Table of contents
Types of flooring for terracesFired clay flooringSynthetic outdoor flooringNatural stone flooringStamped concrete flooringWood flooringWhat flooring to put on an outdoor terrace is a question that opens up numerous decorative options, in keeping with the style you want to give your home. The ideal combination for outdoor terrace coverings is that they be beautiful, resistant and practical at the same time.
The materials to choose from for this are extremely varied: cement, wood, stone, etc. Both outdoor wood flooring and many other covering options can be the ideal choice for a cozy, long-lasting environment.
Terraces are becoming the new living room for enjoying an outdoor space during the warm seasons of the year. They've become a great place for social gatherings, for having a drink, for sunbathing…
If you don't know what flooring to put on an outdoor terrace, keep reading!
Types of flooring for terraces
However, the many different types of flooring for terraces make prior knowledge necessary to help you choose accurately and wisely. Among the many types of flooring found on the market that are common for terraces, you can find the following:
Fired clay flooring
Within this type of paving, two main variants can be found:
- Red clay tile or thin ceramic tile. Until the 1980s, it was omnipresent in the tiling of patios and terraces. It's also known as ceramic floor tile. This type of floor tiling material is usually sold in packs of 26 tiles. Due to their small dimensions, they're ideal for water drainage slopes.
- Square fired clay tiles. They lack the characteristic glaze of stoneware flooring. It's not recommended for the tile to exceed 25 by 25 centimeters, so as to make it easier to build water drainage slopes. A good option when thinking about what flooring to put on an outdoor terrace. The reason is that they easily absorb water and moisture.
Synthetic outdoor flooring
Synthetic outdoor flooring is another good option for several reasons. Two of them are its resistance and its good value for money. For example:
- Synthetic wood boards. Their wood tones make them perfectly decorative. But their synthetic material also makes them extremely durable over the years. Their noble wood-like appearance goes hand in hand with the great resistance typical of polymers.
- Composite. This is a very young material, recently created, but already with a great presence in construction and renovation projects in recent years. Its composition is heterogeneous, and it offers the advantages of multiple materials. It's characterized by its great lightness, which makes the work easier, and consequently cheaper.
Natural stone flooring
It offers a rustic look, very cozy and appealing for outdoor spaces such as terraces. The relative difficulty in cleaning it means it's used little as flooring for terraces.
Another added drawback is that it's also characterized by its great thermal inertia. However, it's also an excellent non-slip surface, and it's also extraordinarily resistant.
Stamped concrete flooring
Concrete, a mix of cement, sand and gravel, is an extraordinarily resistant and hard material. It's affordable in terms of price, and it can also very easily be made non-slip and water-resistant. This is the main reason it's used a lot in garden esplanades and pool edges.
Wood flooring
The most classic and elegant. It allows you to walk barefoot on it, and adds great warmth to the environment, making it much cozier. It's delicate and expensive, but undoubtedly the best option in terms of elegance and also in terms of temperature.
What flooring to put on an outdoor terrace is an interesting question, which can be considered alongside other affordable and cozy options, such as installing artificial turf outdoors.