All of our porcelain paving products are sourced from an Italian company called Refin, and the people who run Refin are absolutely committed to producing green paving.

No, we’re not talking about slabs the colour of emeralds – we’ve got plenty of colours in our arsenal, but that sadly isn’t one of them. ‘Green paving’ in this instance means paving slabs that are produced in a sustainable, eco-friendly manner so as to minimise their effect on the environment.

There’s plenty of information on our new Sustainable Paving page, but here are the basics:

• Our porcelain paving collections are made to European Ecolabel standards, meaning that every stage of the product’s lifespan is handled in an environmentally-friendly way.
  
  
• Use of our products can help a building to achieve BREAM or LEED certification. These standards signify that the building in question is very green indeed!
  
  
• The manufacturers at Refin are very serious about recycling and saving energy, so the process behind your stunning porcelain patio is as sustainable as can be!

Turning a tired, neglected outdoor space into something truly astounding is one of the most rewarding parts of what we do. Here are some 'Before' and 'After' photos to give you an idea of the magic that porcelain paving can work...

Before: This roof terrace in Barnet looked faded and ordinary, but we turned it into something far more eye-catching...

After: Ta-dah! Our porcelain paving has left the roof space looking refreshed, resplendent, and much more modern.

Before: Rain is always an issue in the garden, and wet weather had left this outdoor space looking somewhat the worse for wear.

After: The revamped garden is barely recognisable when compared to how it used to look! The porcelain paving looks great against the superbly stylish decking, and the low porosity of porcelain means that those paving slabs will stay beautiful whatever the weather.

To read more about these porcelain garden projects, take a look at our brand new Case Studies page.

Porcelain has many qualities to recommend it, but perhaps the most intriguing thing about our porcelain tiles and paving slabs is their versatility, the beauty they're capable of bringing to interiors and outdoor spaces alike. In Friday's blog post, we enthused about In.Out porcelain tiles and how they can be used both indoors and outdoors, but what we didn't really talk about was the astounding effect that the tiles can have on these spaces and why said effect is so appealing.

That's what we're going to do today: now that we've established that you can use our products in both the home and the garden, it's time to explain why you might want to!

Porcelain Tiles for Indoor Use
We're not going to tell you that solid wood flooring and luxurious carpeting aren't great choices for your living space, but we will say that porcelain tiles are just as good, if not better. The natural stone effect will bring a fresh, breezy atmosphere to your home that very few traditional flooring products can match; where old-fashioned wood flooring and soft carpets can contribute towards a slightly stuffy feeling, porcelain floor tiles come with a kind of outdoorsy look that will make your home (and you yourself) feel cool and refreshed at all times.

Porcelain Paving for the Garden
On the other side of the coin we have outdoor spaces, and that could mean anything from a back yard to a balcony to the beer garden at your local pub. If it's out in the open, porcelain is the perfect choice, and not just because it requires so little maintenance. Porcelain paving has a beauty that's mostly absent from other outdoor flooring products, and that's because it can afford to show off a little, embracing the kind of deep elegance that's usually only found indoors, where inclement weather isn't a factor. Out 2.0 paving is that rare product that's both beautiful and durable - why put practicality before style when you could have both in spades?

The beauty we offer with our porcelain products is open to both indoor and outdoor use, and as we hinted at above, the best part of that beauty is that it doesn't need much looking after. Porcelain can more or less look after itself, leaving you more time to sit back and enjoy it!

We cannot think of many better ways to embellish your outdoor living area, than by having a beautiful porcelain patio laid. The smooth, silky, and shiny effect a porcelain patio can have on its surrounding area is something to behold! We’ve come up with 3 ways in which you can embellish your patio with our stunning porcelain floor tiles – we hope you share our vision come the end!

Cool Blue – Our Bluestone range of porcelain patio slabs embodies all things cool, and all things blue! One of the luxuries of porcelain being manmade is that you have some flexibility in the outcome of its colour and tone. This freedom allows unique and vibrant shades such as our Bluestone Design, and Bluestone Vintage to become a reality. As you can see by the example we used in the picture, cool blue porcelain gives an effect like no other! If you favour more contemporary styles, we cannot think of a better surface for your patio than our blue porcelain tiles – they ooze a crisp, clean modernity that is infectious!

Classic Limestone – We never like to pigeon-hole our products too much, as we think Bluestone could work in the right traditional property, and Limestone in a modern one; having said that, our classic Limestone range of porcelain tiles is a fantastic way to give your patio a warm, earthy rebirth! If our Bluestone range is an example of how we can create the new, our Limestone range is how we can better the existing! As you can see from our product range, these tiles create a warming porcelain patio like that of real limestone – but remember, as this is porcelain we are dealing with, your tiles won’t stain, scratch, or need to be sealed. If you want to give your patio a makeover, our Limestone tiles will bathe your space with a charming Mediterranean warmth.

Tile Transition – The last way in which you can truly adorn your patio with porcelain is all about creating a continuous transition. For this to make sense, it is worth telling you that for all of our outdoor porcelain tiles, we have a thinner indoor version in the same colour. This means you can have your patio and adjacent room tiled in exactly the same beautiful tiles! The effect this creates is sublime; as you can see from the image above, it does this by creating a uniform living space, and the results are truly breath-taking!

These simple tips can help you create a masterpiece of a porcelain patio! What we hope to have shown you is the versatility of our floor tiles; whether you’re creating an ultra-modern space, or a traditional retreat, our floor tiles complement your area beautifully. And, if you want to really create a synchronised-space, why not use our same alluring floor tiles inside your home as well?

Our elegant porcelain paving products are perfect for architectural projects, and if you don't want to take our word for it, perhaps a vote of confidence from one of the UK's leading architecture resources will convince you. For the last twenty years, the Architects Datafile magazine has provided Britain's architects with invaluable information and a variety of thought-provoking articles, and we're pleased to report that our beautiful porcelain tiles were recently featured on their website.

The piece is entitled Porcelain Tiles for Outside & In! and you can read it by clicking on that link. The article covers both Out 2.0 paving and our In.Out 1.0 porcelain tiles, giving architects an impression of the beauty and versatility our products can provide. Porcelain is a great choice for interiors and landscapes alike - offices, gardens, homes, parks, and public buildings could all benefit from the inimitable look of our porcelain tiles and paving.

If you're an architect, and you would like to find out more about what we can offer your project, feel free to get in touch. Email info@porcelainpaving.co.uk or telephone 029 2037 1584 to discuss your requirements and request a quote. Our porcelain experts will help to create the perfect solution for you and your client.