On Tue, 14 Jul 2009 05:15:17 -0700 (PDT), Lee Nowell wrote:
Hi,

We have a room with bifold doors opening out onto a patio area. We
are looking at flooring materials and was thinking of using cream
60x60 porcelain tiles both inside and outside so it looks like a
continuous space when the doors are open.

I am a little worried that having the tiles outside would be a mistake
as they would be slippery when wet as they don't absorb any water.
The tile companies say it is fine provided you don't have the polished
type and some of the more textured ones are suitable for swimming
pools so must be ok. We borrowed a couple of matt tiles and tried the
water test and to me, they were slippy enough for someone to fall.

I was wondering if anyone has had any practical experience with this.
Also, is anyone aware of a patio slab which would look similar enough
to the cream 60x60 tiles to create the effect but made of stone/
concrete that wouldn't be so slippy.

thanks

Lee.

if the tiles are meant for indoors use, it would be worth checking
if they were frostproof (and the adhesive & grout, too).
You might find that the continuous effect gets spoilt a bit if the
outside tiles become dirty, with residue from rain or lichem starts
growing on then. This is much more noticable with light coloured tiles.

By having the same ones inside (which I assume would remain clean) and
outside (exposed to the elements), you may just be contrasting the
amount of gunge that exists on all patios / tiled areas.
Someone might be spending an awful lot of time trying to keep them at
the same state of cleanliness!