would ideally replace with porcelain but the cost is putting me off slightly, we’ve been quoted £2,000. I just don’t know whether it’s worth it or to just put gravel down as it’s cheaper and quicker. Any experience and advice would be greatly appreciated.

The area is mainly used for seating, there’s an outdoor sofa currently on the patio.

TIA
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Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    £2000 seems very cheap for the size of the area. Do you mean 19 sq metres, rather than 19 metres squared?
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • DSroseDSrose Posts: 30
    Sorry yes, couldn’t get the little 2. It’s roughly 7 metres long and 2.8 metres wide.
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    I replaced my gravel patio with porcelain.
    Approx 10m x 3m which cost £8000 in 2019 using Bradstone Aspero

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • M33R4M33R4 Posts: 291
    DSrose said:.. I would ideally replace with porcelain but the cost is putting me off slightly, ... Any experience and advice would be greatly appreciated...
    Personally prefer irregular, natural looking sandstone paving, or if I had the money cobble stone finish. I find the porcelain pavers slippery looking (although they may not be) and too manicured. In India porcelain tiles are popular as it's dry and warm most of the year and they really shine and stand out.
    I wish I could garden all year round!
  • NewnorthernIrishgardenerNewnorthernIrishgardener Posts: 52
    Hi @DSrose
    at the time i was looking into laying our patio i looked at "Printed concrete" essentially gives the look of stone or another high cost option like porcelain but was much much cheaper, the reason i didn't go for it was down to the fact i couldn't get it done for 10 months as the company was so busy, which was a good sign i suppose 

    regretting not going for it now!
  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    I would avoid gravel if you can. It isn't easy for table and chairs and grows weeds.
    Couldn't you use cheaper paving stones than porcelaine?
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • DSroseDSrose Posts: 30
    @Pete.8 Ok, I’m feeling like £2k might be a good deal! Are the tiles slippery at all? Or any other downsides you can think of?

    @M33R4 that was one of the other options I was looking at but after researching, I preferred the porcelain. 

    @NewnorthernIrishgardener I’ll probably have the same thing here if I choose it, a very long wait! 
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    £2k does sound like a good deal - maybe a bit too good.

    No - they're not slippery at all.
    One of the best things about it is that it's so easy to clean.
    Just a bucket of warm water with a squirt of washing up liquid and a scrubber and it comes up like new. I use an electric scrubber.
    It doesn't stain and and is very scratch resistant.
    I'm very pleased with it.

    Beware of where the porcelain comes from.
    A lot of it is now made in China and is of poor quality.
    Some of the best comes from Turkey.
    Italian porcelain is sometimes manufactured in China then shipped to Italy and sold on as Italian.
    Reputable suppliers include Bradstone and Marshalls

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • DSroseDSrose Posts: 30
    Thank you all. No to gravel but yes to some sort of paving. 

    @Busy-Lizzie interestingly having standard paving slabs weren’t that much difference in price so I thought; why not treat ourselves haha. 
  • NewnorthernIrishgardenerNewnorthernIrishgardener Posts: 52
    @DSrose
    i did get the quote quite a while back, around lockdown, so i would imagine waiting times have reduced, i remember the wood print was my favorite but each to their own!

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