Many Choices for Flooring in Outdoor Living Spaces, Find One to Match Your Style
Outdoor living spaces require some type of flooring… not the traditional tile or stone as a home’s interior, but something natural, beautiful, durable and very low maintenance. Without a floor in an outdoor living area, the space really isn’t habitable and allows us to track debris and dirt into the house.
Design-wise, the floor will reinforce the style of the outdoor space and pull everything together. The choices of flooring materials for outdoor living spaces are endless. Many are appropriate for any setting and most outdoor living spaces. Popular in Arizona custom homes are:
- Irregular flagstone mortared together or irregular flagstone edged in grass as flagstone is readily available in the southwest, like limestone in the Midwest. However, it can also be simulated or fabricated.
- Poured concrete is one of the simplest outdoor floors, but not much for adding ambiance or style.
- Traditional pool decking that stays cool to the touch in the heat of an Arizona summer, some of these can be fabricated to look like flagstone. This way you get the benefit of a cool pool deck and the look of rich, natural flagstone.
- Pavers, if selected can be set in a variety of colors and patterns, from running to herringbone patterns.
- Saltillo tile makes a great outdoor floor for a wide variety of traditional homes of the southwest.
Whatever flooring you choose for outdoor living areas, consider the style of the home. Saltillo tile complements a Spanish Colonial and is true to that home style. Tuscan home styles work well with many outdoor floor coverings from pavers to flagstone. Pavers offer a more traditional look as the interlocking bricks can be laid in a variety of patterns. One benefit for using pavers is that they can be replaced if cracked, become stained with car oils, or if lifted by plant roots. The impacted bricks can be lifted out, cracked bricks removed and easily replaced with new pieces. Flagstone is a more casual outdoor flooring as the pieces are usually large flagstone fragments laid in an irregular pattern.
The photos below highlight various floors for outdoor living spaces.
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- Pavers in front courtyard walkway
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- Saltillo tile flooring
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- Outdoor Pavers in Courtyard
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- Pavers around pool, patio and steps to yard
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- Fabricated flagstone around spa
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- Traditional pool decking
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