The vitrified Porcelain slabs are easily the best finish for any patio right now but.....
They can cost a lot more (£40 to £100+ m2 just to buy the slabs not inc. labour) than Indian sandstone or concrete slabs but the finish and look is well worth it imo
Also its a bit more hassle to lay them as you dont want them to seperate from the mortar base, and as they are porcelain they are not porous so you need to use a special slurry (expensive) or by far the cheapest alternative is SBR Bond mixed 1:1:5 so 1 part SBR, 1 part water and 5 parts cement. its like a thick soup that you brush onto the underneath of the porcelain slab, wipe off any excess that gets on to the top of the slab immediately.
We also use a special resin based jointing compound ( Marshalls Vitrified Paving Compound)
to point up the gaps in the slabs (typically 4mm) which is more than double the price of the usual Easy joint compound we use for indian sandstone
Have a look on youtube for some helpul guides.
Also Paving expert .com is very good for the more technical bits you need to know (i even use it sometimes lol)
http://www.pavingexpert.com/ceramic_01.htm
http://www.pavingexpert.com/bond_bridge_01.htm
edit, Have you ever laid tiles? as there is a different way to lay porcelain slabs.
You lay a concrete base (smooth'ish finish) exactly the size you need including any falls you need to remove the rain water.
Then use an outdoor tile adhesive with a tiling trowel with 8 to 10mm teeth and lay it like you lay tiles on the floor.
You could even use an outdoor grout as well come to think of it
They can cost a lot more (£40 to £100+ m2 just to buy the slabs not inc. labour) than Indian sandstone or concrete slabs but the finish and look is well worth it imo
Also its a bit more hassle to lay them as you dont want them to seperate from the mortar base, and as they are porcelain they are not porous so you need to use a special slurry (expensive) or by far the cheapest alternative is SBR Bond mixed 1:1:5 so 1 part SBR, 1 part water and 5 parts cement. its like a thick soup that you brush onto the underneath of the porcelain slab, wipe off any excess that gets on to the top of the slab immediately.
We also use a special resin based jointing compound ( Marshalls Vitrified Paving Compound)
to point up the gaps in the slabs (typically 4mm) which is more than double the price of the usual Easy joint compound we use for indian sandstone
Have a look on youtube for some helpul guides.
Also Paving expert .com is very good for the more technical bits you need to know (i even use it sometimes lol)
http://www.pavingexpert.com/ceramic_01.htm
http://www.pavingexpert.com/bond_bridge_01.htm
edit, Have you ever laid tiles? as there is a different way to lay porcelain slabs.
You lay a concrete base (smooth'ish finish) exactly the size you need including any falls you need to remove the rain water.
Then use an outdoor tile adhesive with a tiling trowel with 8 to 10mm teeth and lay it like you lay tiles on the floor.
You could even use an outdoor grout as well come to think of it
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