Patio Materials: Costs, Upkeep and What Ages Well

Every patio material looks good on day one. We assessed five surfaces on installed cost, slip resistance when wet, staining and how they looked after five years in place.

Porcelain: lowest upkeep, highest install cost

Non-porous, colourfast and effectively stain-proof, but it demands a perfect base and a specific adhesive. Cheap installs crack.

Sandstone: warm, forgiving, needs sealing

Comfortable underfoot and easy to cut. It stains and grows algae unless sealed every few years.

Concrete: cheap and improving

Modern moulded slabs look far better than they used to. Colour can fade unevenly on south-facing runs.

Decking: comfortable but seasonal

Timber is pleasant to sit on and slippery in winter. Composite avoids the slip and rot but gets hot in direct sun.

Clean gently

Wide-fan, low-pressure washing preserves jointing sand. Close-up high pressure strips joints and etches soft stone — the most common patio damage we see.