Outdoor Flooring Tile Trends

Featured Image: Fluida Luminis 24×48 Porcelain Outdoor Floor Tile with Active R11 Finish, Fluida Luminis 12×24 Porcelain Exterior Wall Tile, & Curve Sage 8×8 Porcelain Patterned Exterior Wall Tile from Arizona Tile

Outdoor floor tile enhances the surrounding environment through aesthetics, durability, and expressive style. The theme of designing with outdoor tile we’ve observed this year is finding a minimalist elegance through innovative design. Whether you’re designing a patio for entertaining, a quiet outdoor oasis, a transitional indoor-outdoor space, or a Mediterranean-inspired retreat, we offer a range of superior tile selections that will elevate your design.

Porcelain Floor Tile & Slabs

Porcelain is a common choice for outdoor tile, and for good reason. Due to its unmatched durability, low maintenance, and design versatility, the popularity of porcelain continues to grow. While porcelain tile has been a proven choice for years, we now also offer porcelain slabs that provide many of the same benefits of porcelain tile, while covering a larger area, and can be used on countertops and walls.

Porcelain is built to withstand moisture, frost, and UV rays, making it an ideal material for outdoor use in all climates. Regardless of your location, your outdoor tile flooring is likely going to get wet. Whether it’s from weather, morning dew, or splashing from the pool, having a slip-resistant surface is vastly important. With our R11 Finish Tile options, they create a great slip-resistant solution for patios, decks, and pool areas.

Image: Canyon Ivory 24 x 48 Interior and R11 Finish Exterior Porcelain Floor Tile  from Arizona Tile

Our R11 Finish surfaces are offered in several tile and 2cm paver sizes including 8” x 32, 12” x 24”, 16” x 48”, 24” x 36”, and  24” x 48”. These larger tile sizes create an expansive look and a seamless transition when running continuous flooring from an interior room to your welcoming outdoor space. Adding to the wonderful aesthetic of large-format tile, the reduced grout lines create a contemporary, streamlined appearance that is easy to clean and maintain.

You can see a perfect example of large-format tile using the standard finish indoors and the  R11 Finish outdoors,  in the above photo displaying our Canyon series, and the following image, displaying our Unica series—both natural stone-emulating porcelain.

Image: Unica Moon 24×48 Interior & R11 Finish Exterior Porcelain Floor Tile from Arizona Tile

Minimalist Tile

Minimalism is preferred by some, regardless of sweeping design trends. Be it indoors or outdoors, the simplicity of simple lines and designs will always be preferred for those who value a minimalist look. A clean, uncluttered ambiance that focuses more on form and function doesn’t mean you’re sacrificing the beauty of your outdoor floor tile, it’s simply a classic sophistication.

Image: Aequa Castor 16 x 48 x 2cm Outdoor Porcelain Paver with R11 Finish & Invictus Beige Porcelain Cross Cut Matte 12 x 24 Outdoor Wall Tile from Arizona Tile

A neutral color palette is often used to delineate minimalistic floor tile. From light to dark, cool and warm, shades of white, beige, and gray complement the natural world around your outside patio. With neutral hues, matte finishes, and subtle textures, the organic feel of the space is enhanced without overwhelming the surrounding design.

Invictus Cross Cut is a beautiful example to start with because its four color choices and design are soft and subtle, resembling cross-cut travertine. Available in four sizes and three finishes, this tile is as versatile as you need it to be, whether it’s for outside flooring or exterior cladding.

Pietra Italia has a broad color range, from light to dark, and its limestone appearance is still aesthetically minimal and calming. In addition to its multi-use sizes (floor and wall), there is a stacked tile option to add some dimension and highlight an exterior wall or other vertical surface.

Image: Pietra Italia Beige 24 x 48 Porcelain Outdoor Floor Tile with R11 Finish from Arizona Tile

Outdoor Textured Tile

Textured tile can be a visual attribute that creates style and dimension. While sometimes textured tile is smooth, other times it is the contrary. Textured tile in an open floor plan, both inside and outside, can help distinguish one area vs. another. Texture can come from natural materials, like wood and stone, but can also come from patterns.

The Aequa series showcases this through its wood-grain appearance. It also has the versatility to be laid in an unconventional fashion, such as the herringbone pattern.

Fluida was created using 3D digital print technology, which mimics natural stone with layers of minerals that accumulated over time. The definition added across all five color options creates a visually appealing texture to add some character to your outdoor tile design.

Mediterranean Patio Vibes

Earthy hues and artistic patterns of Mediterranean-inspired tile bring warmth and comfort to our outdoor spaces, and is the perfect marriage of the two environments. The use of natural materials with tones of olive green and sandy hues are commonly incorporated in these spaces through patterned tile. Mediterranean-inspired tile is ideal for accent walls, outdoor kitchens, pool-side patios, and more. For example, a patio wall clad in Sage, Taupe, or Cotto from the Curve series can serve as a stunning backdrop. Add Verrazzo floor tile, which resembles agglomerate stone, and some nice greenery for a cozy atmosphere reminiscent of the open-air space at a Tuscan villa.

Image: Verrazzo Beige 24×24 Outdoor Porcelain Tile with Active R11 Finish and Aequa Nix 2cm Pavers with R11 Finish from Arizona Tile

How Will You Design Your Outside Spaces?

Ranging from residential to commercial, and with a plethora of uses, these choices of outdoor tile may be trendy, but also hold the integrity in durability and aesthetics to endure beyond whatever trends may come next.

When deciding on your favorite selections, try our Just Imagine Tile and Slab Visualizer for helpful inspiration from room to room. Also, visit our outdoor inspiration gallery. To really fall in love with products, visit an Arizona Tile showroom to learn more. If you find yourself with questions, don’t hesitate to contact us!