Sunporch Tile Options

Types of Sunrooms and Conditions

• There are many types and styles of sunporches and sunrooms. Some are three-season rooms, which are not insulated or heated and may have either walls or screens. Four-season sunrooms generally have insulation and heat in any climate that has chilly winter days. Just as your climate will influence the type of sunporch you have, so will it affect the type of tile you lay.

  A home in a warm climate can have a screened sunporch open to the elements, and it can have any type of tile on the floor. That same sunporch in a climate subject to frost heaves--the upthrust of ground from the freezing of moist soil--and the freeze-thaw cycle will need a tile that is nonporous. A porous material can absorb water; when that water freezes, it can expand and damage a porous material.

  A three-season sunporch with walls or with windows that shut can use any material on the floor, because rain won't enter the room and freeze.

  The amount of use the room gets should also be a consideration. A room that gets heavy use by a large family may hold up better with a low-maintenance tile, such as porcelain or ceramic. A room that gets little use or not a lot of foot traffic can handle more high-maintenance materials, such as stone or glass.

Types of Material

• The choices of floor tile are abundant for sunporches in warm climates or for those you can protect from the elements. Natural stone tiles, porcelain, ceramic and even glass tiles can be used, provided they are rated for floor use. All of these products withstand light and heat; all of them were formed through the use of pressure and heat and are colorfast.

  If the sunporch will get a lot of use, however, particularly by families with animals or small children, consider a porcelain floor tile, which is easy to maintain. You'll need to seal natural stone, regardless of climate or location, to help impede staining through regular use.

  For sunporches that will be exposed to frost heaves, do not use natural stone tiles. Consider porcelain tiles, which have a dense, nonporous clay body, or ceramic tiles rated for floor use. Some types of terra cotta and quarry pavers are fine to use, but ask the manufacturer for the tile's absorption rate. If the absorption rate is less than 1 percent, you can install the tile in an area subject to frost heaves without concern.

  Whichever tile you choose for a sunporch exposed to the elements, use setting materials such as mortar and cement with a low absorption rate and rated for outdoor use. This will prevent the tiles from popping free during frost heaves.