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By Taylor Teasdale, Owner ·
These two cover most patios laid in the UK now, and they are genuinely different products rather than two versions of the same thing. Here is the comparison from a firm with no reason to prefer either.
Looks
Indian sandstone is a natural stone, so every slab is slightly different — variation in colour, a riven surface with some texture, and a warmth that sits comfortably against brick, render and older stone houses. If you want a patio that looks like it has been there a while, sandstone does that more easily.
Porcelain is manufactured, so it is consistent — the same colour, the same thickness, the same tone slab after slab. That gives a sharper, more contemporary look, and it allows very tight joints. On a modern house or a clean-lined garden it tends to look more deliberate.
Cost
Sandstone is cheaper, usually meaningfully so on the material. Porcelain also costs a little more to lay because of the priming step. Over a ten-year view the gap narrows, because porcelain needs no sealing and far less cleaning, but if the budget is the deciding factor today, sandstone is the answer.
Staining
This is porcelain's clearest win. It is effectively non-porous, so a dropped glass of red wine or a summer of barbecue grease wipes off rather than soaking in. Sandstone is porous, and although sealing helps a great deal, it is not invisible armour.
If the patio is where you eat, and you have children or entertain often, that difference matters more than it sounds.
Thickness and cutting
Sandstone is usually supplied calibrated to around 22mm, but riven stone still varies, and the layer takes that up in the bed. Porcelain is typically 20mm and dead consistent, which is why it can be laid with such tight joints.
Porcelain is harder to cut and needs a proper diamond blade and a steady hand. It is not a problem for anyone equipped for it, but it is a reason porcelain is a poor DIY choice.
The laying difference that matters
Porcelain will not bond to mortar on its own, because there is nothing for the mortar to grip. Every slab needs a slurry primer painted onto its back before it goes down. Done properly it is permanent; skipped, the slabs come loose within a year or two and there is no fixing it short of lifting them.
If you are getting quotes for a porcelain patio, ask whether they prime the backs. The answer tells you a lot about the rest of the quote.
Which would we suggest?
On a period or stone-built house, or where budget is the main constraint, Indian sandstone. On a modern house, a shaded garden, or anywhere the patio is going to take real use from a kitchen door, porcelain.
And either way, the groundwork is what decides whether it is still flat and sound in ten years. A sandstone patio on a proper base beats a porcelain one laid on dabs every single time.
Hold them against the house before you decide
We bring samples to the free site visit so you can see both next to your own brick and render, in your own light, rather than choosing from a brochure.
Common questions
Sandstone and porcelain questions
Good external porcelain is made with a textured surface and is rated for slip resistance — look for an R11 rating or better for a patio. It is no more slippery wet than sandstone, and often less. What you should not use outdoors is internal floor tile, which is smooth and genuinely dangerous underfoot in the rain.
It benefits from it. Sandstone is porous, so it takes up barbecue grease, red wine and leaf tannin. A sealer slows that down and makes spills recoverable. Expect to reseal every three to five years depending on exposure. Porcelain needs no sealing at all, ever.
Porcelain. It does not absorb water, so algae has much less to work with, and what does grow sits on the surface and washes off. Sandstone in permanent shade will green up and need cleaning more often. If the patio sits under trees or on a north-facing wall, that difference is worth real money over ten years.
Porcelain costs a bit more in labour. It has to be laid on a full mortar bed with a slurry primer on the back of each slab, because porcelain is non-porous and will not bond to mortar on its own. Skip the primer and the slabs come loose within a year or two. It is also harder to cut and needs the right blade. The slabs themselves are the bigger difference though.
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