Picture your backyard right now. If the answer involves cracked concrete, faded pavers, or a surface that’s been quietly bothering you every summer, you’re not alone. The patio floor is one of those things that’s so easy to live with for another year, and then another, until one day you realise you’ve been avoiding your own outdoor space because it just doesn’t feel good to be in.
The good news is that refreshing it is more accessible than it used to be. Shopping for outdoor patio tiles online has opened up a level of design quality and material variety that simply wasn’t available through local hardware stores a few years ago.
You can now order artisan handmade tile, browse natural stone collections, compare terrazzo and cement finishes, and have samples delivered to your door before committing to a full order, all without leaving home.
This guide walks you through exactly how to do that well: where to shop patio tiles online, what to look for before you buy, and how to make sure the tile you fall for online actually works in your real outdoor space.
Why shopping for patio tiles online actually makes sense
Buying tile online might sound like a recipe for getting the wrong colour or the wrong size delivered in twelve boxes to your front porch.
And honestly, it can go that way if you rush it. But done properly, shopping online gives you access to a much wider and more interesting range of tile than you’ll find in most local showrooms, particularly when it comes to artisan, handmade, and design-forward collections.
Most reputable online tile retailers offer a sample programme, meaning you can order a handful of individual tiles before placing a full order. This is actually better than many in-store experiences, because you can view the samples in your real outdoor space, in natural light, against your existing walls and fencing, rather than under showroom fluorescents.
The other advantage is time.
Browsing tile categories by material, format, application, and colour from home lets you do the exploratory work at your own pace. It helps you narrow your options before committing to the effort of visiting a showroom, and make more considered decisions than you might under the mild pressure of an in-store sales environment.
Where to shop outdoor patio tiles online
1. OUTERclé
If your backyard refresh goal is a patio that looks like it came from a design magazine rather than a hardware warehouse, OUTERclé is where to start.
Their online store is organised by application area rather than just material or format, which makes the shopping experience genuinely useful for anyone looking to shop exterior patio tiles online with more confidence and clarity.
The GATHER collection for patios covers cement, terrazzo, stone and marble, terracotta, brick, ceramic, and glass. These are not generic outdoor tiles with a pretty pattern printed on top: they are materials developed specifically for outdoor performance, with the kind of surface character that comes from small-batch artisan production. The Dolce Vita Terrazzo and Cement Origami ranges are particular standouts for a backyard refresh: both bring the warmth and depth of handmade material to a patio surface in a way that holds up to the scrutiny of everyday outdoor living.
Technically, OUTERcle tiles are built for freeze-thaw resistance, UV stability, and appropriate slip resistance for outdoor use.
The materials develop a natural patina over time rather than fading or degrading, which means a backyard you tile today will look even better in five years than it does on day one.
Shopping tip: Start with OUTERcle’s sample programme before placing your full order. Order two or three tile samples from your shortlisted collections and lay them in your actual backyard space in both morning and afternoon sun. The difference between a tile that works in your space and one that doesn’t often comes down to how natural light hits it outdoors.
Best for: homeowners who want a patio that genuinely impresses, design-forward backyard refreshes, and anyone who’s been living with a floor they don’t love for too long.
2. Bedrosians
Natural stone and porcelain with US-wide availability
Bedrosians is a US-based tile retailer with both physical showrooms and a well-developed online store, which makes them a useful option for homeowners who want to be able to see tile in person after browsing online.
Their outdoor range includes travertine, slate, limestone, and outdoor porcelain, with options across a range of price points.
The natural stone collections are where Bedrosians earn the most attention for a stylish backyard refresh.
Travertine in particular brings a warmth and texture that porcelain alternatives find hard to replicate, and Bedrosians carries a solid selection of honed and filled travertine formats appropriate for outdoor use. The key is to confirm frost ratings and sealing requirements for the specific product, as natural stone performance varies more than porcelain across a catalogue.
Their online experience includes clear product specifications, sample ordering, and delivery to most US addresses, making it a practical option for homeowners who want natural stone character without navigating specialist stone yards.
Best for: homeowners who want natural stone for their backyard, projects with flexible budgets, and those who prefer having both online and showroom access.
3. Fireclay Tile
Handmade ceramic with a great colour range
Fireclay Tile is a US-based handmade ceramic brand with a colour library that is genuinely useful for homeowners trying to pull together a cohesive outdoor space.
If you have a specific exterior paint colour, fence tone, or planting palette in mind and you need the tile to work with it rather than against it, Fireclay’s ability to offer a broad range of custom and standard colourways gives you more control than most tile brands allow.
Their outdoor-rated ceramic options work particularly well for covered patios, transition zones between indoor and outdoor spaces, and partially sheltered areas.
The handmade quality of the tile, with its slight surface variation and tactile finish, brings a warmth to an outdoor space that uniform manufactured tile does not.
Worth noting: Fireclay’s outdoor range is narrower than their interior offering, so confirm that the specific tile you’re interested in carries outdoor ratings for your climate and application before ordering.
Their online product pages are detailed and their customer service team is responsive for specification questions, which is exactly what you want when shopping tile online.
