An Introduction to Outdoor Flooring

Many homeowners and families will often extend their living spaces to include such areas as patios, outdoor kitchens and barbecue pits. These “rooms” will usually be fully furnished and outfitted with as many amenities as possible. A standard outdoor kitchen will have cooking equipment, cabinetry and appliances, and will, of course, require the right flooring.

How do you pick flooring for an outdoor space? The first thing to consider is safety. An outdoor space is exposed to the weather which means it is going to be frequently wet, or receive fallen leaves or other such debris. This is the reason that any homeowner should avoid an outdoor flooring choice that may become dangerously slippery if wet. This means no glazed tiles or other porous surfaces.

What kind of flooring options does that leave? The most commonly selected outdoor flooring includes brick, natural stone and concrete. The variety of options within this grouping is almost overwhelming, and is the reason that a design scheme should be in place for the outdoor space.

Concrete flooring can be poured in any shape and colored, stained, stamped or sealed with micro toppings to give it almost any appearance desired. For example, if a family would love a “flag stone” patio, but such a project is well outside of their budget, a faux flagstone treatment could be done to a poured concrete patio. Additionally, a concrete surface does not face the issues of loose tiles, stones or mortar that most other exterior flooring will generally incur.

Brick work is a very durable approach to outdoor flooring, and is not limited strictly to the old-fashioned red variety. There are beautifully made “cobble stone” bricks among dozens of other styles and shapes. This would require the entire area to be leveled and a special installation method to be used in order to ensure that the flooring enjoyed a long life span and maintained an even surface.

Finally, natural stone is available in hundreds of shapes, sizes and styles, and homeowners will install everything from large flat panels of stone to tiny mosaic designs in their outdoor settings. The key is to have the work done by an experienced professional who understands the preparation process.