A Guide To Laying Porcelain Paving

A Guide To Laying Porcelain Paving

Porcelain paving is a stylish, low-maintenance way to create a family-friendly garden space. If you’ve recently purchased porcelain slabs—or are about to—you might be wondering whether to tackle the installation yourself or hire a professional.

While we always recommend using a skilled installer for the very best finish, it is possible to lay porcelain paving yourself with the right tools and some careful preparation.

This guide will walk you through the process step by step, highlighting the tools, materials, and techniques you’ll need to achieve a smooth, long-lasting result.

Materials:

Tools:

Laying Guide

Step 1: Base Preparation

Before laying your porcelain paving, it’s important to carefully plan and prepare the installation area.

Start by accurately measuring the space and marking it out with wooden pegs or string lines. Once marked, clear the area of soil, vegetation, and roots to create a clean, stable foundation for your paving.

Excavate the area to a depth of around 150–200mm where your patio will be laid. Using a spirit level, create a gentle slope to ensure proper drainage—aiming for a 1 in 80 fall. At this stage, identify your drainage points and install any necessary drainage systems to manage surface water effectively.

Remember to plan for drainage! When excavating, create a slight gradient so water flows naturally toward the nearest drainage point. For most domestic patios, we recommend a fall of 1 in 80, which is usually sufficient to prevent pooling.

Step 2: Sub-base

Fill the excavated area with a sub-base such as gravel or sharp sand to a depth of 100–150mm (adjust depending on how deep you dug). Compact the material evenly using a plate compactor or rammer to eliminate gaps and loose areas. If you don’t have these tools, you can also compact it manually.

Step 3: Add in remaining base layer

Prepare a full bed of workable mortar using a 4:1 sand-to-cement ratio and work it while still semi-wet. Aim for a thickness of 15–30mm, following the manufacturer’s recommendations. Ensure the base is level at this stage by checking with a spirit level. Use a plate compactor to firmly compact the sub-base, ensuring it is both level and stable.

TIP: Lay the mortar one slab at a time rather than all at once. This prevents the mortar from drying too quickly and allows you to work at a comfortable pace.

Step 4: Priming the Porcelain

Porcelain is non-porous, which makes it difficult for mortar to adhere. To ensure a strong bond, prime the back of each slab before laying it onto the mortar.

Before placing your first tile, apply the priming slurry to the underside to improve adhesion. Begin at a corner, set the tile in position, and gently tap it with a rubber mallet to secure it. Check that the tile is level before moving on. It’s best to work one slab at a time to prevent the primer from drying out and losing its adhesive strength.

We recommend using UltraScape Pro-Prime Paving Slurry Primer for best results.

Step 5: Lay the Porcelain

Since porcelain paving is non-porous, it requires an adhesive to ensure each slab bonds securely to the mortar bed. UltraScape Premprime Paving Slurry Primer is an excellent choice to guarantee a strong, reliable bond. Use a spirit level to check each slab is correctly positioned, and make any adjustments immediately before the mortar begins to set.

Application is simple: just brush the primer onto the underside of each slab before laying it primer-side down onto the mortar. 

Apply the primer one slab at a time to prevent it from drying out and losing its effectiveness. As you lay each porcelain slab, be sure to leave a minimum 5mm joint between them for proper spacing and stability - you can use spacers to make sure the slabs are laid uniformly. Take care not to allow the slurry primer to mark the face of the slab as it will not be possible to remove it once dried. 

Fill any gaps between the slabs using the same mortar mix, or sand if preferred. Use a trowel to press the material firmly into the joints, then sweep away any excess with a broom. Repeat the process as needed to ensure all joints are fully filled with no missed areas.

Step 6: Add Jointing

To finish your patio, fill the gaps between the slabs with a jointing compound. This process creates a smooth, stable surface, keeping the slabs securely in place while preventing moss and weeds from growing between them over time. Once complete, simply brush away any excess material.

We recommend a convenient sweep-in option, such as EASYJoint.

Once applied, allow at least 24 hours for the compound to dry and the slabs to fully settle before using your new patio.

Benefits of Porcelain Paving

Many modern homeowners and garden enthusiasts choose porcelain paving slabs for their wide and consistent range of colours and designs. This gives you precise control over the look of your garden—something not possible with natural Indian sandstone. While sandstone offers fewer colour choices and comes with natural variations that create a unique, rustic appearance, porcelain delivers a sleek, uniform finish ideal for contemporary spaces.

One of the biggest advantages of factory-produced porcelain slabs is the high level of quality control during manufacturing. Each slab is engineered for strength, durability, and long-lasting performance. Subjected to extreme heat (up to 1400°C) and intense pressure, the slabs are vitrified and rectified to ensure they resist weathering, foot traffic, and colour fading for decades.

Since porcelain designs are printed directly onto the slabs, you get a perfectly consistent appearance across your patio. This allows you to achieve a seamless, harmonious look—unlike natural sandstone, where shades and tones naturally vary, sometimes creating visible inconsistencies.