Buff Porcelain

Buff is a warm, sandy colour between cream and light brown. It is the natural colour of many sandstone and limestones. Our buff porcelain covers several shades of it. Quartz White and Holystone White are the palest, close to off-white. Ionica Beige is a light, creamy beige. Vesuvio Beige is warmer, with beige and fawn tones mixed through each slab. Laid as a patio, buff looks soft and warm rather than yellow.

Avoid acid-based cleaners such as brick acid. Porcelain resists most acids, but acid eats into the mortar and jointing and can leave grey metal marks that show clearly on light slabs. Skip oily cleaners and soaps that leave a film, because they make the surface slippery. Warm water, a pH-neutral cleaner and a stiff nylon brush deal with most dirt. A pressure washer is fine if you keep the nozzle off the joints.

Buff porcelain looks best with neat, even joints in a matching tone. Choose a light jointing colour, such as the neutral shade of our Joint-It brush-in jointing compound, so the joints blend in rather than draw lines across the patio. Mix slabs from several packs as you lay to spread the pattern. Clean off any mortar or primer smears straight away. Cement haze shows on light slabs and is hard to shift once it sets. After that, a wash once or twice a year keeps the colour fresh.

Yes. Several of our buff ranges are made for indoor and outdoor use, including Ardenne Beige and Dolomia Beige. Plan the floor levels early. Our slabs are 20mm thick, which is thicker than most indoor tiles, so the inside floor has to allow for it. The outdoor finish is textured for grip, so it feels slightly rougher than an indoor tile and takes a little more effort to mop. Fit a drainage channel at the door so rainwater runs away from the house.

Yes. Our porcelain bullnose steps come in beige and are made to match our Cathedral Beige paving. Bullnose means the front edge is rounded, which is safer than a sharp edge. They come in four sizes: 90cm x 19.5cm, 90cm x 40cm, 90cm x 60cm and 120cm x 40cm, all 20mm thick. Prices start from £17.49 + VAT per step. Against our other buff ranges the shade will be close but not exact, so compare a step with your slab before ordering in bulk.

Each 120cm x 60cm slab covers 0.27m². Our Frame Beige and Regale Beige come in packs of 1, 10, 20 or 30 slabs. A 10-slab pack covers 7.2m² , 20 slabs cover 14.4m²  and 30 slabs cover 21.6m² . measure your area and add around 10% for cuts and breakages. For example, at 13m²  patio needs about 14.3m² , so a 20-slab pack covers it. Prices start from £25.19 + VAT per slab, around £35 + VAT per m².

It can. Any shaded patio can grow algae, and green shows more on a light buff slab than on grey. But our premium porcelain absorbs less than 1% water, so algae sits on the surface and can’t take root in the slab. It washes off with a patio cleaner and a stiff brush. Moss usually grows in the joints, not on the porcelain, and a weed-resistant jointing such as Joint-It helps keep it out. Our budget Cathedral Beige is more absorbent, so seal it if the area stays damp.

Yes, a little. Large slabs are heavier and less forgiving. A 120cm x 60cm or 90cm x 90cm slab weighs roughly 35 to 40kg, so it takes two people to lift and place. Any dip in the bed shows up as a rocking slab or a raised edge at the joint, so the base has to be flatter. Cuts are longer and need a good diamond blade. In return you get fewer joints and a faster job once you have the knack. For a first patio, our 61cm x 61cm Stone Beige is much easier to handle.