Look for tiles that are open profile – which means water and small debris can fall through and wash away underneath, and air can circulate in and around the entire tile to keep both the tile and the balcony floor dry. And look for information about UV stabilizers. Protection from the sun’s harmful rays can make a big difference to a product’s longevity.
Solid types of outdoor flooring (indoor/outdoor carpets, for example) that don’t have this “open profile” may have an attractive price-point, but they can also hold moisture and trap water underneath. This could be a problem later for the integrity of the balcony surface – and certainly for your condo board. And it means you can’t enjoy your balcony until the soggy mess dries out.
For wood, composite or granite tiles look for a tile where the upper material is different from the material used for the interlocking base. This is important because you want to keep the upper material as clean and dry as possible. If the entire tile, including the base, is wood, or a porous composite or granite, the risk is water absorption right up to the surface of the tile and subsequent mould, mildew or decay. The base should be some form of hard, heavy plastic – polypropylene or polyethylene.
What did we miss? What else do you think is important?
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