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Hi All,

We live in a Victorian house and are looking to get some wall tiles for the porch at the front of our house. Its only a small area outside just before entering the front door and many other people in the area seem to have the original tiles (unfortunately the previous owners of our house have removed them).

We found some nice tiles and went to buy them but on informing the staff they were for outside we were told that they were not suitable. They said that even though the porch is covered the problem is temperature and if it gets below 0C they will crack. We asked him which tiles were suitable and he said there were only a small selection in the shop but these were mostly floor tiles

Looking online we are finding it very difficult to find suitable tiles. Most of them are indeed floor tiles and wont work for the porch wall. Is anyone able to suggest what tiles we should use and where we can get them from please? I have read that porcelain should be fine, but when looking online a load that have porcelain in the title say they are actually ceramic and not suitable for outdoors.

Any help appreciated.

These are porcelain floor tiles, they've been down in my (open, North facing) porch for many years without any problems.
I also make ceramics as a hobby. Stoneware or Porcelain pots if fired to maturity will survive out doors so long as they don't actually fill with water which is allowed to freeze.

Earthenware, (think terracotta flower pots) is fired to a lower temperature, remains porous, and can take up water which will freeze and crack the pots.

there is a possibility just a possibility they may have just covered over the old tiles

I have never seen a problem. You need to use a good flexible adhesive and grout

Thanks for the replies all.

Yes we had hoped they had covered over the old ones, but on looking found they had removed them :(

So we were going to go for a selection of these http://www.tilegiant.co.uk/deep-metro-g ... 0x200.html with some trim and border etc... Do you think they will be ok to use on the wall or should I specifically go for porcelain ones?

As for adhesive I was going to get the Norcros Rapid Set Tile Adhesive (https://www.travisperkins.co.uk/Norcros ... g/p/735716#) and them some grout. Does this sound ok or do you have any suggestions?

Thanks
Gary

97browng wrote:Thanks for the replies all.

Yes we had hoped they had covered over the old ones, but on looking found they had removed them :(

So we were going to go for a selection of these http://www.tilegiant.co.uk/deep-metro-g ... 0x200.html with some trim and border etc... Do you think they will be ok to use on the wall or should I specifically go for porcelain ones?

As for adhesive I was going to get the Norcros Rapid Set Tile Adhesive (https://www.travisperkins.co.uk/Norcros ... g/p/735716#) and them some grout. Does this sound ok or do you have any suggestions?

Thanks
Gary

Go for the nx universal flexible tile adhesive

any tiles going outside should be frost proof i.e. a porcelain type regardless. open and porous wall tiles should never be fixed externally