Tom & Patty's Front Porch and Patio

This project is a front porch and courtyard patio that we tiled in Modesto, California. The total area is roughly 400 square feet.

It was through one of our general contractors, whom is a family friend of the homeowners. The couple are both retired. Tom worked for the railroad. His wife Patricia worked for a warehouse manufacturing and distribution company. 

StonePeak Wave Ash Porcelain Tile

The homeowners wanted an anti-slip type of floor tile for their front porch and patio area. And this is what they selected.

It's manufactured by Stonepeak Ceramics from their new Wave collection. The colorway is Wave Ash. It's a calming color with a natural concrete look. And it has a slightly textured finish for a slip resistant tile.

Customizing The Extra Large Format Tile

These are 24" x 48" porcelain tiles with a rectified edge. The owners wanted 12" x 24" tiles. However, StonePeak's line of these textured tiles were only offered in the larger size.

Therefore, we had to customize these extra large format tiles by cutting them down to the preferred size.

We took a couple measurements length ways to find center for a half, and then again for a quarter of a tile. I set the gauge on my Sigma manual tile cutter and made some cuts. (Three cuts per slab of 24"x48" tile creates four pieces of 12"x24" tiles.) I checked those cuts by stacking them on top of each other. We were dead on point, so it was time to move forward with these.

We spent almost an entire day cutting the tiles down to size. And then polished all of the cut edges to a factory looking finish.

Porch And Patio Prep Work

The general contractor did the majority of the prep work with demolition of tearing out the old existing tile that was previously there. You'll be able to see evidence in some of the pictures how poorly they were installed.

The contractor also tore out a big section of cracked and crumbled concrete that was deemed unsalvageable. He then poured a fresh concrete slab in its place.

We then came in thereafter and did some minor grinding and scraping of any additional chunks of old tile and grout that got left behind on the ground.

Installing The Patio Tiles

Although the concrete did slope properly away from the house, it was not as flat as we would have preferred it to be. There were a few humps and dips. But nothing really too unusual or out of the ordinary that we haven't come across before. Thus making it a no-brainer to use self-leveling clips during the installation.

We went with a 50% centered brick joint pattern, with 1/8" of an inch grout joints.

Installing The Porch And Steps

This is the front porch and step landing laid out with the tiles cut and dry fit prior to getting the homeowners final approval for install.

This is the porch, step, and patio installed and prepped for grout. We used Schluter tile edge trim on all exposed edges of the tile, including around the outside perimeter, and a ramp style piece at the entryway gate.

We did a test run by grouting the top landing area of the porch. The grout was blowing off and drying quickly on the surface of the tiles. I assume that it was mostly due to the abrasiveness and matte finish of the tiles.

So we applied a grout release on the rest. However, that did not seem to help much. We just had to work more efficiently, immediately doing our initial rough wash to prevent the grout from drying too quickly on the surface.

This is the main patio area right after it was grouted. They have a set of table and chairs along with some plants and other decor that they place in their courtyard.

We used Laticrete Permacolor grout. This is the porch after it was grouted and dried.

Tom and Patty would also like for us to return to install the same tiles on their backyard patio around their pool. I'll keep you posted on that project whenever it takes place.

Dreaming of a brand new luxurious master bathroom? Looking to remodel that outdated kitchen with a modern counter top and beautiful backsplash? How about updating those old worn out floors with something a bit more durable and timeless? Perhaps you’re in need of some fresh and elegant ideas for your brand new custom home?

Look no further because we’ve got you covered!!

We provide tile installation services to home owners and general contractors for residential and commercial projects!