Porcelain patios, laid the way porcelain has to be laid.
Porcelain patio installation in Doncaster from £125 per m². 20mm porcelain on a rigid Type 1 base and full mortar bed, every slab primed with slurry so it bonds. Steps, drainage and soakaways included in the design.
A porcelain patio going down on a real Doncaster job/img/porcelein-patio-in-progress.jpg · 1800×1012
Porcelain is the best patio material you can buy. It doesn't stain, doesn't fade, doesn't grow moss, and it looks the same in fifteen years as it did on the day. It's also the easiest to lay badly, and a lot of what's gone down around Doncaster in the last few years is already loose.
Porcelain absorbs almost no water. That's why it stays clean, and it's also why it won't stick to mortar on its own. Every slab has to be primed on the back with an SBR slurry before it goes down, and it has to sit on a full, rigid bed, not dots of mortar. The base under that bed has to be compacted Type 1, not the old lawn. This is why porcelain costs more per metre than sandstone: more base, more mortar, the primer, and the time to do it. The material itself isn't the difference.
Because I do the groundworks as well as the laying, I'll deal with the reason the old patio was a problem while I'm there: the level against the damp-proof course, the water that runs toward the house, the drop to the lawn that needs a wall or a couple of steps.
from £125/m²
Typically 4–7 days on site
What moves the price:
- Size. Under 25m² is at the top of the range; over 50m² comes down
- Slab format: 600×600 is the base price; 900×600 and 1200×600 need more care and cost more per metre to buy
- Steps, edges and levels: a flat garden is simple, a sloping one needs walls or steps
- Access and what's coming out. Breaking out a concrete patio adds a day
Dig and base
Out to 200mm below finished level. 100mm of Type 1, compacted. Finished surface at least 150mm below DPC, falling 1:80 away from the house.
Drainage
Where the fall runs toward a wall or a fence, a linear drain or a gully, piped to a soakaway. This is designed in, not bolted on.
Prime and bed
SBR slurry on the back of every slab. Full 40mm bed of 6:1 sharp sand and cement. Slabs tapped down to a string line, checked with a 2m level, no lips.
Joint and finish
Brush-in or slurry-applied jointing compound, 5mm joints, cleaned off the same day. Steps in blockwork clad in the same porcelain, with the edge tile mitred or bullnosed.
How much does a porcelain patio cost?
From £125 per m² including the dig, base, slabs (a good-quality 600×600 20mm porcelain), laying and jointing. A 40m² patio is typically £6,000 to £7,500. The Bessacarr patio on this site was 62m² with steps and a soakaway for £14,200.
Why is porcelain more than sandstone?
It needs a rigid, compacted base and a full mortar bed, and every slab has to be slurry-primed on the back or it won't bond. That's more materials and more time. Sandstone is more forgiving. Over the life of the patio porcelain is cheaper to own, because it never needs sealing or pressure-washing back to life.
Can porcelain be laid on a pedestal or dry system?
Yes, for balconies and roof terraces. In a garden I'd almost always use a mortar bed; it's more solid underfoot and it doesn't rock when someone drops a barbecue on it.
Does the patio need drainage?
If it's against the house or it falls toward a fence, yes. Water has to go somewhere and the rule for new hard standing is that it can't be the neighbour's or the road. Usually a channel drain and a soakaway, £900 to £1,500.
One person accountable, start to finish.
I'm Jack. I price it, I'm on the tools for it, and it's my name on it. Twelve years on site, a first-class degree in construction management, SMSTS and First Aid, and I operate the excavator myself. Where a job wants more hands I bring in people I've worked with for years and I run them. I cover Doncaster and everywhere within about half an hour of it: Bessacarr, Bawtry, Tickhill, Armthorpe, Thorne, Sprotbrough, Mexborough and over into Rotherham. More about me.
- 5.0 stars on Google6 reviews from real customers
- Fully insuredPublic liability
- SMSTS and First AidLegally qualified to run a UK construction site under CDM
- BSc (Hons) Construction Project Management, First ClassSheffield Hallam University, degree apprenticeship
- CIOB Certificate of ExcellenceChartered Institute of Building
- Twelve years on siteUK and Australia, £10m+ delivered as project manager
- Three full back to brick house renovationsTwo in Scawsby, one in Sprotbrough
- All aspects of groundworksAnd I operate the plant myself
Want a price for porcelain patios?
Send a few photos and your postcode. I'll usually come back the same day.