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What gap should I leave between outdoor porcelain tiles?
Porcelain tiles are durable, water-resistant and have a beautiful seamless finish that makes them the ideal for any outdoor project, but they must be laid correctly – and this is where porcelain paving spacers come in
Porcelain tiles are durable, water-resistant and have a beautiful seamless finish that makes them the ideal for any outdoor project, but they must be laid correctly – and this is where porcelain paving spacers come in.
What are porcelain paving spacers?
Spacers are small cross-like or T-shaped pieces of plastic, ceramic, or wood which are used to ensure that your pavers are spaced apart in equal distances and you can choose their size according to the dimensions of your slabs.
Do porcelain tiles need spacers?
Saying that porcelain paving spacers are not strictly necessary when installing your patio, is like suggesting you don’t need to paint your window frames.
They won’t look as good, and they won’t last as long.
Spacers exist for a number of reasons:
Keeping the floor level
Without spacers, it’s a challenge if you want to maintain uniform spacing between your slabs. Tile spacers will keep your floor level and ensure that each tile has been installed with a consistent amount of grout. Without porcelain paving spacers, you’ll get an uneven unprofessional looking finish with too-narrow or too-wide gaps.
Give uniformity to the project
Spacers are the easiest and most reliable way of allowing you to keep the tiles at equal distance, enabling you to space them correctly and get a symmetrical result.
Prevent damage
If your pavers are too wide, or too close together, then they could be damaged through expanding and contracting as the weather changes, essentially spacers are there to ensure that the surface remains secure.
Is there a minimum spacing for porcelain tiles?
Because porcelain tiles are rectified (i.e. cut with a very precise edge), they can be laid with narrow 3mm grout lines, which is the minimum recommended width.
You cannot, for example, lay your pavers so they are touching as this will not leave any room for compression when they undergo thermal expansion in hot weather.
How much gap between porcelain pavers?
The narrower the spacing, the more seamless and contemporary they will look which is a big influencing factor for those who love the minimalist trend.
The one thing you don’t want to do is discover when it’s too late that you haven’t achieved the desired effect, so the best thing to do is lay your pavers out before installing them.
In this way, you can experiment with how they are placed.
It may be that you want the grout to stand out in a contrasting colour, so you’ll want to leave a bigger gap.
If this is the case, spacers will ensure that you get even grout lines, uniformity of shape and a great designer look.
Our verdict: Whatever the size of gap you leave between your porcelain pavers, you need to ensure they look expertly laid and that’s why you should always use porcelain paving spacers.
Want to know more?
If you are interested in exploring our stunning collection of porcelain paving tiles, please visit our website, where we're sure you'll find the perfect fit!
For more information about laying porcelain paving slabs or if you have any other questions, don't hesitate to get in touch with our team by dialling 0151 357 1035.
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