Can you lay ceramic tile outside?

Question

We want to put ceramic tile on our front porch, its fully covered but we were told you had to put porceline tile outside not ceramic. Does anyone know or have you done this?

Answer 1

it would help if you said where you live on this planet ...here in the uk you can but only if they are frost proof ..and they dont do many that are ..but ceramic do have a tendancy to crack very easily ...check with your tile shop

Answer 2

I would not do it if you live in a cold climate, it will probably crack in the winter.

Answer 3

don't believe anyone who tells you that you have to put porcelean only outside.  porcelean costs more, and that's a sale to them.  my company has put many a ceramic tile outside, regardless of the type of weather an area receives, and have yet to have a problem.  i strongly recommend a multi flex thinset, over a regular thinset, and please don't buy your thinset from home depot.  if you would rather buy from lowes over a tile distributor, buy lowe's "ultrafex II."  it's a superior product.  pick any tile you want, from any store you want, and put it on your porch.  make sure the right thinset notch size is used.  a tile up to 12 inches requires a 3/8" notch, a tile up to 18 inches requires a 1/2" notch, and anything over 20 inches requires a 3/4" notch.  if the proper notch size is used, you shouldn't have any problems with cracking.  if your area is subject to hard freezes in the winter, a little rubbing alcohol (not much, maybe a cup per bucketful) added to your thinset guarantees the thinset will never freeze.  good luck!

Answer 4

as one of the others wrote u can put it outside but if u check with the manufacture, we use Diletile, it clearly says on the box, not for exterior use!...most ceramic tile, and i did say most, have a smooth surface and this is not for outside usage.......porcelain cost me about 20% more and is made for outside....

lic. gen. contractor

Answer 5

Hello There,

The Tile Council of North America (in the link) is the authority on the installation of ceramic tile and stone.  Most specifications for installation methods come for this organization.  Their FAQ's page addresses your question, and if you cannot find out the information you need from the manufacturer of your tile, I'd find a tile specifically rated for it.  The conditions of your install may not be the same as others who have used a tile not rated frost-resistant, and you might be the unlucky one to have a failure.  Usually a manufacturer submits his product to an outside source for testing to determine whether or not the tile in question is dense enough to absorb enough moisture. This moisture in the pores of the tile can cause cracking during the thawing process when temperatures have fallen below freezing.  I know there are several lines of porcelain tile from the major companies such as Dal-Tile, American Olean,  and Crossville that are under $2.50s/f that would fall into a frost-resistant category.

Answer 6

Hey,Ceramic tile is designed to be laid over concrete floors, but we can lay it over wood floors if the necessary preparations are done first. In new construction, it is common practice to install a second sheet of 5/8" plywood over the existing sub-floor of 5/8" tongue and groove plywood, giving a total thickness of 1 1/4". Older houses that have 3/4" shiplap for their sub-floor and also a layer of 3/4" hardwood, don't need the second sheet of plywood.If you wanna more information visit the below website

Answer 7

Yes, it can be done, and I would recommend using a cement based thin-set mortar since it will hold up to water better.