Best for: covered patios and transitional outdoor areas, homeowners who need to match a specific colour palette, and those who love handmade character.
5. Porcelanosa
Sleek, low-maintenance for a contemporary backyard
If your backyard refresh vision is clean lines, a neutral palette, and a surface that asks almost nothing of you in terms of maintenance, Porcelanosa’s outdoor porcelain collection delivers that with confidence.
Their concrete-look and stone-look finishes are well-executed, the technical performance credentials are solid, and the large-format slab options minimize grout lines for a seamless, contemporary result.
For a busy household where the backyard gets heavy use from kids, pets, or regular entertaining, through-body porcelain is one of the most forgiving surfaces you can choose: it doesn’t stain, doesn’t need sealing, handles frost and UV without issue, and cleans up with a hose.
The trade-off is that it won’t develop the character and patina of an artisan material over time, but for some backyards and some households, that consistency is exactly what you want.
Porcelanosa is available through showrooms and online, with a broad trade network that can be useful if you’re working with a contractor or tile installer who has an existing account.
Best for: contemporary backyards, high-traffic family spaces, and homeowners who prioritise easy maintenance above all else.
How to make your online patio tile purchase work the first time
Once you have your shortlist from browsing online, here is the practical process that avoids the most common mistakes:
Order samples and take them outside
This cannot be overstated. Place the sample tiles on your actual patio surface and look at them at different times of day. Morning light, midday sun, late afternoon golden hour, and overcast grey days will all read differently. The tile that looked perfect on your screen in a studio photo might read differently in your specific outdoor context, and you’ll know within a few minutes of seeing the sample outside.
Measure carefully and order extra
Measure your patio area in square feet or square metres, then add 10-15% for cuts, breakages, and future repairs. For handmade tile, order everything from the same production batch. Note the lot or batch number when you order and keep it on file: if you need to replace a damaged tile in two years, that number will be the difference between finding a perfect match and a noticeable mismatch.
Read the installation requirements before you commit
Different tile materials have different installation requirements. Cement and artisan tiles need specific adhesives, different joint spacing than standard tile, and may require sealing before grouting. Porcelain large slabs need a perfectly level sub-base and large-format tile adhesive. Natural stone may need sealing before and after installation. Understanding the installation requirements before you buy helps you brief your tiler accurately and avoid surprises once the tiles arrive.
Brief your tiler before ordering
Share the product specifications with your tiler before placing your full order. A tiler experienced with the material type will immediately know whether the product is suited to your sub-base condition, what adhesive they’ll need, and how to handle the joint sizing and pattern layout. Getting this conversation done before delivery avoids the situation of having tiles arrive and then discovering an installation issue.
What to check before you buy outdoor tile online
Before you get swept up in how beautiful a tile looks on a product page, here are the practical boxes to tick. These are the things that determine whether a tile works in your outdoor space long-term, not just on the day it’s installed.
- Frost resistance: If you live somewhere that gets cold winters, your outdoor tile needs to be rated for freeze-thaw cycling. Look for confirmation that the tile meets ASTM C1026 or an equivalent standard. If this isn’t mentioned anywhere on the product page, ask before ordering.
- Slip resistance rating: Outdoor floors need a DCOF rating of at least 0.42. This is a safety thing, not just a spec box: a beautifully polished tile that gets slippery when wet is a real hazard. The product description should confirm this, especially for any tile marketed as an outdoor floor option.
- Correct application: Not every tile labelled as outdoor-suitable is appropriate for every outdoor use. A tile rated for a covered patio may not be suitable for a fully exposed pool surround or a high-traffic driveway. Check that the specific product is rated for your intended application.
- Sample availability: Any online retailer worth buying from will let you order samples. If the site makes this difficult or expensive, that is worth noting. For handmade and artisan tile especially, you really do need to see and handle the material before committing to a full order.
- Lead times and batch availability: Artisan and handmade tiles are often produced in batches, and colour and finish can vary between production runs. Confirm that enough stock from the same batch is available for your full project before ordering, and factor in a 10-15% overage for cuts and replacements.
Your backyard refresh starts with the floor
The patio tile decision is the one that changes everything else. Get it right and the furniture, the planting, the lighting all start to feel coordinated and intentional. Get it wrong and no amount of styling will fix what’s underfoot.
Shopping online gives you access to a genuinely exciting range of outdoor tile that wasn’t available to most homeowners even a few years ago. Start with OUTERcle’s GATHER collection for the best combination of design quality and outdoor performance, use the sample programme before committing, and check the spec sheet before you fall too hard for any tile that hasn’t been confirmed for your specific application. For more home and garden inspiration and practical tips to make your space feel more like you, head to the Home and Garden section of City Chic Living for ideas across every room and every budget.
Please Note: I always strive to provide accurate and helpful information, but just a quick heads-up—I’m a blogger, not a doctor, lawyer, CPA, or any other kind of certified professional. I’m here to share my experiences and insights, but please make sure to use your own judgment and consult the right professionals when needed.
Also, I accept monetary compensation through affiliate links, advertising, guest posts, and sponsored partnerships on this site, however I am very particular about the products I endorse and only do so when I am truly a fan of the quality and result of the product.
