How to lay tiles for patio?

[Sugar]

This is my very first post in this community

I have two patios where I am planning to lay tiles. I have been following many youtube videos and instructions on internet and it seems like it is doable by myself ( little help from my wife).  I would really like to try myself and give it a go. Any suggestion would be nice before starting. I have attached images of my two patios. And also if you can suggest me what type of tiles are best suitable for such case. I believe timber decking is going to be expensive in this case. 

[Jason]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Sugar. It's great to have you join us. We trust you'll get loads of helpful information, advice and inspiration for all your projects around the home and garden from our clever and creative members.

Tiling is certainly an achievable D.I.Y. project. Have you also considered other options, such as paving paint or Pebble Resurfacer? The latter was used to create effect by the @MakeItYours team in their recent backyard makeover project. 

Let me tag very helpful members in @ProjectPete, @Adam_W, @PJA, @gippslandhome and @JDE to see if they might like to kick off this discussion for you and share their thoughts. Our resident handyman @MitchellMc will also be more than happy to share his thoughts when he is back on the site tomorrow morning. 

Thanks,

Jason

[Sugar]

Thank you for optional advice @Jason. I will look into those options as well and do some research whether that fills my requirements or not. In mean time, I will wait what other helpful members have to say about this. 

[JDE]

Sugar just a couple of suggestions. First make sure the patio is clean with no bits sticking up, id suggest using a pressure cleaner.  Decide if you are going to centre your tiles (old school) or start from one corner and work out usually puting cut tiles where least visual ( new school) Personally I like old school but you need to layit out to get measurements even. Stepping the joints so they are brick pattern can hide a lot of sins. Iast time I did one I worked off the house edge with full tiles and put a thin contrast strip of rock tiles on the outside edge to give a nice edge and finish. If you do this make sure you seal the rocks before grouting. Also make sure you clean the glue off the top of your tiles before it sets it will save you hours later. As for cutting a tile, scoring using a tile cutter or scoring and snapping tiles across an edge gives a nicer finish but some tiles are hard to cut this way. Another way is to use a diamond blade on an angle grinder which is what I ususally do. I you do this remember the kerf and if you are not gentle it can chip the face of the tile.

[MitchellMc]

Hi @Sugar.

Standard floor tiles are suitable for external use in light trafficked areas like your patios. As @JDE suggested, a good clean to start with will ensure a great bond. You might also like to give the areas a quick acid wash which will key the surface ready to accept the tile adhesive. Please, follow the safety directions, which include wearing gloves, safety glasses and a respirator whilst using the acid.

Here's a helpful step-by-step D.I.Y. tutorial on How to lay floor tiles which I trust you'll find useful in the process.

Please let me know if you have further questions or need assistance.

Mitchell

[Sugar]

@MitchellMc & @JDE Big thank you for your advice. I am definitely going to follow the safety procedures and going to take it slow. I am not in rush but I am planning to do it within 2-3 weeks. This is for sure light trafficked area. It's just two of us. My study and understanding will continue this weekend as well. I will let you know guys, if I have trouble understanding something or need some advice. I highly appreciate your suggestions. 

[Sugar]

Hi guys @MitchellMc  @JDE , after a long time, I am getting back to this project and running a few other projects in parallel also. 

I would like to know how to cut ( what equipment i can buy or burrow to make the desirable shape of the tile, and also type of the tiles suitable for such locations or any further information to start with, I would appreciate this. 

Thank you Rgards

[MitchellMc]

It's great to hear you're back on this project, @Sugar.

You can hire a tile cutter suitable for any straight cuts. An angle grinder and diamond blade would be handy for more intricate cuts. Standard floor tiles are ideal for these areas, and there is a wide selection for you to choose from.

Please have a read through the step-by-step guide I linked above. If you have any specific questions, I'd be happy to answer them.

Mitchell

[Sugar]

@MitchellMc Thank you.

I have a few pictures taken from mine on two different patios. 

What product can I use to fill the gaps between floor and the vertical wall in here: 

What can I use to fill the cracks on the floor like this ?

Would you recommend I fill the tiles on the vertical portion ( highlighted on the red shades) of this floor? 

waiting for your reply. Thank.

[EricL]

Hello @Sugar

Thank you very much for posting those photos of your patio. It would seem that there has been a bit of movement on your patio flooring. I suggest using Selleys 440g Medium Grey No More Gaps Bricks And Mortar Gap Filler. Before using the gap filler make sure to remove all the loose debris and old gap filler that's in the gap. Please make sure to wear disposable gloves when wiping off the excess gap filler.

Are there cracks along the vertical portion of the patio? If there are none, I don't think it's necessary to use filler on this portion, especially if it's going to be covered in tiles.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric