Terrace sand and gravel - is it a good base?

If you are considering building a home terrace and you would like to go further - you've come to the right place. Is it a gravel terrace, a school terrace or maybe concrete floor. You will find all the explanations in the article below.

What is a ventilated terrace?

A ventilated terrace is one that is not permanently connected to the ground / sub-floor. This is: the tiles are installed without the use of glue. And what is important, we will not do it without terrace adjustable pedestals / support pads. It is thanks to the adjustable pedestals that ventilation can take place under the tile surface. Terrace adjustable pedestals, are usually adapted both for the installation of terrace tiles and joists for the boards. Wooden or composite. Thanks to their features and compatibility, they will prove themselves in any case.

Advantages of terrace made by tiles on adjustable pedestals:

1. simple installation of tiles (on grass, concretes substrate, gravel, pea gravel or any other compacted and hardened surface)

2. the possibility of reusing the stoneware (without permanent gluing)

3. ceramic tiles are resistant to weather conditions, frost and cracking,

4. have a non-slip surface,

5. the tiles are maintenance-free,

6. easy to clean,

7. water-resistant,

8. fade resistant,

9. environment friendly

Thanks to the system of ventilated terraces, we get rid of unnecessary costs in the form of gluing terrace tiles to the ground. Not only is it an additional cost of materials in the form of glue or crosses, traditional assembly is much slower. It takes about 30% more time to install by gluing than to place porcelain tiles on adjustable tiles.

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Among the boards available on the market, there are many boards with different parameters. These parameters define the final use of the product.

Np.:

• we can use ceramic tiles in building where we will spend our free time
• concrete slabs will work well on driveways
• we can choose any type of board for the garden
• the surface of the terrace tiles is usually covered with ceramic tiles 60x60 2 cm thick 
• ceramic tiles will also work well on terraces next to restaurants or on roofs of buildings arranged for use.

How to properly make terraces on pea gravel, grass etc.

When starting the installation of the terrace  on gravel, grass or concrete screed, you should have its vision and design.

So that after starting work, e.g. in the ground, you do not think about the layout of the structure or the top cladding stoneware.

We have to look around our garden and decide what material will suit it.

Let's consider whether they should be concrete slabs, or maybe 2 cm thick ceramic tiles, or maybe wooden boards or wood-like boards.

The matter is simple with all types of tiles, as it is enough to place them on supports or terrace pads.

The boards, on the other hand, need to be screwed with appropriate screws or clips for the construction joists. Installing a decked surface is definitely more time-consuming.

Gravel terrace

Laying boards directly on gravel is an increasingly popular solution for customers.

Installation of such a terrace is simple, quick and pleasant. 

This solution is chosen by people who have access to the garden as well as those who have, for example, a pavement to be made on an unfinished ground before entering the property.

For such a project, you can use both porcelain, ceramic, concrete and stone terrace tiles. It all depends on the terrace's utility function.

We choose terrace tiles mainly visually. However, their properties are equally important. The delicate material suitable for installation on the balcony will not work on a car driveway, etc.

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Remove the grass in those places where the tiles will lie. That is, from the entire pavement or if the boards are to be spread apart - separately under each separately laid tile.

When the substrate is ready, pour gravel directly onto it. It is thanks to this solution that the water will not remain on the surface of the tiles. 

Remember that a lot of rainwater accumulates during heavy rainfall. And the thicker the gravel layer, the more water can accumulate in greater amounts.

2 mm terrace pads should be placed directly on the prepared gravel.

We can choose a version in two colors:

• transparent
• black

The stands for laying tiles directly on the gravel have built-in joint strips for marking 3-5 mm gaps. A 3 mm gap spacers is built in as standard.

However, you can install additional 5 mm jgap spacers.

HINT: For ceramic tiles 2 cm, we recommend a 3 mm gap spacers. however, for concrete and stone tiles 5 mm.

2 mm terrace pads allow you to lay tiles of any size. Is it 60x60 2 cm thick or 60x60 5 cm thick or 30x120, 40x80 and others.

We do not need to use glue to stabilize the tiles. The tiles, lying freely on the pad, are mounted firmly.

However, its use is acceptable. Here is an example:

Squeeze a small layer under the gres tiles and put the board on this layer. It is worth having a durable frost-resistant glue.

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Thanks to special holes in the base, they can be anchored in the gravel layer.

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Our 2 mm DD Pedestals are prepared for laying boards against the wall. We can easily break the stand and adapt it to the arrangement of tiles against the wall of the building or other straight surface, e.g. at the curb in the garden.

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At the end of the work, you can use fine terrace sand to fill the gaps between the boards. However, it is not necessary. The tiles can lie with empty slots because they are so small that we will not get stuck there, for example, with heeled shoes.

Summarizing:

- worth choosing tiles resistant to frost, abrasion and chemicals, and preferably non-slip

- also pay attention to its resistance to fading and the need for maintenance,

- when starting work, have a ready plan for the distribution of tiles,

- under the terrace there should be all the installations you want to hide

- the final appearance depends on the careful placement,

- measure each tile in several directions with a spirit level. Make sure you place it evenly,

- remember to keep the appropriate slope

If you have any questions about terrace sand gravel, please go to the contact, write email or call to our company, please.