Porcelain for Driveways: Is it a bad idea?

Some are strictly against using porcelain for driveways and some say if you install it correctly it can be used on a driveway so, it’s a controversial topic whether to use porcelain for driveways or not as people have their own opinions on it based on their past experiences with it and how the job went.

There’re many professionals who say that porcelain is not for driveway and don’t use it themselves or recommend it to others. But some big suppliers of paving or patio slabs like Royale Stones and Marshalls do sell them so, to whom do they sell it as it’s not an ideal option for driveways?

If you’re willing to use porcelain just in some spots in small pieces to add details to the driveway, then there’s no problem whether it’s a bad idea or not because it doesn’t matter as you’re using porcelain in small pieces between your entire driveway or just in the edges.

Most people refuse to use porcelain on driveways as they question the thickness of the porcelain slabs. Generally, 20-30mm is mostly used for driveways because it’s the maximum thickness you can get. In comparison, block pavers (60-80mm) which is a widely used option for driveways feel really hard and steady option for vehicular traffic. We’ll see more about thickness or porcelain later in the post.

Porcelain Thickness for Driveway: 20mm vs 30mm

Porcelain tiles are also available in 10mm thickness but they’re limited to patios and not ideal for driveways to handle vehicle traffic. However, in the landscaping industry, the rules can’t restrict you from doing something and everyone has different methods to do things. Some people even lay 10mm slabs on driveways using the concrete base and a lot more things need to be kept in mind while installing them.

Generally, professionals start with at least 20mm in thickness of porcelain slabs for vehicular traffic and some even choose 30mm to be on the safe side.

Can you drive on 20mm porcelain tiles? 10mm isn’t thick enough and 30mm more than enough for a driveway so, 20mm porcelain is what most people use for the driveways. Getting the base correct is the key with comparatively thinner slabs like 20mm for using it on a driveway.

I’ve seen this example multiple times that most car showrooms have porcelain and that too 10mm thick. Isn’t a car showroom like a driveway where multiple cars are parked/drove instead of one or a few so, can’t we use porcelain for driveways by doing the proper job of installation.

Laying Porcelain Over Existing Surface

Being a part of some landscaping communities, I always see questions such as laying new slabs or pavers on existing surfaces often pop out. It’s always not recommended to use the existing surface to lay new slabs on it. Some professionals even don’t use existing sub-bases for their new job.

As we already saw, getting the base right is very necessary to use porcelain for a driveway so, it’s a no-brainer that you shouldn’t lay porcelain directly on the existing driveway or any kind of surface.

Can you lay porcelain on concrete?

You can either lay porcelain either on Mot Type 1 or on concrete because both are appropriate types of sub-base to lay porcelain. But it’s really a personal choice like every other choice in the landscaping industry. The only downside to a concrete sub-base is you’ll have to wait for a few weeks to let it cure completely before laying slabs on it.

Porcelain Slipperiness

Most people think porcelain doesn’t belong to gardens and can be slippery outside when wet but it’s not the case. There’s a thing called R11 rating for these porcelain slabs which means that they’re anti-slip-resistant. Read this post here to get a complete prespective on sliperiness of outside porcelain.

Porcelain Driveway Cost

Different types of driveways have different costs for materials as well as the laying charges. Obviously, porcelain is an expensive option compared to other types of driveway options hence, you could be also charged more for laying it compared to block pavers, for example.

The cost for a porcelain driveway depends on many variables like the materials you choose, location, access to the site, and excess work like dig out if required. Consider between £150-£240 per meter square if you’ve no idea at all about these things to get a rough cost.

In Conclusion: Should you use porcelain for driveways

It’s much of a question that has mixed opinions like most of the questions in landscaping. Definitely, as you’ve seen so far, you can use porcelain for a driveway. It’s all about getting the right size slabs and a proper base to make it work for a driveway.

I recently wrote a post do porcelain needs sealing? where you can get to know many advantages of porcelain. It’s durable, non-porous hence highly stain and dust resistant, and easier to clean and maintain without needing to seal which has to be done with other types of driveways like block pavers and Indian sandstone.