Our Heritage Outdoor Porcelain tiles collection includes paving that effortlessly recreates the aesthetic and feel of natural stone.
Heritage Oro Porcelain Paving is the most popular option in this collection. This tile is often chosen by customers who are comparing it with our Antique Fossil Pearl Limestone, as an alternative for their project.
In this article we offer a comparison between the two options, so you can see which is best for you.
Image Credit: Built by Finescape Ltd.
1. Definition of Print:
While some porcelain tiles feature low-quality print definition and look flat and two-dimensional, Heritage Oro showcases incredible depth and vibrant colour. This gives the tiles a highly realistic appearance, making them difficult to distinguish from natural limestone once installed.
2. Surface Texture:
Natural limestone displays a varied surface texture, with occasional pitting and alternating rough and smooth areas. To replicate this, Heritage Oro outdoor porcelain tiles feature a similarly pitted and varied texture. So this not only enhances realism but also improves grip underfoot.
3. Tumbled Edges:
Our Antique Fossil Pearl Limestone paving features a tumbled finish that chips and rounds the stone edges. To mimic this look, we designed Heritage Oro with gently wavy edges that slope down around the tile’s perimeter. Undoubtedly, once grouted, these tiles closely resemble natural stone with a tumbled finish. View the image gallery below to see the effect.
4. Durability and Maintenance:
Real Egyptian limestone paving needs sealing and regular, careful cleaning to preserve its appearance. Its colour also tends to fade and lighten over time. In contrast, porcelain paving like Heritage Oro resists stains, doesn’t require sealing and is easy to clean, consequently offering a durable, low maintenance alternative.
Image Credit: Built by Finescape Ltd.
What are the limitations with porcelain paving?
Although porcelain paving has many benefits over natural stone it also has limitations. This is particularly apparent when it comes to thickness. Indeed, outdoor porcelain paving is only available in 20mm thickness and the colour of the edge of the tile is not completely the same as the top.
In contrast, we offer our Antique Fossil Pearl limestone at 40mm thickness with different edge profiles for swimming pool copings and step treads off the shelf. The edge profiles include full bullnose and rebated down stand with pencil edge profile. Indeed, either of these create an impressive finish for swimming pool projects, areas of wall coping and steps.
Porcelain, conversely, has to be sent to a stone mason for a bullnose or pencil edge profile to be applied. Undoubtedly this adds lead time and cost to a project and you are limited to the 20mm thick tile, which doesn’t leave quite as an impressive edge.
Summary
We have both Heritage Oro and Antique Fossil Pearl Limestone available in indoor and outdoor finishes.
No matter your style, you’ll find plenty of options to explore at NB Display Centre. Call us on 01635 202 700 to learn more, our team is ready to help bring your project to life.
