Spring is almost here, so why not start this blog with an outdoors post? How about flooring for your patio?
Outdoor patio flooring is a wide and intriguing subsection of exterior patio design. The “flooring” title essentially deals with an enormously and an often stunningly beautiful wide range of possibilities. From poured concrete, to interlocking brick pavers, to sand-based natural stone slabs to stone tiles and slabs and even other products adhered to a concrete base, you can see the ample possibilities inherent in the concept itself.
Simply stated, when the purpose of the patio is the extension of the living area from inside out, this construction of the “new room” takes on an additional importance. Since it is for livability and not necessarily simply for function, the importance of a beautiful finish is a “must”. So I will touch very briefly on how to go about selecting outdoor patio flooring. The fact is, it is a subject more fit for an entire article.
Poured concrete surfaces now come in color and different textures. One step processes of this “stamped concrete” product mean a design is chosen, as well as a color, and is “stamped” using a template, onto the fresh concrete resulting in a pattern and color. These can look as primitive or as finished as one wants.
Interlocking brick pavers require a bit more set up and are arguably the most expensive option. As such, there is a reason for the expense and a resulting value in terms of beauty and durability. Now being used in many cities as a road surface, these brick pavers also now come in an absolute riot of colors. In the end, it is a value-enhancing item for a home.
Sand-based and slab-on-cement adherence patio surfaces offer these gorgeous and amazing wide open choices of color and texture. Natural products, mined from real quarries, cut to almost any form or shape, these are one of the ultimately most natural and pleasing of surfaces for outdoor patio flooring. There is as well, another stone product worth mentioning, which is the installation of an epoxy-based surface of small gorgeous pebbles, piled atop one another in a packed little cluster universally adhered with a glossy epoxy. It is a very colorful stone/epoxy combination used to cover existing cement.