Outdoor Tiles for Steps: An Irish Guide to Choosing and Installing the Right Materials

Introduction

There are few things quite as satisfying as renovating and redecorating. Dreaming up that new interior design, settling on a new colour scheme, or simply getting around to the job you’ve had on the backburners since you moved in.

When it comes to building steps outside – to a front porch, doorsteps, in the garden or at the end of a driveway – one of the most effective, long-lasting and attractive styles you can choose is tiles. Outdoor tiles for steps come in many different shapes and sizes, and depending on the material offer different advantages.

In this guide for homeowners in Ireland, we take a quick but educated look at the best materials available for outdoor or garden steps, as well as some of the key considerations you can make when deciding whether or not tiled steps are right for you. We finish with an easy-to-follow installation guide for fitting outdoor tiles for steps in Ireland.

Best Exterior Tiles for Doorsteps Materials

Doorsteps, garden steps, patio steps, you name it. Wherever you’re considering tiling steps in your outdoor space, we’ve got you covered. Let’s take a look at the three most popular material options for modern tiles for steps outside.

Natural stone

A timeless classic, natural stone paving slabs are some of the most popular patio, driveway and garden path materials here at Tile Merchant, and for good reason.

Pros

The aesthetic appeal of natural stone – be it sandstone or our new Egyptian limestone from the Red Sea – is evident at a glance; appealing to something deeply primal. Natural stone tiles for outdoor steps are also strong, durable, easy to install and one of the more affordable tile materials. Thanks to the natural grain of stone, these tiles also have an innate anti-slip quality – fundamental when choosing tiles for steps, to ensure your and your family’s safety.

Cons

The single noteworthy downside to natural stone paving slabs for your outdoor steps is that for them to last you’ll need to re-seal them on an annual basis. Cleaning tiles for outdoor steps is fairly simple, but natural stone must be properly sealed or else mildew can grow, and water can gradually wear the stone down. A sealant also helps against UV rays, which tend to diminish the vibrancy of your natural stone tiles’ colour over time.

Granite

Granite is another good option for outdoor stairs, owing in large part to its natural weather resistance.

Pros

An extremely tough, durable material, our granite outdoor tiles are sourced from the same quarry we’ve been working with for decades. Naturally weather-resistant, granite makes a good choice for raising steps in your garden because it is also non-slip.

Cons

As with other natural stones, granite must be sealed and treated in order to function effectively as entrance doorstep tiles, etc. They require annual resealing and semi-regular spot checks to make sure they are in good shape. Moreover, granite paving slabs tend toward the darker end of the tonal scale, so may not complement the aesthetic of every garden or home exterior.

Outdoor Porcelain

The crème de la crème of outdoor tiles for steps materials, porcelain is our go-to recommendation for anyone planning to, or even just playing with the idea of tiling stairs outside.

Pros

All of our 20mm-thick outdoor porcelain tiles are naturally non-slip, frost-resistant and UV-resistant. This means that not only will they never crack nor fade, they are also super porous, staying grippy even when Ireland’s weather is at its worst.

Porcelain is a fantastic blank canvas, too, and can be worked to resemble a number of different materials (such as our limestone-, sandstone- and concrete-effect outdoor porcelain).

The combinations of colours, textures, shapes and finishes (gloss or matte) in our range of outside porcelain tiles is extensive as well, ensuring our Irish customers can always find something to compliment their existing home and garden décor.

Cons

Owing to the longevity of porcelain (if properly installed, your porcelain tile steps should last you decades), as well as its uniquely weather-resistant properties, it is one of the more expensive materials to use.

5 considerations to make when choosing the perfect non-slip tiles for your outdoor steps

Let’s take a quick breather to evaluate some of the key factors impacting your renovation.

Weather

Ireland’s weather is notoriously trying. Rain, hail, sleet, snow, sun and everything in-between can seem to fall in a single day, and all that weather takes its toll on our homes. Compared to choosing building materials in the south of Spain, for example, in Ireland we have to be a little more careful.

If you’re drawn toward either granite or natural stone paving slabs for tiling your steps, be aware that they will need to be sealed, and annually re-sealed, to ensure they withstand the elements.

