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Like many homes built on a slab basis , ours has a stock concrete patio that extends from the back of the theater . While this ascetic patio was dead running , provide a stalwart post to set up an outdoor sofa , dining set , and barbeque , it was n’t adding much in the way of aesthetics to our out-of-door space .
Although our backyard terrace was perfectly serviceable , we hanker for a more visually interesting distance for outside keep . Our first attempt at ornament the frigid patio , which involved the improver of an “ outside ” gunny rug , was a nonstarter . For a while , the rug sum up stake and warmth to the patio , but it ultimately succumbed to the chemical element . After a year , it was take to task , varnished , worn , and ready for the trash bin .
Photo: Tony Carrick Photos: Tony Carrick
We determined that transforming our patio into the backyard last blank space of our dream would require a bigger effort . Although we knew it would n’t be well-off , we decided that installing tile on the patio was the only solution .
Selecting a Durable and Functional Outdoor Tile
As much as we wanted a tile that would enhance the aesthetics of the terrace , that roofing tile also needed to be long-lived . It had to be strong enough to stand up to pelting , snow , blistering summers , and cold winters as well as our magnanimous gas grill and heavy out-of-door article of furniture . Ordinary kitchen orbathroom tilewasn’t going to cut it .
We love that the roofing tile would get pie-eyed frequently because it ’s outside , so it was also important to us that it be slip - resistant to prevent falls . We choose for an outdoorporcelain tile , a durable ceramic tile with a textured , flatness surface that is n’t as slick as your foot race - of - the - grind bathroom tile .
A Patio That Complements Our Home’s Exterior
The whole reason we were embarking on this project in the first berth was toimprove the look of the patio , so aesthetics were vital . We choose for a grey roofing tile with a faux wood pattern , thoroughgoing with a textured woodwind food grain that featured irregular knots for legitimacy . The tile complement the gray of our house ’s exterior while meshing nicely with the land tones of our out-of-door furniture .
At 6 inches by 18 column inch , the roofing tile is recollective and narrow , stress the wood grain pattern . We did n’t want the grout assembly line to suck up a lot of attention , so we went with a light gray-headed colour that blended in with the tile .
Prepping the Space
The dainty affair about tiling a concrete slab terrace is that much of the homework work is already done for you . There ’s no old floor to dispatch or subfloor to append , and the tile can be installed right on top of theconcrete slab .
Because I had installedtile in a bathroomduring a redevelopment a few years back , I know that the first row would dictate how the tile would bet when it reached the outer edge of the patio . To achieve a professional - front initiation , it was crucial to ensure the edge of the roofing tile sit square to the out edge of the patio .
I also did n’t want to have a scrawny strip of tile running along the patio ’s sharpness , which would be both odd - looking and structurally weak . To avoid these pitfalls , I mapped out each dustup , marking a ancestry on the pavement where each dustup would set forth . While make water these measuring , I accounted for 1/4 - inch gap between each roofing tile for grout .
Photo: Tony Carrick
Essential Equipment
While a wet tile saw was the most critical objet d’art of equipment I needed for this line , a few other requisite made this hard project a lilliputian easier . One was a set of thickknee pads . Tiling is physically demanding body of work . You end up spending longsighted hour on your helping hand and knee , spreading mortar and laying roofing tile . The knee pads made that sufferable and check that I could still take the air at the end of the day ! Laying tile also involves mixing a lot of concrete . While it ’s possible to do this with a hoe , aspiral mixer attachmentfor my world power drill sped up the flux process , economise my back and arms while bring out lump - free mortar .
Mixing the Concrete
One of the most decisive theatrical role of laying roofing tile is getting the good consistence for theconcrete . I used thinset , which is a type of mortar explicitly designed for roofing tile . It ’s still , thinner , and easy to mould with than stock mortar .
There was , however , a bit of a con curved shape with using thinset . I realized that once mixed , thinset begins to dry pretty rapidly , specially in midsummer heat energy . While the manufacturer lists a working time of 90 minutes , I find that the trench mortar was too dry to work with after about an hour .
With that in mind , rather of shuffle a whole or even half of a 40 - Ezra Loomis Pound bag , I mixed the concrete in smaller quite a little in a bucket , using about 10 pounds of dry concrete mix at a time . This scheme allowed me to use up all of the concrete before it became too dry .
Photo: Tony Carrick
Like Laying Railroad Tracks
We want thetilesto have a staggered facial expression that mimicked a board hardwood story . So , instead of lining up the roofing tile evenly , I started each dustup with understudy full and half tile , cut with the tile saw .
Once I set up the first quarrel , position the tilebecame a mostly repetitive physical process of distribute concrete on sections of the patio with a trowel , then place tile with plastic 1/4 - inch spacers . Before starting each row , I used a tape touchstone to make indisputable I was keep open parallel with the outer edge of the patio .
Grout Blunder
After giving the mortar a full day to dry , I set about togroutthe roofing tile . Here ’s where I made a bighearted mistake . Grout set in about 30 minutes , after which one must wipe the roofing tile clean with a blotto parasite .
unquiet to finish what had already become a monster job , I waited until I had spread all of the grout before wiping any of the tiles clean . The delay gave the grout enough clip to dry out on the roofing tile surface , leaving a daze and dried bits of trench mortar . This mistake forced me to scour each tile sporty with a brushing , turning what should have been an wanton job into a much harder , more prison term - waste one .
The Finished Product
Although tiling the patio turned out to be one of the more laborious DIY project I ’ve undertaken , the finish results were worth it . So far , the tile has held up well to both cold and hot temperatures as well as the wear and tear of a gasgrill , heavy furniture , and regular infantry dealings .
No longer merely a drab concrete slab , our patio now cavort a finished look that serves as the thoroughgoing backdrop for ourpatio furniture , barbeque , and pottedplants .
Everything You Need for a Lush and Healthy Lawn
Photo: Tony Carrick
Keeping your pasture unripened and your plant life thriving does n’t just take a dark-green quarter round — it starts with the right tools and supplying .
Photo: Tony Carrick
Photo: Tony Carrick
