tiling my back yard

[chunkolini]

I have just built myself a clear roof over my small back yard to make an outdoor sitting and work area.
Suddenly the concrete floor looks disgusting so time to tile it as well.
The concrete is flattish but lumpy. the floor is laid as two slabs that slope towards the drain, The whole roof used to drain into the yard by the window . A stupid idea.
I have fitted gutters so the rain now goes straight into a water butt; with an overflow into the drains and only the roof extension drains into the yard.
new roof below

Next job is to tile the yard. I have been advised to use porcelain outdoor tiles, i want it to look nice and be easy to keep clean.
To lay them do I screed the whole place? but i think keeping the two sloping areas might be easiest. You can just make out the diagonal line where they meet and flow towards the drain.
I am going to dig up the rubbish remains of the floor of the greenhouse on the left and the badly mortared bevels along that wall

To lay the tiles I like the look of this stuff.
Looks as though you lay it dry to 25mm depth, water it and lay the slabs, spray with water and just leave it. Too good to be true?
it would save a lot of fannying about with mixes etc and would deal with irregularities in the concrete

any thoughts on my plan? has anybody used this stuff or similar?
I saw it being laid at my local pub and it seems to have done a good job.
the back yard is about 10 sq m

 

[mike os]

Porcelain requires a proper flat prepared base and a cement based external porcelain adhesive

For a small area I think I'd look at an adjustable stool system ... you need thicker tile but it's very simple and flexible

 

[rtcosic]

Ignoring your question entirely in best Forum tradition.

I have a small roughly laid area to the side of the house which SWMBO uses for garden storage, potting etc. I bought cheap plastic imitation grass and just laid it over the whole ghastly mess. As it isn't a thoroughfare and doesn't need to be usable by small castors etc it works fine. Softens the otherwise visually hard area too.

Cheap, easy and quick.

 

[chunkolini]

I thought about that but naaah
I'll be walking on it every day and using it for the messy end of DIY

 

[Agrismith]

That stuff is for stone slabs where they are more rustic and imperfections don't show as badly.
Porcelain shows everything up and needs to be perfect. The concrete base is ideal to lay anything on. Just use a thick bed of muck.

 

[chunkolini]

So not 12mm porcelain tiles.
What's the next best thing?
It is cold and damp down there so something easy to keep clean. I don't fancy concrete how about the thicker porcelain tiles? They also come in 20mm. I think that's what I saw being laid.
Or maybe sandstone slabs

 

[Agrismith]

So not 12mm porcelain tiles.
What's the next best thing?
It is cold and damp down there so something easy to keep clean. I don't fancy concrete how about the thicker porcelain tiles? They also come in 20mm. I think that's what I saw being laid.
Or maybe sandstone slabs

Any of those will be fine.
Sandstone slabs are the most forgiving

 

[frank horton]

not sure it would suit u but I rather like the ease of brick pavers........
very forgiving in awkward spaces.......
we have a huge tiled area outside/around our swimming pool......
the ground keep moving and cracking the tiles along with increasing gaps......sick of remortering......
Finally she's agreed to a decent brick paver...plus, less than 1/2 the cost of new tiles
main reason for me is if it moves a little or a lot I can lift them and relay after adding to the sand layer.....
PS I live in a high earthquake zone.......hahaha.......

 

[mike os]

12mm needs fully supporting... ie laid on a mortar bed

20mm will span over gaps

Using stools you don't usually grout so good drainage

 

[rtcosic]

not sure it would suit u but I rather like the ease of brick pavers........
very forgiving in awkward spaces.......
we have a huge tiled area outside/around our swimming pool......
the ground keep moving and cracking the tiles along with increasing gaps......sick of remortering......
Finally she's agreed to a decent brick paver...plus, less than 1/2 the cost of new tiles
main reason for me is if it moves a little or a lot I can lift them and relay after adding to the sand layer.....
PS I live in a high earthquake zone.......hahaha.......

@chunkolini says he plans to do the 'messy'* end of DIY there.
The multiplicity of joints to collect the 'mess' would be most irritating.

*Given the proclivities of the members of this Forum, the mind boggles at just how 'messy' his DIY has to be to warrant such a clarifying adjective.

 

[6ply]

I have just built myself a clear roof over my small back yard to make an outdoor sitting and work area.
Suddenly the concrete floor looks disgusting so time to tile it as well.
The concrete is flattish but lumpy. the floor is laid as two slabs that slope towards the drain, The whole roof used to drain into the yard by the window . A stupid idea.
I have fitted gutters so the rain now goes straight into a water butt; with an overflow into the drains and only the roof extension drains into the yard.
new roof below
View attachment 412834

Next job is to tile the yard. I have been advised to use porcelain outdoor tiles, i want it to look nice and be easy to keep clean.
To lay them do I screed the whole place? but i think keeping the two sloping areas might be easiest. You can just make out the diagonal line where they meet and flow towards the drain.
I am going to dig up the rubbish remains of the floor of the greenhouse on the left and the badly mortared bevels along that wall
View attachment 412836
View attachment 412837

To lay the tiles I like the look of this stuff.
Looks as though you lay it dry to 25mm depth, water it and lay the slabs, spray with water and just leave it. Too good to be true?
it would save a lot of fannying about with mixes etc and would deal with irregularities in the concrete
View attachment 412835

any thoughts on my plan? has anybody used this stuff or similar?
I saw it being laid at my local pub and it seems to have done a good job.
the back yard is about 10 sq m

The roof looks good.

As the area is now partly covered, I'd just be tempted to clean the existing concrete (pressure wash, bleach, etc.) and keep it as it is.

 

[gaz1]

i wouldnt change it to be honest your yard suffers enough already so whatever your going to fit is going to make it worse

your yard dosnt catch much sun and is also green so whatever you fit your going to have to do a few things with it like drainage and also its going to need cleaning as much as it is does now

 

[Barking Mat]

Self leveling compound muck I would have, thought, though I've no experience yet.

Yet, I've loads of concrete floors to finish one day...

You'll need to thoroughly degrease and clean them though, I would have thought.

 

[roofman]

those glazing bars and polly sheets are going the wrong way..should be running with the slope as the bars have a hidden internal gutter incase the water gets past the caps and rubbers. Like the idea though all the same of a covered yard

 

[Keithmac]

Be careful you don't introduce damp problems into the walls if you go too thick with the floor.

You also want something easy to clean (if you do any oily work), nothing that will stain.

 

[8ob]

If the concrete is sound you could polish and seal/paint what you have. Some of the bigger hire shops keep the kit.

Bob

 

[sako243]

What about concrete with some tint and one of those rubber mats that leaves an imprint in the concrete to make it look like tiles? My other half's parents had this done on the patio outside the farm house and to be honest looks really good. First glance it's tiled but look closer and it's obvious it's patterned concrete but for a "working" / high traffic area can't beat it.

They just laid the concrete, sprayed some of the colouring over it and then pushed the mould down as it went off.

 

[MysterG]

those glazing bars and polly sheets are going the wrong way..should be running with the slope as the bars have a hidden internal gutter incase the water gets past the caps and rubbers. Like the idea though all the same of a covered yard

I could have sworn Gaz was going to be the one to point that out

 

[chunkolini]

I know, but no other way of accessing them. All watertight anyway.
Lots to think about here

 

[arther dailey]

what about those interlocking rubber type mats they use in garages etc ? or are sparks involved?