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I have a bee in my bonnet about paving the stoop outside my garage man door in Mexican clay tiles. The website says that they cannot be exposed to freezing temperatures. What I want to know is if anyone has used them in zone 8?
We typically have a few days of below 32 in the winter, but hardly ever a hard freeze. No snow. The area is partly under an overhang.
Dare I risk it?
Anything made with clay that is not fired at a really high temperature will adsorb a little bit of water. When that water freezes and forms ice crystals it will crack the tiles. Some people think you can paint/coat the back of the tile sufficiently to make the tile waterproof. You might investigate that.
Terra cotta will crack/break with the slightest amount of frozen moisture.
But I have seen patios done with this possibly in mind and have held up well-
The slab is is usually done with a vapor barrier (you maybe able to seal it with a moisture barrier), vinyl modified thinset, and epoxy grout. Also, each tile is dipped in a sealer and dried before installation.
I have a bee in my bonnet about paving the stoop outside my garage man door in Mexican clay tiles. The website says that they cannot be exposed to freezing temperatures. What I want to know is if anyone has used them in zone 8?
We typically have a few days of below 32 in the winter, but hardly ever a hard freeze. No snow. The area is partly under an overhang.
Dare I risk it?
I wouldn't. The selling point of many of them is the uneven surface, which gives texture and looks natural. While house hunting in south Florida, we looked at one place with a Mexican tile floor. It was uncomfortable walking on it, we were warned that it was delicate when moving furniture, and was a decision factor in eliminating that place from the possibilities. Aside from the structural weakness, that uneven surface can also be surprisingly difficult for anyone with balance issues, like older folks prone to falling. Outside, it can be dangerously slippery when wet or muddy.
There are places where the tile can be quite nice and even striking as a decorative element, but as a surface on a stoop which could get dinged by garden tools, put under pressure by the narrow tires of hand trucks moving heavy appliances, and subject to continuing stress and pressure, it is not a good match of material and purpose.
I wouldn't. The selling point of many of them is the uneven surface, which gives texture and looks natural. While house hunting in south Florida, we looked at one place with a Mexican tile floor. It was uncomfortable walking on it, we were warned that it was delicate when moving furniture, and was a decision factor in eliminating that place from the possibilities. Aside from the structural weakness, that uneven surface can also be surprisingly difficult for anyone with balance issues, like older folks prone to falling. Outside, it can be dangerously slippery when wet or muddy.
There are places where the tile can be quite nice and even striking as a decorative element, but as a surface on a stoop which could get dinged by garden tools, put under pressure by the narrow tires of hand trucks moving heavy appliances, and subject to continuing stress and pressure, it is not a good match of material and purpose.
OK, I agree that it would not be suitable for hard use, and some of us (me) are not too steady, but the door is hardly ever used. Wheel barrows, etc. come out the front doors. I am beautifying this side of the garage, which encloses one side of the back yard, and the concrete pad the tile will go on is sound and even. The tile would just be for whimsy.
About 5 years ago I had a mexican ceramic tile laid on my front porch and front sidewalk. We used a high polymer adhesive and I put acrylic liquid in the grout. I've had zero issues with it. Two years ago we had unusually cold winter where it didn't get above 15F for over a week. I've had all new appliance brought in over it on 2 wheel trucks and still no issues. Looks like the day I put it down. There was no special treatment to the concrete other than it was cleaned with a power washer. Some areas of it get rained on and some are always dry. Looks like the day we put it down. The key is using an adhesive with a high polymer content. We used one made by Mapei. Here's the tile we used
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