Kronos USA Porcelain Pavers: Perfect for Your Outdoor Spaces!

We have the perfect tile for you to use outdoors: porcelain pavers. We discovered them during the Coverings Trade Show, and now have them available at Tile Outlets of America as a special order program.

Porcelain pavers differ from traditional tile in that they are thicker (i.e., 2cm or 3/4"), can be installed outdoors using several different methods, including simply laying them on grass, and can withstand extremes in weather and temperature.

To explain how versatile an outdoor solution porcelain pavers are, we caught up with Enrico Iscra from Kronos USA.

Enrico Iscra Describes the Kronos USA Porcelain Pavers Program

TOA: Enrico, please tell us about yourself and Kronos USA.

EI: Hi ! I’m Enrico Iscra, Sales Agent of Kronos USA in your territory. I’m really proud to be able to promote Kronos material!

Kronos is a manufacturer of Italian porcelain tiles very well known all over the world. For the past ten years, Kronos manufactured 10mm porcelain & ceramic tiles. Due to intense competition, they decided to focus on specific porcelain products such as 2cm porcelain pavers, and large size porcelain slabs in 10mm & 6mm thickness.

Kronos USA is located in Clarksville, Tennessee in Montgomery County, and specializes in the production of Italian porcelain pavers made in the USA. We refer to the program as Po(rcelain)pa(vers) 2.0 or Popa 2.0.

Meet Enrico Iscra who describes the Kronos USA Porcelain Pavers Program.

TOA: What is the Porcelain Paver program?

EI: The Porcelain Pavers program consists of 14 SKUs that are each 2cm in thickness and 24x24 square:

• 5 wood looks
• 3 shell stone looks
• 2 Travertine looks
• 2 stone looks
• 2 Quarzite looks.

We also offer two special coping pieces for pools that are 16x24 in size. One is a full rounded edge and the other has a beveled edge. Both are simple and elegant in design.

>> Download the Kronos USA Popa 2.0 Catalog pdf.

TOA: What makes porcelain pavers such an ideal product to use outdoors?

EI: You can immediately understand why it is ideal for outdoors when you think of the 2cm thickness. This creates a much stronger tile compared to the normal 10mm tile. Combine the thickness with weight and you have an ideal product for outdoor areas.

Some of those outdoor areas include sidewalks, walkways, garden paths, swimming pool areas, patios, terraces and balconies. Even garages, gazebos and beach resorts.

In the chart below, you can see all of the benefits associated with Popa 2.0. They range from resistance to thermal shock, virtually maintenance-free, slip-resistant and quick draining, easy to install, fade resistance, removable and reusable, superior strength and impact resistance, to being available in a broad range of colors and styles.

Note, too, that Kronos USA is deeply committed to the Kronos Green Approach which is an innovative approach to Green and Eco-Sustainability.

>> Read more about Re-Qualify and the Kronos Green Approach.

TOA: What are the different installation systems available?

EI: You have four installation system choices with porcelain pavers!

1. You can lay them on grass, Zen Garden-like.

Lay on grass is quick and easy. It consists in laying the stoneware slabs on the turf or placing them in the topsoil to make them more stable. Not only are the porcelain pavers easy to install and remove, but water drainage is quick, making for an ideal seamless transition between indoor and outdoors.

This type installation is intended for garden paths, barbecue areas, gazebos, walkways or even beach resorts, exhibition and event areas for commercial end uses.

2. You can use a dry-installation onto soft ground

By soft ground, we mean surfaces that have never been paved, such as gardens, courtyards, sandy areas, etc... As with installation of grass, this dry installation method makes it easy to install and remove the porcelain pavers. The quick water drainage means that this approach is ideal for areas where no other permanent type flooring is possible.

This type installation is intended for garden paths, barbecue areas, gazebos, walkways or even beach resorts, exhibition and event areas for commercial end uses.

Lay porcelain pavers onto grass, Zen-like.

3. You can use an adhesive installation

• The draining screed ensures that water drains correctly; it is ideal for garden or courtyard flooring.

• A vehicle transit pavement approach is ideal for parking lots and garage ramps.

Not only are you assured of high resistance to dynamic and concentrated loads, but you also have a space that transitions seamlessly from pedestrian areas to car areas to indoor spaces with the same porcelain materials.

4. You can install porcelain pavers using the raised floor installation system

The raised floor installation system is very exciting for porcelain pavers! We have three options.

• Raised floor with fixed height pedestal: this is the simplest solution for a floor raised 15mm above the existing surface.

• Raised floor with adjustable pedestals.
  • Self-leveling pedestals automatically justify slopes to 5%.
  • Height-adjustable pedestals allow you to adjust the height using the appropriate reinforced adjustment key, even after installation.

• Raised floor with adjustable pedestal and joist: this system is ideal to lay raised large slabs such as 20x120 and 40x120. It ensures greater stability for the floor without any risk of warping.

The raised installation system offers many benefits to customers:

• From an aesthetic perspective, it ensures that you have flooring with a single gradient, with no visible water draining elements.
• Quick water drainage.
• Easy to clean
• It makes for lower load bearing for attics and balconies
• You don't need to use glue
• The installation is frost-proof and the gap between the flooring substrate and the porcelain pavers makes for excellent thermal insulation.
• It offers excellent acoustical insulation.
• It's easy to hide pipes and wiring, but easy to access them.
• Installation is very quick.
• The solution is recyclable.
• It will last virtually forever!

>> For more information about Popa 2.0 Installation methods.

An example of a raised porcelain paver installation system around a pool.

TOA: Enrico, describe the porcelain paver product styles available.

EI: We decided to create a package with different stone looks – Travertines – Quarzites - and also wood looks.

In the stone looks, we have:

• Coral Stone that is a replica of Shellstone, a very popular stone in Florida. It is available in 3 colors: White Cool, Tan and Black.
• Stone with Moonstone and Creamstone colors.
• Icon Travertine with two very nice colors: Pearl and River.
• Quarzite with two light colors: Sandy Island and Crystal White.

In the wood looks, we have

• Tex with three colors: Grey, Brown and Ivory.
• Timber Wood in two colors - Teak and Ipe - with pre-cut grout in order to increase the grip in wet areas.

TOA: Which is your favorite style?

EI: I really like the Icon Travertine. I believe that this is the best option for outside use if someone doesn’t want to think about maintenance outdoors. The natural Travertine is really delicate; this has the beautiful look of Travertine without the worry.

Icon Travertine Porcelain Paver from Kronos

TOA: How should the porcelain pavers be cared for/maintained?

EI: Although this really depends on how you use the pavers, ultimately maintenance is minimal because of the very nature of porcelain.

If you do need to clean the pavers, we recommend water mixed with a classic non-abrasive floor detergent.

>> Here is Kronos USA cleaning advice for Popa 2.0.

>> Here is Kronos USA maintenance advice for porcelain pavers.

TOA: This is a special order program; how long for the product to be delivered?

EI: Since these products come directly from the manufacturing facility in Tennessee, you can expect that the product will be available at Tile Outlets of America 5 days from the Purchase Order.

TOA: Thank you, Enrico! We are very excited about the Porcelain Paver program!

What's your reaction to porcelain pavers? How might you see using them in your outdoor environment? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Kate