On the other hand, 20mm porcelain tiles are naturally ready to take on everything Irish weather can throw at it – it’s worth taking this into consideration when budgeting, too.

Foot traffic

The more foot traffic you expect your outdoor steps to see, the hardier a tile you’ll need. Thankfully, all three of the top tile materials listed above are naturally very strong. What’s key is that you ensure they’re laid correctly and perfectly evenly, to avoid the risk of them cracking under weight.

Cleaning and maintenance

We’ve already touched on this, but it’s worth clarifying: whilst most outdoor tiles for steps will require semi-regular maintenance (re-sealing, re-grouting, etc.), porcelain tiles typically do not. Provided they are installed correctly and carefully, they should require nothing more than a cursory clean from time to time to keep them in sparkling, fresh-out-the-box condition.

Budget

Budget is one of the first things you tend to consider when entering the planning stage of any home or garden renovation project. The same goes for us at Tile Merchant – it’s our goal to make quality, tasteful, durable project materials available to our Irish customers at an affordable price.

Whilst granite and natural stone paving slabs are the most affordable of our non-slip tiles for outdoor steps, the slightly higher cost of anti-slip 20mm outdoor porcelain tiles is offset over time by the lack of maintenance required.

Home and garden aesthetic

Finally, you’ll want your tiled outdoor steps to nicely complement the existing style and aesthetic of your home and garden. If shopping for some exterior tiles for doorsteps, for example, you’ll want to find a tile whose colour and finish work well with your door.

This may sound tricky, especially when tile-shopping online, but thanks to our free tile sample service you can try as many different tiles as you like before settling on the right one.

How to tile outdoor steps, patio steps and doorsteps

We’ve already written a range of installation guides, which you can find on our blog, including one for installing natural stone paving slabs and one for porcelain tiles. Nonetheless, let’s take a whistlestop tour through the six key stages of laying outdoor tiles for steps.

Preparation

Gather the equipment, safety gear, and tools you’ll need. Roughly speaking, these are as follows:

• Tile spacers
• Tape measure
• Tile cutter or ‘nippers’
• A bucket for mixing adhesive
• Levelling compound
• Outdoor tile adhesive
• Notched trowel
• Grout float
• Grout mix
• Spirit level
• Rubber mallet

Clean and prep the steps

Whether you’re tiling concrete steps or building new ones from scratch, you’ll need to make sure each rise is level (using your spirit level and levelling compound), and both clean and dry.

Mark and measure tile placement

To ensure the uniformity of your outdoor tiled steps, use your measuring tape to mark the halfway point along the flat surface of each rise. This is where you’ll lay the first tile of each step, before working outwards toward the edges.

Lay the outdoor tiles for steps

Starting in the middle with the point you marked out, lay your first tile and work outwards toward the edges. Use tile spacers to leave a gap for grouting of about 3mm between each tile. Once you reach the edges, you’ll have to use your tile nippers or cutter to cut the last tiles to size.

Finish your steps with grouting

Finally, grout the gaps in-between each of your modern tiles for steps outside, using your grout
float to ensure evenness and smoothness.

Et voilà! You have yourself a brand new set of tiled outdoor steps!

One last thought on choosing outdoor tiles for steps

Tiled steps look gorgeous, last an age, are easy to install, and carry additional benefits such as being non-slip, weather-resistant and available in a hugely diverse range of styles, colours, effects and finishes.

If you’re deciding on which material will serve you best for tiling your outdoor steps, in most cases you need look no further than porcelain – a super tough tile which will withstand the test of time, weather, and foot traffic, all whilst looking stunning.

Of course, if you’re not quite at the decision stage yet, or remain unsure, remember you can always pop in to see us in-store at one of our three showrooms – two in Dublin and one in Ashbourne, County Meath.

And if you can’t make it in-person, just give us a call, or order a free tile sample online to get started. Thanks for reading! Happy DIY-ing!

Why Tile Merchant?

We offer extremely competitive pricing on our entire range of tiles and likewise. We stock a huge range of wall and floor tiles and our prices are competitive for retail and trade. Our stock is widely available in our tile stores in Dublin and Ashbourne (Co. Meath) which are open 7 days a week.
Alternatively, if you’d prefer to shop our tiles online, we can supply you with samples delivered for free.

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