Types of stone for the front porch

NATURAL STONE

The story of a house starts with the porch. It is the first part of the house where you welcome your guests and the last part where you see them off. Therefore, every owner tries to make this part of the house a special place according to his or her own taste and style. Stone porches are an excellent choice for making your outdoor porch look impeccable. Such a porch will last for many years without losing its amazing appearance. The material long used and proven to be the most reliable is granite. The incomparable pattern, unique durability and natural elegance of the material reinforce the intention to choose it and enhance the overall style of the building. Limestone tiles are not a bad option for your porch, too. Yet, it is not suitable for every home. A classic house, for example, made of white stone will perfectly take in an interior porch in limestone. Lined with artificial material, it will look absurd, though.

CONCRETE AND PAVING TILES

The least expensive and fairly simple cladding of the porch can be achieved with concrete tiles. The surface of concrete tiles can imitate a wide variety of materials, such as natural or decorative stone, this feature adds to the material’s advantages when choosing. A disadvantage of choosing this material is that it is susceptible to damage at low temperatures so that greater priority is given to its close imitation, namely the vibrocasting paving slabs. This material is very durable and hard-wearing, but extremely slippery, which is its only disadvantage. As can be seen in the following picture, a porch made of such tiles will fit perfectly into almost any interior and will serve for a very long time.

CLINKER TILES

You can also opt for the long-established clinker tiles. They are the ideal material for your porch, both because of its characteristics and because of its ergonomics. Firstly, the way it is made is extremely simple and contains only natural and environmentally friendly materials. Secondly, the tile has a certain rough structure, which prevents slipping on its surface.

INSTALLATION AND FACING WITH GRANITE

When choosing a granite cladding for your porch, you should consider a number of nuances. Before laying granite tiles you should purchase an adhesive for suitable for outdoor work designed specifically for this material. Further, in line with the plan and with no use of glue, granite tiles are spread on the surface of the porch. This is necessary for the granite tiles to exactly fit the size of the porch. After the granite tiles are laid out it is necessary to add markings and record the arrangement of the outer and parallel tiles starting with the bottom row of steps of the porch. Subsequently, granite tiles are laid in the same way as any conventional facing tiles. Dilute the tile adhesive and apply it to the surface of the porch with a toothed trowel, four to five millimetres thick, you should apply the adhesive from the bottom row of steps. Once the adhesive has been applied, the granite can be laid. Laying begins with granite tiles in the corners, which will later be used to align the remaining rows. Having arranged a horizontal plane of the granite tiles, there comes the no less responsible stage, the packing of vertical rows of facing steps. It is the main task at this stage to adjust the joints and gaps which form the overall view of the job. Having paving the bottom row of steps vertically, you can immediately move to the horizontal plane of the next row of steps. The final step is to grout the joints. Note in the following photo that grouting should start in the opposite direction to the beginning of the tiling, from the top platform to the bottom row of steps. After grouting the joints and damp cleaning, you can enjoy the job done and admire the beautiful result.

CONCLUSION

Building a stone porch is quite feasible for many people and it is not that difficult or troublesome at all. The labour costs are not as great as they seem at first glance, either. As for any creation you need a solid foundation, though, and in our case this is a solid concrete foundation, on the basis of which you can bring your ideas to life. Make sure to take a few extra minutes to firmly decide which material you will use for the finish and whether it will suit the interior of your home.

Source: bouw.ru