Outdoor Tile Installation

When buying outdoor tiles make sure you allow for cutting wastage. I always recommend buying about 10% more tile material than the measurements dictate. This way you’ll have enough tiles to complete the entire job, and a few spares to store in case of tile breakage down the road.

Always purchase thinset mortar or adhesive per the outdoor tile manufacturer’s recommendations. This said, Flexbond thinset mortar works best for most outdoor tile projects. Again, mix the thinset material according to the manufacturer’s directions. When starting the outdoor tile patio or walkway installation project, make sure to begin in an area where you have room to work your way outwards from the project. For example if you’re doing an outdoor tile installation on a patio next to a home, start the project at the house and work your way outwards. This way you won’t find yourself having to walk on your freshly placed tiles.

As with any tile flooring project start by snapping perpendicular chalk lines with their intersection in the middle of the patio or walkway area. I also recommend snapping additional parallel chalk lines every 12 to 24 inches or so to act as references lines as you place tiles.

Starting in the middle of the floor area, at the two main intersecting chalk lines, apply thinset to the concrete slab using a notched trowel. The notch size will vary with the size of the outdoor tiles you’re installing, however as a general rule the larger the tile the larger the notches should be.

Once you’ve applied approximately 9 to 12 square feet of thinset to the patio area begin to place your outdoor tiles into the thinset. Continue this same process working your way outwards until all of the outdoor tiles have been installed. After the tiles have had 24 to 48 hours to set up, mix up a bucket of grout per the grout manufacturer’s recommendations and then using a rubber float work the grout into the tile joints. Make sure after grouting 9 to 12 square feet of tile area wipe down the grouted tiles with a sponge and clean water. Keep a large bucket with clean water in it nearby so that you can frequently rinse out the sponge as you clean the excess grout off the outdoor tiles.

Continue this process until all of the outdoor tiled area has been grouted. Then go back and wipe the tiles down again with fresh clean water and a sponge. You may need to repeat the cleaning process several times before the grout has been fully removed off of the tiles. Cheese cloth also helps to remove any residual grout film off of the tiles.

After the grout has had 3 days to fully cure, apply a high quality grout sealer to the grout to protect it from staining. And with that, you’re outdoor tile installation project is complete!